Jump Start # 1112

Proverbs 20:12 “The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made both of them.”

  Our verse today is one of the many stand-alone verses found in Proverbs. A short, to the point truism that has significance for us. This verse is pointing to more than the obvious—that God is the creator and He made ears hear and eyes see.

The hearing ear indicates listening, learning, observing. There is much to hear. There are song birds chirping in the morning. There is the sound of a coming thunderstorm off in the distance. The wind makes a sound as it rushes through trees. There is also, the noise of a city, like the sound of traffic, the clicking of keyboards, the ringing of cellphones, the chatter of people. There must be more to it than that.

The hearing ear—hearing the pleas of a tired parent who feels like she is losing touch with her teenager. The sadness of the voice as one recognizes a loved one inching closer to death. The excitement of a young couple as they talk about their upcoming wedding. The questions of someone who wants to believe in God but is not sure. The welcome from someone who is desperately looking for a person to break his loneliness and have a real conversation. The hearing ear. I wonder how often we miss those things.

One of the common expressions that was used to catch the attention of Jesus was the word “mercy.” Lord, have mercy on us. The lepers said that. Those wanting help for the injured and sick said that. Have mercy. Jesus heard. Jesus had hearing ears.

Sometimes it’s not what a person says, but how they say it that is just as important. Some have trouble expressing themselves or they don’t want to just come out and say how they feel, so they fish around for words and circle around the subject a few times. The hearing ear catches that. They sense a troubled heart that wants to talk.

This is important for parents. Kids won’t very often come out and say, ‘Bible class is boring to me.’ They know you will hit the roof if they say that. They sometimes want to say that, but can’t. So they stammer around the topic. Hearing ears pick up on what’s going on. There is a problem. There is a disconnect between the child and the teacher or the child and the topic. Something is not right. Hearing ears get that.

Shepherds of God’s church must also have hearing ears. Like kids, many of us have trouble just saying exactly what’s bothering us. We fear that we will be thought less of if we say what’s on our mind. So we don’t. We fear that the leadership will think we are dumb so we skirt around topics and play verbal hide and seek with the elders. Hearing ears will get that. They will pick up on something that is not right. Good shepherds will guide a person gently into what the problem may be.

Hearing ears. This is not the only time this concept is found in the Bible. Jesus often said, “He who has ears, let him hear.” Most folks have ears. I guess medically it’s possible to not have ears. There was a temple guard who had his ear cut off by Peter when Jesus was arrested. He got that fixed immediately, thanks to Jesus. I’ve seen big ears and little ears. I saw a wrestler once who had a cauliflower ear. I’ve never met a person who had NO ears. Yet with all of these ears, so few truly hear.

One of the marks of a follower of Christ is to have the ears that hear. We need to notice and recognize those among us who are struggling. Often it’s obvious but too many do not listen. We need to not ignore the voice of the young nor the voice of the aged. Both are important. Both have different concerns and different needs. One of the saddest complaints is for a person to be in a church family and no one hears him. He needs attention and he needs guidance and he needs help but everyone is off in their own world and no one hears. The hearing ear couldn’t be found. Such a person feels distant and not a part of the group. Loneliness, rejection, and unloved, they drift away and no one notices until it’s too late. What happened? Hearing ears didn’t pick up the plea for help.

It takes time to develop a hearing ear. It begins, as James tells us, by being quick to hear and slow to speak. That’s tough for many of us. We like to talk. We like to tell our story. We like to hear ourselves. Talk less and listen more. Really listen. Why did they use those words? Why did they say this? Do they really mean that? Ask, seek, listen.

The hearing ear will pick up on other things than just problems and issues. The hearing ear will hear the sound of joy and love. It will hear the sound of compliments and encouragement. It will hear goodness and kindness being done. A hearing ear will hear praises to God and thankfulness to a God that is cherished and loved.

Hearing ears…do you have that? What do you hear? Listen to what is around you today. You may be amazed at what you hear. You may find lots of opportunities for you to share God’s word and touch lives. It’s there. It’s all around you. You just have to listen…

Roger