Introduction
There is a Peanuts comic strip where Peppermint Patty and her friend are walking to school. Peppermint Patty says, “I think I’m going to ask to be Mary in the Christmas pageant.” Her friend replies, “The teacher already asked me.” Patty says, “I think I’m going to ask today.” “She asked me yesterday,” says the friend. Peppermint Patty continues, “My favorite part is when the angel Gabriel talks to me.” Exasperated, her friend exclaims, “Why would anyone want to talk to you? You don’t listen.”
Listening is a valuable skill, yet actually listening is a hard skill to master. Most everyone struggles with listening at some time or another. In fact, most husbands are accused of not listening all the time. One husband remarked, “My wife says I don’t listen, or something like that. I’m not really sure what she said.” Listening is an important skill and it is an essential part of our relationship with the Lord.
Scripture says:
• “Let the wise listen and add to their learning…” (Proverbs 1:5).
• “Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise” (Proverbs 19:20).
• “Stop listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the ways of knowledge” (Proverbs 19:27).
As you can see, listening is essential to our relationship with the Lord. In the passage of Scripture we are about to read, we see three ways a person can listen. It is imperative we listen the right way.
READ EXODUS 9:13-39
The forecast Moses offered to Pharaoh was anything but good. This region rarely sees a rain shower, let alone a forecast like this. Devastating hail; a storm of such fierceness it had never been seen in the land. It was going to hail so severely everything outside was going to be destroyed including livestock not moved to shelter. It is worth mentioning this was the second time livestock was threatened as the fifth plague killed all of Egypt’s livestock. This is certainly a headline grabbing forecast. One that would lead the evening news.
“Pay attention. The storm is coming.” Some heeded the warning, but others ignored it. Some listened to God’s Word and acted upon it, but others chose merely to listen or to listen and quickly forget.
LISTENER 1: ACTIVE LISTENER
Exodus 9:20 says Pharaoh’s officials who respected the Word of the Lord hurried to bring their workers and livestock inside. These are the individuals James describes as listeners and doers. They do not merely listen, but they do.
They hear God’s Word and they put it into practice in their lives. The officials in verse 20 hurried off to bring everything inside. They took quick action to prepare for the storm. They were active listeners.
The Lord makes some promises to active listeners. Leviticus 26 promises peace, prosperity, and freedom. Deuteronomy 28 promises the active listener will have a blessed life. Read the first 14 verses and see how many times the word “blessed” is mentioned. God’s Word is clear; actively listen to receive his favor.
The officials who heeded the storm warning went through the storm the same as the rest of Egypt. The difference is they were prepared. Listening to God’s Word does not mean there will be no turbulence in life; listening just means we will be prepared for the turbulence and it will help us make it through those times. Why wouldn’t we want to be an active listener?
Scripture is filled with examples of active listeners who were blessed. One such example is the Miraculus Catch of Fish in Luke 5. The disciples had been fishing all night, but had nothing to show for their efforts. The sun was rising as the tired fishermen went to shore where Jesus sees their boats and climbs in one. He addresses the crowd then tells Peter to put out to deeper water. Next come instructions to cast the nets. Peter and his companions listened. They cast out the nets which were filled with fish. Because they were obedient, they caught fish. Because they were active listeners, they were blessed. God’s Word is clear the active listener is blessed.
LISTENER 2: PASSIVE LISTENER
On the other hand, Exodus 9:21 says Pharoah’s officials who ignored the Word of the Lord left their workers and livestock in the fields. These are the individuals James describes as hearing the Word and quickly forgetting what it says. They listen and do nothing.
You can kind of see how these officials missed the first warning with the fifth plague. Maybe they just didn’t take the Lord as seriously as they should have, but this is the second time. They have the results of the first time. Their livestock was destroyed. Even knowing this, they chose to ignore the warning. There is that old saying, “You fool me once shame on you. You fool me twice shame on me.” They just would not do anything. These officials were passive listeners.
Leviticus 26 records some promises the Lord makes to passive listeners. As you read through the chapter, the Lord promises some hard times. Poverty and punishment are mentioned and the passive listener will eventually perish. The Lord doesn’t just walk away from the passive listener though. In his grace, he offers many opportunities for this individual to become active. Why not take advantage of those opportunities before it is too late?
Think of all the times the Lord has help you: avoid an accident, provide a resource just at the right time, or put someone in your path who knew exactly what to do. Think of the time the Lord did something in an effort to move you from passivity to action. Maybe you are not the best at listening. Maybe you have only listened half-heartedly in the past. If so, start actively listening. We can’t redo the past. We can only live in the present and change the future. In his grace, the Lord is calling you to start listening.
Not listening to God’s Word is like taking your car to the mechanic because you can no longer go in reverse. You suspect the transmission is failing, and the mechanic confirms it. You are told at any time your transmission will completely fail leaving you stranded on the road, but you do nothing. A couple weeks later you find yourself stranded along the road. You say to yourself, “Self, what sense did it make not to listen to the mechanic?” What sense does it make not to actively listen to God’s word?
LISTENER 3: FORGETFUL LISTENER
Pharoah seems to be a forgetful listener. There is a pattern in the plagues in which Pharoah passively hears God’s Word, temporarily acts upon it in the middle of the plague, but when relief comes, immediately forgets.
In the middle of a storm like none other, Pharoah asks Moses to make the storm stop. Pharoah says, “Pray to the Lord, for we have had enough thunder and hail. I will let you go; you don’t have to stay any longer” (Exodus 9:28). Enough, I had enough and I get the point so I am going to change my ways. This is the type of statement a lot of folks make in the midst of difficulty.
They have passively listened to God’s Word. Things get tough so they begin acting on God’s Word until the season passes. Relief comes and they quickly forget. They are forgetful listeners.
Do you know anyone like this? Maybe it describes you. This type of listener is really just a passive listener. Passive listening and forgetful listening both lead to the same place.
Think back to Leviticus 26 telling us how the Lord deals with a passive listener. We also find this person’s life described in Deuteronomy 28. Start reading with verse 15 and like before, notice how many times a word shows up. This time the word is “cursed.” God’s Word is clear; forgetful and passive listening lead to destruction.
Conclusion
We are all listening in one of these ways. We are acting, sitting still, or forgetting. Only one way of listening leads to blessings. Only one way of listening leads to life. Active listening; no other way will work.
Allow me to share one more story with you. Two men were sent to spy on an enemy city to help develop a battle strategy. Not wanting their cover blown, the men sought lodging at the home of a prostitute. The city leaders heard the two men were in town and came looking for them, but the prostitute hid the two men on her roof. She sent the city officials on a wild goose chase, and told the two spies how to escape.
As the two spies were leaving, the prostitute asked them to remember her when their nation conquered the city. The two spies promised favor to her and her family dwelling within her home when they conquerored the city. She was told to tie a rope outside her window so her house would be easily identified.
Up to this point, some might question this lady’s actions; however, do not miss what happens next. She listens! She ties the rope outside her window as soon as the spies leave.
When the nation returned to conquer the city, there’s the rope. It is in plain view outside the window just as the prostitute was instructed. The city falls, but she is remembered. This city is Jericho, and this prostitute is Rahab. And, because she was an active listener, she found life.
What we are to do is not out of reach. Listening to the Lord is not out of our grasp. Moses told the Israelites, “For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess” (Deuteronomy 30:16).
