Hearing God's Word

“Good listening skills are important because God, who has much to teach us, speaks through the Scriptures.”

This quote from a daily devotional ties in with yesterday’s ‘Reading God’s Word.’ Isaiah is quoted as saying it first:

And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD. (2 Kings 20:16)

Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea each use the phrase in the books attributed to them. Yet it is Paul who puts this into perspective:

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? (Romans 10:14)

There must be someone to tell us before we can hear the word of the Lord. Isaiah did so, as did each of the others. They not only admonished their people to hear the word of the Lord, they gave them His word. And, He returned the favor by sending His Word.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)

For a while, God’s people heard the word of the prophets; heeded the words of the preachers; spread the good news of the true light of the world, the Word which was God. But not all understood:

He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. (John 1:10-11)

Thanks be to God that the prophecy does not end there. John continues, letting us know what is in store when we heed God’s Word:

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (John 1:12)

How do we show that we read and hear God’s word?

And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. (1 John 2:3)

John continues with this same message:

Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. (1 John 5:1-3)

Christ himself told us two commandments take care of all the law and prophets:

Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:36-40)