A few weeks ago, I had a bad cold, with some chest congestion, making it difficult to breathe. Then, whether a direct result of the cold or not, I also started experiencing something like a “clogged” left ear that affected my hearing. When someone would speak to me, I found myself responding with “huh?” quite often. It was rather irritating and frustrating to try to function with just one ear.
After about two weeks, the cold and congestion was gone, but the sensation of a clogged ear, and the frustration of impaired hearing, persisted. I finally went to the doctor. I discovered that, for some reason, there was an unusual build up of wax and I was given an appointment for an ear wash. When the unnecessary matter is removed, I will be able to hear better again.
Hearing properly is an important aspect of the Christian life. Jesus often told his audience: “If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear” (Mark 4.9 NIV). Of course, hearing here does not just mean merely apprehending the sound of someone’s voice, but it “leaves its hearers with the responsibility of discerning and applying its meaning” (R.T. France).
A recent prayer meeting devotional lesson entitled “Understanding the Bible” provided a timely reminder concerning an oft forgotten factor in reading Scripture. Based on the title of the devotional I had expected a
lesson on techniques or something like that. Instead, we were directed to consider the key ingredient of obedience. Disobedience “clouds our eyes, diminishes our ability to hear, and fogs our thinking.” Like wax in my ears, disobedience is the “unnecessary matter” that blocks proper hearing.
The writer of the letter to the Hebrews tells his readers: “About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing” (Hebrews 5.11 ESV). The mature are those who know how to hear. Proper hearing happens when our “powers of discernment [are] trained by constant practice” (Hebrews 5.14 ESV). In other words, dullness of hearing is the result of failure to put into practice what one hears. The reason we lack understanding is because we fail to obey.
To regain proper hearing, we need to wash away the “unnecessary matter” of disobedience, and start obeying again. Perhaps we can begin in this way—ask yourself two questions: “What is the latest Bible truth or lesson that I have heard in the past 24 hours?” and “What have I done, or what can I do, to put that lesson into practice today?” Then: Just do it.
“If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”
—Keith Y. Jainga