Sunday: Hear!
Read Proverbs 4. What practical truth is found here, and how can we apply this to our own lives as we seek to live in faithfulness to God?
Image © Pacific Press from GoodSalt.com
The act of hearing
marks the first step in education. In Hebrew thought, the seat of wisdom or of intelligence is located not in the brain, but in the ears. This implies that even before we seek to conceptualize or solve a problem, we first need to hear it. This means we need to listen. When Solomon asks for wisdom, he specifically asks for a hearing heart
(1 Kings 3:9, literal translation).
The first act of wisdom, then, is to listen,
which suggests that wisdom comes from an external source (in this case, the parents). We cannot discover wisdom by ourselves. The self-made individual is an impossible concept in the domain of biblical wisdom. Wisdom is first of all something that we receive, not something we shape with our own skills or that we unearth through our own brilliance and reasoning. The capacity of paying attention
(Hebrew, to put one’s heart
) implies the involvement of the heart. The search for wisdom, then, is not merely a cold, objective enterprise. The heart, which is the core of the individual and (in Hebrew thought) the seat of emotions, participates in the search for wisdom.
Read Matthew 13:44 and Jeremiah 29:13. What link can you find between these verses and the search for wisdom as it is expressed in Proverbs 4?
Emotions play a crucial role in our basic existence as humans, and thus cannot and should not be ignored in our relationship with God. How do we learn the proper place and value of emotions in regard to our spiritual life? How have your emotions steered you right (and wrong), and what have you learned from those experiences?
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Can we listen but not hear?
Are there degrees of wisdom? Can it be contextuatlised?
A fool says in his heart, there is no GOD (Psalm 14:1). What if the fool does not know of God?
No,but one can hears without listening.
Hearing is a physical process while listening is psychological.
The Bible often uses the term "fool" for one who rejects knowledge, not necessarily for one that is not aware of knowledge.
If you don't know of God, it is kind of hard to take a stance against His existence. If you are aware of God's existence but disagree or oppose that view, then you fall into a different classification according to the Bible.
Nevine Thompson, we can hear and not listen but not the other way round.
I take it that a fool has made a conscious decision to ignore God.He has made a choice.
No expert but I have listened and not heard. There are degrees of understanding so I imagine there are degrees of wisdom. Different situations call for different types of wisdom(mother wit, text book, spiritual). If you don't know God you have not sought Him, have not learned of Him. I think a fool is one who has chosen to say there is no God after searching and not being convinced.
I believe that when I listen I am paying attention to what is being said. If I don not hear, how can I listen? Just wondering.
With regard to Prov. 4 : 16 It seems to me that the word "unless" should be replaced by "because", for as it reads now it would appear that in order to have good nights sleep you have to commit evil, same as "You will not sleep unless you take your medicine".
Proverbs 4:16 cannot be read alone, it must be read in the context of verses 14, 15, and 17, in them the wicked are being discussed. The only way the wicked can get any sleep is if they have done evil or hurt someone. So if one desires sleep, one should stay away from evil.
That line of verse states that the evil one does sleep well unless the they do evil.
My understanding is found from reading the nasb. version
John,
Patricia has hit the nail on the head. Verse 16 is telling us that the wicked cannot have a good night's sleep unless they have managed to do some evil that day. It is not a command for how we ought to behave, but an observation of how the wicked do behave.
in the thompsons bible study NIV, 16 reads; for they cannot sleep still they do evil-- due to their choice of wrong.
I pray that this helps some, for each translation is to be studied with prayer and guidance for understanding.
I pray that we all open our study with that step 1st to be "wise"
He is truth, therefore, His word is truth.
What I understand the verse to mean is that these kind of people are only comfortable after committing evil.It is a dose that they must take to be alright.
it seems to me that from the context of the lesson, there is a clear distinction between listening and hearing. Listening is Psychological process whiles hearing is the physiological aspect of listening. yet there can be hearing without listening. Listening comes when we put what we hear in its expected use. without such an effort, we hear but do not listen. the lesson is therefore admonishing us to have good hearing of the word of God so we can put it to use
Hear! Hear the practical counsel to safeguard against evil: Prov: 4: 14 & 15 "Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, and pass not by it, turn from it and pass away. " Have we considered how easy it is to enter into demonic territories? Some movies that we watch in the comfort of our homes are demonic territories. We may even throw our children into demonic territories by exposing them to certain books and games. "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand etch in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful Psalms 1:1."
Prov 4
This is a call to listen to a father's instruction. Listening (not only with ears but with heart - ie active efforts of the heart to keep to memory) is key to "know", which knowledge then becomes wisdom wen translated to actions by God's grace.
If a "fool" does not know of God then how can he have the knowledge to say that there is no God? He must first be aware that there is a God before he can make a decision to acknowledge God or deny him.
Good point, Roy, but is there anyone who can honestly say he knows nothing (Rom 1:19-20)? In many of the cases I have seen the atheist denies God because he chooses to do so and I believe that situation is becoming more and more so as the case against atheistic materialism strengthens with each scientific discovery.
Hi Roy,
You say "He must first be aware that there is a God" Not so.
What the fool is saying is - you are saying there is a God but I am saying there is no such thing as a God who created this world it is just something people made up - the opiate of the masses, science proves we evolved, we live we die. He says we are fooling our selves, there was no such person as Jesus, there is no proof that he exists, the bible is just a collection of myths.
This fool says there is no one who has authority over me. He says I don't believe what you believe. He is different from someone who says there maybe a God but I am not going to listen to him.
I do believe that the fool, when he hears of God, refuses to accept or even search to find out if this is so because he chooses to remain is his domain.
Hi Shirley,
My apologies for the long lapse of time between responses. I do not agree with your point. Even the fool who says that there is no God and does not acknowledge him had to be given information to make that response. If no one had ever told him he would not have responded as such . The dictionary states :believed, believing
to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, (ie:information) so to not believe is to not have confidence....
For example , you could not have replied to my statement without me making it. Whether a fool denies, does not accept or refuses to believe does not change whether or not there is God. He merely has opened his mouth to confirm that he is a fool. An opposing force cannot change the size of the matter it opposes but it can effect the gravitational pull that is exerted upon it.
Please as children we are always to listen to whatever our parents tell us. Are they always right? Please, I want to be clear on this.
If then the seat of wisdom is in hearing? What about the deaf who can't hear?
I do believe that hearing in this context means to obey. It is not literally hearing with the ear. The hearing impaired have many ways of 'listening' to God's word whether through sign language or reading. The blind read braille or listen to electronically recorded readings of the Word. God has provided a way for the gospel to be spread despite language barriers and physical challenges. The call then is for us to be still and LISTEN to the voice of God, HEAR (obey) his commands and let acknowledge Him in all we do so He may guide our feet in the right paths.
Wisdom as discussed previously is the application of knowledge. Acquiring knowledge is not just by hearing, it could be by reading, etc. However, I think hearing here is referring to obedience. As the ear, and hearing, signify the reception of truth, notice, and obedience, thus the first and the last of faith, therefore it was so often said by the Lord, He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear (Matt. 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9, 23; 7:16; Luke 14:35). The deaf, that is, those who do not hear, are signified in the spiritual sense as those who are not in the faith of truth, because they are not in the knowledge and consequent perception of it.
What does it look like to search for wisdom with your heart?
Krysten, Thanks for your input. It nudged me to think. I imagine a person in deep, sincere reverence pondering the Word of God and praying devoutly for guidance and truth. No distractions,but in communion. This is how I think it looks like to search for wisdom. Your question made me think on this. I'm going to practice it. Thank you for that.
You're welcome! Thank you for the response.
As an artist the events of this week in France make plain that an attack on free speech is a form of deafness. As Voltaire said, (paraphrase), I may not agree with what you say, but you have a right to say your opinion.
Art is not always pretty. Art often inspires change--- it gets you thinking. If it's in poor taste, then turn away, but if it speaks a notion of truth then it is a responsibility of the viewer/reader to investigate further, especially if it resonates.
Wisdom can be found in the most unusual places if we're open to it. Wisdom makes us think and investigate. It prods us to take note and study the situation---ask questions, etc...
Remember, it is the Word/Government of God that is under attack in the Great Controversy, not to mention His act of Creation, and as a citizen of a democracy and of the kingdom of God, when we lose Freedom of Speech, it marks the beginning of the end of Freedom of Religion.
What troubles is the fact there are those in our church who use bullying to try to censor those who stand up for biblical doctrine.
These are all lessons---of wisdom and what's to come.
Peace for the New Year.
At a very young age (65+ years ago) to Listen meant to obey. To quote my brother, "Boy, when we get home you are really going to get it for not listening to mom". Check with Oxford. To listen is to obey. Whether My hearing physiology functions well or not, listening entails obeying the directives with a committed heart.
So it is with obedience (committed heart) that the promise of eventual wisdom may ensue. If wisdom comes to one from without of self, whence its source? Where can we get wisdom? Is there any source, and if so, can it be consistently relied upon without error or any let down whatsoever or whenever? Pray on this. You'll Love.