It is needful to understand who is speaking; as it is written, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE.” (Hebrews 3:15) For if the voice is the Spirit of the Lord Jesus, we ought not to resist Him; as it says, “DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS.” (Hebrews 3:15) But the Pharisees resembled their ancestors when they resisted the Holy Ghost and stifled the Holy Spirit of God; and they were rebuked sharply by Stephen — he said to them, ”You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.” (Acts 7:51) For they resembled their ancestors who in the wilderness strove with God for forty years; as it says, “AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME.” (Hebrews 3:15) “For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses?” (Hebrews 3:16)
However, if the voice speaking is the devil, we ought to resist him; as it says, “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) And when it is temptation to sin, it says, we ought to resist to “The point of shedding blood in your striving against sin.” (Hebrews 12:4) For we ought "To refuse evil and choose good” (Isaiah 7:15) to the saving of our souls. And this we choose daily — as Christ says, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23) When He says, “He must deny himself,” it means to deny his own desires; and when He says, “and follow Me,” it means do the will of the Lord, to set our feet to His path and fellowship with Him.
For God desires willing souls to choose Him; to set our own will to His will, his own feet to God’s Path; as Jesus says, "If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself.” (John 7:17) But conversely, the devil takes men “captive to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:26); for who do you know who willingly serves the devil? For who we follow, we are lead by them to a destination; and the eternal fire "has been prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Matthew 25:41) But there is no end to those who follow Jesus; as it says, “The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:17) For the destination of the Way is eternal life, but the path of folly is dead.
And we, the sons of men, are betwixt the two — and worse yet, we dwell in the kingdom of this world, whose ruler is the devil. These two are in enmity with each other, as the flesh is in enmity with the Spirit, and the Spirit, the flesh. The power of the enemy abides in the flesh, whereas the power of God, the Spirit. “For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.” (Galatians 5:17) Just as in a tournament two opponents execute their will against each other in order to overcome one another, so it is, a war is waged between the flesh and the Spirit, the devil and God, and these are opposed, one against another, as enemies. The kingdom of this world is against the kingdom of God; as it says, “Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4)
Now, God is more powerful than we. For who can strive against Him and succeed? “We are not stronger than He, are we?” (1 Corinthians 10:22) Or “Who resists His will?" (Romans 9:19) Although man strives against God, He has promised: “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." (Genesis 6:3) As it is written by David in the Psalms:
“The LORD is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the East is from the West, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust. As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, And its place acknowledges it no longer. But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children's children, To those who keep His covenant And remember His precepts to do them. The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all.” (Psalms 103:8-19)
When he says, “He will not always strive with us,” he takes into account God’s promise; as He promised, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever.” As Jesus preached, "I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” (Matthew 5:39) And without question, the Preacher does the same things that He preaches. As it is written of Him: “While being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.” (1 Peter 2:23) For the Christ did not retaliate under oppression; as Isaiah foresaw, “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7)
And He underwent such opposition from sinners that we would ”Cease striving and know" (Psalms 46:10) that Jesus is God. For the Lord forgives our iniquities, He justifies us through His own blood. He did not strive against sinners, but became the propitiation for our sins. And through His offering, God’s wrath was appeased and His anger has ceased; as it says, “He will not be angry with us forever.” For "He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.” But He gave us life from His death, healing from His pain, forgiveness from His punishment. He has dealt with us in goodness for our evil and showed unto us His incredible kindness in that, “While we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5:6)
So now, He speaks, “I have sworn that I will not be angry with you Nor will I rebuke you. For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, And My covenant of peace will not be shaken," Says the LORD who has compassion on you.” (Isaiah 54:9-10) For “He remembered that they were but flesh, A wind that passes and does not return.” (Psalms 78:39) As it says in the promise, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh.” (Genesis 6:3) So being but flesh, we ought not to strive against God; but humbly accept the Word implanted which has power to save. For He has promised, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever.”
“Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead." (Acts 17:30-31) For previously, it is written that God overlooked sins; as He says, "These things you have done and I kept silence; You thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes.” (Psalms 50:21) So now He has given us His truth so that we would change, for the Day of Judgement will come when God will strive with those who strive against Him. As it is written, “Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; Fight against those who fight against me.” (Psalms 35:1)
“The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Christ, saying, ‘Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!’ He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them.” (Psalms 2:2-4) For although men strive with Him, He scoffs, “For He sees his day is coming.” (Psalms 37:13) So the Lord allows men to strive with Him, as He allowed Jacob; and He makes His power known through them. For Jacob wrestled with God, and he even prevailed. For God made Himself weak willingly; but in a moment, the Lord touched his hip and it was dislocated. The Patriarch strove with God for His favor; but the wicked strive against Him for provocation. So the Lord lets men strive, but on that day they will not prevail; as it says, “You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.” (Psalms 2:9)
But “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) For the Lord “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3-4) “So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:17) And remember, “You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.” (James 5:6) For He says, ”This is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day." (John 6:40)