The Difference Between Listening and Hearing - Leviticus 11-12 and Matthew 26:1-25
Sometimes we listen to things with our ears, but we do not hear them. We understand the words that are said, but we do not hear them real meaning. We listen to the message given, but we do not have an intention to act on the words. This is a huge problem when it comes to relating to God. We must not just listen to Him, we must hear Him and obey.
In Leviticus 11 and 12 we read the laws about the foods that are clean and unclean, and we read the laws about child-birth. In both cases the instructions are clearly presented for anyone who is listening. However, the key is to hear them, and to thus, obey them, because they are God's laws for us. It is obvious that most of the laws here have health benefits, but the main thing is that those who keep them are holy like God. The only way to be holy is to be set apart. That means to be different by believing and acting on what God has revealed as the truth. We might be tempted to listen to the commands and then argue with God. It seems unfair that we can't eat certain animals, and why is a lady unclean twice as long when she has a female baby as she is when she has a male baby? We need to go beyond listening to these laws and hear what God is saying, because He is God. He is saying these things for our good. We may never know all of the reasons for all of the laws, but we know that God loves us, and He has a reason. Therefore, we move beyond listening to hearing.
In Matthew 26 Jesus told his disciples that He was about to be killed by being crucified. Were they listening to His words? I think they listened to what He said, but they did not hear Him. Then, when the lady came to anoint Him, all they could think about was the money being wasted. How was it wasted, if it was for His upcoming burial? It was not wasted, but they were not hearing Him. They were listening to words, and then, they were going their own way. This was especially true of Judas. He had listened to Jesus for a long time, but He finally betrayed Him, because he was not hearing the meaning. He was not taking it to heart and obeying. He was following Jesus physically, but not in his heart. There was a huge disconnect. This is true of many people, even people who come to church. They are listening to what is being said, but they are not hearing with the intent to obey. We must not allow ourselves to fall into this trap. If we do, we will never really know the Lord, and we will never be holy. We will never receive the benefits of God's laws. We will reap the harvest of doing things our own way.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Leviticus 13 and Matthew 26:26-50.
In Leviticus 11 and 12 we read the laws about the foods that are clean and unclean, and we read the laws about child-birth. In both cases the instructions are clearly presented for anyone who is listening. However, the key is to hear them, and to thus, obey them, because they are God's laws for us. It is obvious that most of the laws here have health benefits, but the main thing is that those who keep them are holy like God. The only way to be holy is to be set apart. That means to be different by believing and acting on what God has revealed as the truth. We might be tempted to listen to the commands and then argue with God. It seems unfair that we can't eat certain animals, and why is a lady unclean twice as long when she has a female baby as she is when she has a male baby? We need to go beyond listening to these laws and hear what God is saying, because He is God. He is saying these things for our good. We may never know all of the reasons for all of the laws, but we know that God loves us, and He has a reason. Therefore, we move beyond listening to hearing.
In Matthew 26 Jesus told his disciples that He was about to be killed by being crucified. Were they listening to His words? I think they listened to what He said, but they did not hear Him. Then, when the lady came to anoint Him, all they could think about was the money being wasted. How was it wasted, if it was for His upcoming burial? It was not wasted, but they were not hearing Him. They were listening to words, and then, they were going their own way. This was especially true of Judas. He had listened to Jesus for a long time, but He finally betrayed Him, because he was not hearing the meaning. He was not taking it to heart and obeying. He was following Jesus physically, but not in his heart. There was a huge disconnect. This is true of many people, even people who come to church. They are listening to what is being said, but they are not hearing with the intent to obey. We must not allow ourselves to fall into this trap. If we do, we will never really know the Lord, and we will never be holy. We will never receive the benefits of God's laws. We will reap the harvest of doing things our own way.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Leviticus 13 and Matthew 26:26-50.