Musing - Is it possible to have ears and still not hear?

Hebraic Musing - Is it possible to have ears and still not hear?

Our first apartment in Berwyn, IL, was only about 100 yards from the busy railroad tracks with trains passing and/or stopping at the station at all hours.  After a while we learned to not hear the trains.

I wonder if it is possible to have God’s Word in our heads, but not to be sensitive to God’s Spirit to apply the Word in specific situations?  We hear, but we don’t hear.  We “heard” the trains constantly, but we really didn’t “hear them.”  We had become so used to the sound that we ignored it subconsciously; we didn't hear it anymore.

Might we do the same thing Spiritually?  We develop the capacity to block out the Word from certain areas of our lives.  We hear what we want to hear and block out what we do not want to hear.  We read it, or hear it preached, but we don’t really hear it anymore; we stopped listening.  Why?  Maybe some habits, routines, doctrines or customs have been tolerated for so long and so frequently we've forgotten to check with God?  Maybe we don’t want to hear it because it reveals major changes that need to take place in our lives. 

This discussion reminds me of the scariest admonition in the Bible – “having their conscience seared with a hot iron,” 1 Tim 4:2 KJV    Why do I find this to be so scary?  How will I know when my conscience has been seared?!?!

That’s why as Jesus taught He often had to say, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Luke 8:8; or  “consider carefully how you listen.”   Luke 8:18.  Those are just two examples.  The word “Hear” appears 379 time in the NIV; “Ears” appears 84 times; “Listen” appears.352 times (frequently pointing out that “they did not listen”).

Abram, Moses and many other “men of God” heard God’s word and obeyed.  Obedient faith hears God’s Word with a desire and willingness to yield to the Lord, sometimes in areas where He asks us to make a significant change.

Points to ponder

Is there something God is telling me to do, but I’d rather not listen?

What is God telling the church to do, but…?

“My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words.”  Proverbs 4:20

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                   June 28, 2016