Hearing God

As I was reading through the book of Numbers last night, I came to the portion where Moses commanded the people to keep the Passover at the appointed time:  the 14th day of the first month.  Men approached Moses with an important question.  Certain men had been deemed unclean by the Law because they had come in contact with a dead body.  However, they desired to keep the feast and offer the appropriate sacrifice to the LORD - but were unclean.  Numbers 9:8 reads, "And Moses said unto them, "Stand still, and I will hear what the LORD will command concerning you."  God spoke to Moses and told him that those deemed unclean under ceremonial Law could keep the Passover on the 14th day of the second month, as long as it was carried out in precisely the same way as it should have been done a month earlier.

What struck me about the passage were the words of Moses when faced with this dilemma.  If I was in a situation like Moses, I would have said something like:  "I'll ask God about that in prayer and see what He says."  But Moses said, "Stand still, and I will hear what the LORD will command concerning you."  Moses recognized that God already knew the situation.  He didn't need to explain the whole background concerning these men before God.  God was fully aware of their need for wisdom and guidance even before asking.  Jesus says in Matthew 6:8, "...For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."  Sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking we need to inform God of what is going on in our world, even as the disciples rushed to Jesus in the midst of the storm saying, "Don't you care that we are perishing?"  Jesus knew.  It was only in desperation they would cry out for His aid and then He could work miracles.

The second thing which captured my attention is the Hebrew word translated "hear" in this instance.  It is "shama," which in the Strong's Concordance is described as:  "to hear intelligently, often with implication of attention and obedience."  This word is also translated in the KJV as:  "hear," "hearken," "obey," "publish," and "understand."  It carries the idea of carefully hearing with the purpose and intent to obey fully the directive given.  Throughout our days we hear a lot of things.  We don't believe, trust, or obey everything we hear because that would be foolish.  We immediately sort out what directives we will heed and what we will ignore.  It is a very dangerous place to be when we do the same with what God says.  Only disaster will follow those who read God's Word and pick and choose what they will "hear."

How often do we not hear God speaking because we are not listening!  We do not stand still to hear what God says, but rush about and walk according to the way which seems right to us at the time.  The scripture says that there is a way which seems right to a man, but the end of it is death.  We also read that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word which proceeds from the mouth of God.  How critical it is to stand still and hear God's voice with intent to fully obey.  Let us say someone has asked you for advice.  You offer them wise counsel which they decide to ignore completely.  After this cycle is repeated over and over, at some point you will withhold your wisdom from such a fool who has no intention to act according to your word.

We have all been that fool with God.  God does not offer advice:  He offers divine wisdom and knowledge from His infinite stores.  God holds forth righteous judgments and commands according to His character.  He plainly says what is the right and wrong way for a man to live in relation to God and others.  Jesus has become wisdom for all who believe, as it says in 1 Corinthians 1:30.  Jesus says of the Holy Spirit whom has now been sent in John 16:13:  "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come."  We should not take the written Word of God nor the promptings of the Holy Spirit "with a grain of salt," but see them in truth as the words of life:  words which must be obeyed.

Romans 11:33 says, "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!"  He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.  It is time for us to seek the LORD, stand still, and hear what He says with intent to obey.  It is in this place where we discover His perfect will.