Take Care How You Hear, Part 2
March 13, 2025 | by: Dale Thiele | 0 Comments
Posted in: Pastoral Encouragement
Last week we looked at the Parable of the Sower and considered some lessons on how we can “take care” how we listen to God’s word. We need to 1. Be watchful in prayer for Satan’s attacks; 2. Hunger for deeper roots in the truth of God’s word; 3. Acknowledge the temptations of the world, which distract from the word; and 4. Hold fast to the word with a good word. The bottom line is that we need to be proactive in our hearing of God’s word, whether it is while we are reading our Bibles alone or listening to the preaching of God’s word. Passive listening leaves us vulnerable.
When Jesus tells the parable of the sower, he quotes from Isaiah 6 to explain the significance of the parables. We read in Matthew 13:13-15, “This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says, ‘“You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’”
Jesus is quoting from Isaiah’s call recorded in Isaiah 6:9-10. On first reading, these words sound odd. God calls his prophet to preach, but the people will not understand or perceive. The words in Isaiah 6 are even more direct. God commands Isaiah, “Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes” (v. 10). Isaiah’s preaching ministry was to bring a judgment on the people that left them unreceptive to God’s word. When Jesus quotes these words, he is saying that the people of that generation were just like the Israelites in Isaiah’s day. God was giving them his word, but he was not allowing them to understand it in a fruitful way.
Why would God not want people to hear and understand his word? What precipitates this sort of judgment?
We can go back to the beginning of Isaiah and consider his summary accusation against Judah. Isaiah says in 1:4, “Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged.” There are several details in this verse that help us understand how a people fall under the judgment of having dull hearts to the word of God.
First, they have forsaken the Lord. This is covenant language. You can only forsake someone with whom you are in covenant. For example, you can forsake your spouse. This happens when you are unfaithful to your covenant partner and seek the blessings of the covenant relationship in other avenues. Isaiah is saying that the Israelites were cheating on God. They thought they could get the blessings which only come from God through other ways.
Second, they have despised the Holy One of Israel. This title is significant in Isaiah’s prophecy. It speaks about the uniqueness of God in power, redemption, and creation. There is no one like God. This is clear in Isaiah 40:25, “To whom them will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One.” And again in 41:14, “I am the one who helps you, declares the Lord; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.” By despising the Holy One, the Israelites were spurning the very nature and character of God. They hated God for being God.
Third, they were utterly estranged. The Israelites lost their relationship with God due to their sin of breaking the covenant. This left them in dire shape.
How does this all connect with the judgment announced in Isaiah 6:9-10? God judges a people who have forsaken him by closing their ears to his word. They might still have access to his word; they might still believe they have favor in God’s sight. But their hearts are far from the Lord. There is no guarantee for humans who despise the Lord that the word of God will prove fruitful to produce repentance in their lives.
How does this apply to us? How then do we take care how we hear in light of this punishment on those who despise the Lord? Of course, the simple answer is: do not despise the Lord. How we hear the word of God is directly related to how we revere God. If our hearts are cold towards God, if we are unfaithful to God, we cannot expect the word of God to be fruitful in our lives. In light of this, we should always approach God’s word with repentance and faith. We should repent of our sin, for all sin is a forsaking of God. And we should treasure God for who he is and what he has done for us in Christ. Repentance and faith are essential in order to take care how we hear God’s word. Do not underestimate the importance of these basic Christian practices.
