NOT ENOUGH TO HEAR

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“As for you, son of man, your people are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the Lord.’ My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.”

“When all this comes true—and it surely will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

Ezekiel 33:30-33

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In one ear and out the other.

Maybe you have heard the saying before.

Essentially it means that when something was told to a person, they heard it but failed to listen to what was being said, evident by their actions afterwards. In other words, the person acted as if they had never heard what was said.

Maybe you know someone who did this. Maybe that someone was even you because if we’re honest, I think we have all been guilty of letting what someone said go “in one ear and out the other.”

This isn’t a modern day phenomena because as we look at the closing verses of Ezekiel 33, we find the Lord rebuking his people for not putting His words into action. Look again at this passage here:

“As for you, son of man, your people are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the Lord.’ My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.”

“When all this comes true—and it surely will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”  Ezekiel 33:30-33

God had sent the prophet Ezekiel to deliver a message to the people, just as He had done with other messengers in the past like Isaiah and Jeremiah. The people even came to Ezekiel to sit before him to hear what the Lord had to say. On the surface, it appeared all was well.

But there was only one problem and the Lord quickly brings it to light. For although the people went to Ezekiel, seemingly attentive and eager to receive the communication from the Lord, they did not put the words into action. God’s words went in one ear and out the other, showing us that it simply isn’t enough to just hear His words when they are spoken. We need to listen to them and allow them to come alive within us.

So what was the end result of the Israelites’ opting to not take the words of God seriously?

They chose to follow their own will over the Lord’s and thus reverted to sinful behavior.

God tells us they spoke words of love even though their hearts were really greedy to get things unjustly.

And so the Israelites did not receive the prophet’s warning of pending judgment and the need to turn from their wicked ways, moving back toward the righteousness of God. They refused to take Ezekiel’s prophesy of Judah’s and Jerusalem’s destruction seriously, mostly because they didn’t really respect him as a prophet.

But note the final words of God in this scripture. For when the words God spoke through His prophet came true (and as we know, they all did), then the people would know that they had a prophet in their midst, a prophet whose words they allowed to go in one ear and out the other.

With this, God’s word is challenging us to self examine ourselves and see if we are repeating the mistakes of the Israelites in Ezekiel’s day. We all should reflect on the way we live and simply ask one question:

When God speaks to me through His word or Spirit, do I take those words to heart and put them into action or do I simply allow them to go in one ear and out the other?

Perhaps we should all remember and always heed these words from the man who was considered to be the brother of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ:

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark
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