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Opening Our Ears to Hear
God said to Isaiah: “Go and tell this people: ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be
ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ Make the heart of this people calloused;
make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their
eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be
healed” (Isaiah 6:9–10, NIV).
This
type of judgment is articulated by Paul in Romans 1: “Since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God,
he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done” (verse
28, NIV).
The worst punishment that can befall us is to
be given over or abandoned to our sin by God.
This
anticipates God’s verdict at the final judgment: “Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile
continue to be vile” (Revelation 22:11, NIV).
Every time God’s Word is proclaimed it changes
all of those within its hearing. No one ever remains unaffected by God’s Word.
To
those who hear it positively, there is growth in grace.
To
those who reject it or are indifferent to it, calluses are added to their souls
and calcium to their hearts.
The
eye becomes dimmer and dimmer, the ear heavier and heavier, and the mystery of
the kingdom more and more obscure.
He
who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Coram Deo
Ask
God to open your ears to hear His voice, to clear your spiritual eyes, and to
let you understand with your heart.
Coram Deo captures the essence of
the Christian life.
This phrase literally refers to
something that takes place in the presence of, or before the face of, God. To
live coram
Deo is to live one’s entire life in the presence of God, under
the authority of God, to the glory of God.
To live in the presence of God
is to understand that whatever we are doing and wherever we are doing it, we
are acting under the gaze of God. God is omnipresent. There is no place so
remote that we can escape His penetrating gaze.
Passages for Further Study
Isaiah 6:9-10 New
International Version (NIV)
9 He said, “Go and tell this people:
“‘Be ever hearing, but
never understanding;
be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
10 Make the heart of this people calloused;
make their ears dull
and close their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”
be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
10 Make the heart of this people calloused;
make their ears dull
and close their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”
Romans 1:28 New
International Version (NIV)
28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it
worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a
depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.
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