Watch How You Hear  

                        Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to

him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall

be taken even that which he seemeth to have.

The Scripture quoted is Luke 8:18. The “Take heed” translates the Greek word for “Look”. The literal Greek says "look" how you hear.  Can you picture that in your mind?  Trying to keep your eye on your ear? The picture would resemble the dog chasing his tail. It is an idiom along the lines of the English expression “Watch your mouth!” It is language that is designed to warn us that one is not credited with hearing unless one responds in obedience to what is heard.  Each of the seven Churches of Revelation are put on notice also, when it says in Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 29, 3:6, 13, and 22  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the Churches.  Yet once more in Rev. 13 concerning the Dragon and the Beast, the Word says; He that hath an ear, let him hear. 

For the past several weeks I have been paying particular attention to the relationship between hearing and obeying and especially as it is operating among but certainly not limited to our young people. My overall conclusion is that if obedience to commands is a hearing test then almost all of the current crop of kids need hearing aids! People are no different today than they have been in every age in the past, including “Bible times”. Perhaps we have a perception of more disobedience in modern society because the consequences or punishment for it is less certain than in days gone by and in some cases it is missing altogether. Remember, however, that God's word is the same, yesterday, today and forever. When God's people obey they find without exception the blessings that He is more than ready to give. When they disobey they find the necessary discipline that a loving Father reluctantly administers. 

I believe it is important for us to see that in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and even in English, the idea of obedience is directly related to hearing. (The English word "obedience" ultimately comes from the Latin preposition Ob, "near" with Audire, "to hear": cf. "audience"). A very well known verse to Christians as well as Jews is referred to as the "SHEMA" of Deut. 6:4;  Hear, O israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.  It is called the "SHEMA" because that is the first word in the Hebrew text and it is the common Hebrew word for "hearing". But it is also the most common word in the Hebrew O.T. for "obeying". So when Ex. 19:5 says Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine, "SHEMA" is the word translated "obey". We may accurately say that every time we see the word "hear", we could probably translate it "obey", and vis versa. This is why many translations replace the word "hear" with the archaic "hearken" or "take heed" which are words that somehow come a little closer to implying obedience, or at least indicate a greater responsibility for diligence on the part of the one listening. 

Turning to the N.T. we find that the Greek word most often translated "obey" and "obedience" is also the word for "Hear" with the preposition for "under" placed in front of it, with a literal meaning of "to hear under". Rom 6:16  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?  Once again, to get a word picture just imagine the person in this verse sitting at the feet of the one he serves "listening under" this influence.  How clearly this idea of hearing and doing is presented in Rom 5:19  For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.  The obedience of Christ, a submissive "Doing of the Father's will" is contrasted with Adam, who "hears amiss" and is found disobedient.  Jesus did and said only as the Father directed,  For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. John 3:34.  And again, Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him. Heb. 5:8,9.

1 Sam 15:22  And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. In this verse, the two "obeys" translate SHEMA, while "hearken" translates QASHAB, a very close synonym meaning to listen intensively. Saul the king assumed that God would settle for the obligatory sacrifice even though it set obedience aside. He was dead wrong!

What will motivate us to hear and obey? We see in Scripture both the advantage of obedience and the penalty for neglecting it. For the Christian, obedience should spring from gratitude for the grace and mercy that God has shown us. Our love for God and our appreciation for what he has done for us requires it. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. John 14:21  

Let us keep our eyes on our ears, listen up and do exactly what God says.

Hayden

  Hebrew # 8085.
shama', shaw-mah'; a prim. root; to hear intelligently (often with the  implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causative to tell, etc.):--  attentively, call (gather) together,  carefully,  certainly, consent, consider, be content, declare,  diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make to) hear (-ken, tell),  indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be) obedient, obey, perceive, (make a) proclaim (-ation), publish, regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound,  surely, tell, understand, whosoever [heareth], witness.