Hearing

In Scripture, both physical hearing and spiritual apprehension. God hears the prayers of his people and the cry of the oppressed. People must hear and respond to God's word.

Divine hearing

God hears the prayers of his people

2 Samuel 22:7 See also Psalm 3:4; Isaiah 65:24; John 11:41–42; 1 Peter 3:12; Psalm 34:15

In my distress I called upon the LORD; I cried out to my God. And from His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for help reached His ears.

God hears the grumbling of his people

Numbers 11:1 See also Exodus 16:7–9, Exodus 16:11–12; Numbers 12:1–2, Numbers 14:27

Soon the people began to complain about their hardship in the hearing of the LORD, and when He heard them, His anger was kindled, and fire from the LORD blazed among them and consumed the outskirts of the camp.

God hears the cry of the oppressed

James 5:4 See also Exodus 3:7; Psalm 94:9

Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.

God does not hear the unrighteous

Isaiah 59:1–2 See also Psalm 66:18; Isaiah 1:15; Jeremiah 11:11, Jeremiah 11:14; Ezekiel 8:18; Amos 5:23; John 9:31

Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear.

Other gods cannot hear

1 Kings 18:26–27; Psalm 115:6, Psalm 135:17; Isaiah 46:7

Hearing the word of God

The importance of hearing God's word

Deuteronomy 5:1; Ephesians 1:13 See also Deuteronomy 4:1; Jeremiah 2:4, Jeremiah 7:2; Micah 1:2; Matthew 13:16–17 parallel Luke 10:23–24; John 5:24; Romans 10:17

Then Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: Hear, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances that I declare in your hearing this day. Learn them and observe them carefully.

And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth — the gospel of your salvation — you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

Having ears to hear

Matthew 11:15 See also Matthew 13:9; Mark 4:9, Mark 4:23; Luke 8:8; Revelation 2:7, Revelation 2:11, Revelation 2:17, Revelation 2:29, Revelation 3:6, Revelation 3:13, Revelation 3:22

He who has ears, let him hear.

The gospel must not only be heard but accepted and acted on

Hebrews 4:2 See also Matthew 7:24–27; Mark 4:14–20 parallels Matthew 13:19–23, Luke 8:11–15; Romans 2:13; Galatians 3:2, Galatians 3:5; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; James 1:22–24

For we also received the good news just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, since they did not share the faith of those who comprehended it.

It is God who grants effective hearing

Acts 16:14 See also Proverbs 20:12; Isaiah 50:5; 2 Thessalonians 2:13–14

Among those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.

Some people refuse to hear God's word

Jeremiah 6:10 See also Isaiah 42:18–20; Ezekiel 12:2; Acts 7:51; 2 Timothy 4:4

To whom can I give this warning? Who will listen to me? Look, their ears are closed, so they cannot hear. See, the word of the LORD has become offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it.

God denies the effective hearing of his word to those who stubbornly resist him

Matthew 13:10–15 parallels Mark 4:10–12, Luke 8:9–10 See also Isaiah 6:9–10; John 8:43; Acts 28:26–27; Romans 11:8; Deuteronomy 29:4; Isaiah 29:10

Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’ In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’

The first Christians witnessed to what they had heard

Acts 22:14–15 See also Acts 4:20; Hebrews 2:3; 1 John 1:1

Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear His voice. You will be His witness to everyone of what you have seen and heard.

Physical hearing was restored by Jesus Christ

Mark 7:35–37 See also Matthew 11:5 parallel Luke 7:22

Immediately the man’s ears were opened and his tongue was released, and he began to speak plainly. Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more He ordered them, the more widely they proclaimed it. The people were utterly astonished and said, “He has done all things well! He makes even the deaf hear and the mute speak!”

The dead will hear the voice of the Son of God

John 5:25 See also John 5:28–29, John 11:43–44

Truly, truly, I tell you, the hour is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.