The Scriptures say much about the ears and hearing. To be able to hear with attention or interest, to listen to, to give heed to, to yield to, and to obey the Scriptures is a "great blessing".

In the gospel of Matthew our Lord said:

Matthew 13:16 "But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear."

And in the Old Testament we read:

Proverbs 20:12 "The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them."

Psalm 78:1 "Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth."

Proverbs 4:20 "My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings."

So basically we can explain an "hearing ear" by three simple commands:

• "Give ear... to My law";
• "Incline your ears to the words of my mouth";
• "attend to My words."

     The "hearing ear" is sensitive to God's Word and obeys it. Two more Scriptures that depict the "hearing ear" are also found in the Book of Proverbs:

Proverbs 15:31 "The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise."

Proverbs 13:1 "A wise son heareth his Father's instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke."

     The "hearing ear" is the ear that listens to correction. It gives heed to reproof and rebuke. It receives all punishment and chastisement from the Lord. It "heareth the reproof of life." As a wise son, it hears the Father's instruction which includes all the checks and restraints, rebukes and reproofs, correction and instruction that comes from the Father's hand

     Are all of God's children "wise" sons and daughters? Do they all hearken to the Father's commands as outlined in His Word? Do they all "hear" the Father's chiding and reproof?

     No, as Proverbs 13:1 tells us "...A scorner heareth not rebuke." These are those who are arrogant boasters and mockers of "harsh" or corrective words from the Lord.

     In 2 Timothy Paul tells us:

2 Timothy 4:3 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears:"

     They are desirous of hearing "pleasant" things from the Lord. They want "smooth" words from God that conform to their carnal wishes and feelings. They want to hear the kind of instruction that will allay their restless and uneasy sinful desires.

     The apostle Paul goes on to tell us about those who turn away their ears from the Truth and turn them unto fables and falsehoods in the next verse:

2 Timothy 4:4 "And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."

As previously noted by Adam Clarke above:

"Truth strips them of their vices, sacrifices their idols, darts its lightnings against their easily besetting sins and absolutely requires a conformity to a crucified Christ."

     They do not want this kind of Truth. They have changed the Truth of God into a lie. They have turned away their ears and turned themselves away from such piercing Truth to believe any kind of stuff and nonsense that comes under the label of God.

     Lastly, Proverbs 28:9 tells us about those who turn away their ears from hearing the Law or turn off any plain-truth Bible messages. They will not read the Bible nor expose themselves to any hard-hitting, sin-exposing messages from the Scriptures - "He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination."

     In John 10:27 our Lord says, "My sheep hear My voice..." Nonetheless, Hebrews 3:15 warns, "...Today if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts..."

     Even though we are God's children and hear His voice, there are times when the Father speaks things to us that we do not like to hear. The temptation presents itself to become stubborn or obstinate to the Father's command. The Scriptures abound with example after example of times when the Father cried unto Israel, His people, and they would not hear.

Psalm 81:11 ""But My people would not hearken to My voice, and Israel would none of Me."

     They were supposedly God's sheep, yet they would not give heed to His Word. They did not like His terms. They refused to be ruled by His commands. "Israel would none of Me." What does this mean? They refused or rejected God. They did not incline their ear to Him. They did not worship Him or find satisfaction in Him. They were no longer attached to Him or cleaving to Him as their "All-in-All".

Proverbs 1:30 - "They would none of my counsel..."
Proverbs 1:25 - They "...would none of My reproof."
Psalm 81:11 - "...Israel would none of Me."
Ezekiel 20:8 - "...they rebelled against Me, and would not hearken unto Me..."
Zechariah 7:11 - "...they refused to hearken...and stopped their ears, that they should not hear."
In Jeremiah 13:10 God called them "...evil people, which refuse to hear My words..."

     We can hear the Father's cry of anguish for all of His children in Psalm 81:13 - "Oh that My people had hearkened unto Me, and Israel had walked in My ways!"

     God desires for us to have an "hearing ear" - one that pays attention to His Word and obeys it. He desires that we receive His checks and restraints, rebukes and reproofs upon our lives.

     After all, Revelation 3:19 tells us, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten..." God does not cater to our whims and fancies. Today, if we hear His voice speaking to us, we must be careful not to harden our hearts against Him because it is not what we like or want to hear.

     Job 9:4 - Let's remember the admonition found in the Book of Job - "...who hath hardened himself against Him, and hath prospered?"

Revelation 2:7 - "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith..."

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Last modified: Thursday, December 05, 2002