Is Anyone
Listening?
My child,
listen when your father corrects you!
Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.
(Proverbs 1:8 NLT)
The Greek philosopher Zeno made a statement that
parents have used with their children down through the ages: “The reason why we have two ears and only
one mouth is that we may listen the more and talk the less.”
If Zeno were living in today’s culture, he might have
revised his philosophy from listening with open ears to covering his ears to
protect them from all the noise.
Ancient Greek culture did not have
amplifiers and boom boxes blaring out loud rap music (120 dB), the roaring of
jet planes taking off (150dB), noisy lawnmowers (100 dB), chain saws (120 dB),
packed football stadiums (117dB), or jack hammers (140 dB).
Zeno didn’t stop his car next to a
hot rod with speakers so loud the vehicle was shaking, and causing his to shake
as well. Most of us have had at least
one experience with noise so loud that it hurt our ears.
Having said all this, a far greater
tragedy occurs when there is so much noise around us that we fail to hear the
voice of God when he speaks to us. In
his efforts to teach us wisdom, our heavenly Father is confronted with the
clutter of noisy communications from the man-made devices that tend to pull us
further away from hearing the truth. The
only way we can listen and hear the words of God is to find a quiet place where
noise is eliminated.
A similar situation existed in
Solomon’s day when he wrote the book of Proverbs. God was trying to speak to the children of
Israel, but for one reason or another, they weren’t listening. He mentions two voices in Chapter one, vv.
8-19 that were trying to get their attention.
First, there is the voice of a godly
father as he seeks to instruct his children:
“My child, listen when your father corrects
you! Don’t neglect your mother’s
instructions. What you learn from them
will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your neck.”
Please take note that both parents are involved in the
teaching process. There is an old adage
that says: “Families that pray together – stay together.” Perhaps the failure on the part of
families to heed this sage advice has led to the breakdown of the home. Nevertheless, the combined teaching effort
will ultimately pay off in rich dividends.
Second, there is the voice of a
father warning his child to watch his path and steer clear of wrong
associations. The temptation of going
along with the crowd is strong, and it takes courage to avoid the traps that
lead to sinful consequences. He uses the
illustration of a bird who watches a trap being laid:
“If a bird sees a trap being set, it knows
to stay away.” In essence he is saying, “Aren’t you smarter
than a bird?”
How many times during the past 70 +
years have I placed a beautiful, juicy, mouthwatering worm on a hook, and sat
for hours watching a cork that never bobbed or was taken under by a fish? I have been outsmarted by fish many a
time.
Finally, the writer sums up his
instruction by saying, “But all who
listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.” (Proverbs 1:33 NLT)
