“Take Into Your Heart”

 

 

“Moreover, He said to me, ‘Son of man, take into your heart all My words which I will speak to you and listen closely.’” Ezekiel 3:10 NASB (The actual Hebrew is, “listen with your ears” – ESV, KJV.)

 

I think the ESV and KJV are better translations, after all, these are the words of God, the Word of God, and the Hebrew clearly says, “listen with your ears.” The more we read the expressions and cadence of another language, even in translation when that language is translated to reflect its cadence and expressions, the more familiar and natural that language and way of expression and thinking become; it is not as if the NASB is written for a person with an elementary school reading level.

 

So while we are indeed to listen closely, perhaps God is also saying, “I’ve given you two ears, use them, think about why I gave them to you and use them.” Or perhaps He is telling Ezekiel to be careful to use them to hear what He is speaking. Am I being careful today to use my ears to hear God’s Word, or are news channels more important? Are sports media more important? Economics? Politics? International affairs? Even my favorite preacher or teacher; that is, am I building three tabernacles, one for Moses, one for Elijah, and one for Jesus?

 

Am I listening with my ears to God’s Word? This is one benefit of reading the Bible out loud, so that we may “hear” with our ears which in turn helps us see with our mind and heart, it helps us take what we hear into our heart.

 

I wonder if I have taken “all” of His words into my heart? And if not, why not?

 

I wonder how closely I have listened? Have I been using both of my ears, have they been attuned to His Word, or has my hearing been diminished? Have I allowed other voices, other sounds, to drown His Word, distort His Word, fragment His Word?

 

In my own life my two greatest enemies to taking His Word into my heart and listening closely to Him have been myself, my self-centeredness and self-righteousness; and religious (professing Christian) thinking, teaching, agendas, and mindsets. Has Jesus Christ ever been enough? Concerning the latter, this is often a matter of whether I submit my religious thinking to God’s Word, or whether I attempt to submit God’s Word to my religious thinking. Jesus challenges our religious thinking time and again in the Sermon on the Mount, “You have heard it said…but I say to you.” “When you give…when you pray…when you fast…do not be like the religious leaders.”

 

Well now, we are to take all of His words. It seems to me that this is foundational. Yes, I realize it appears simple, simple in the sense that only a child would think like that – but maybe there is something there about receiving His Word with the trust of a child. Didn’t Jesus talk about becoming as children?

 

While I’m sure there are members of small groups which I’ve participated in who have thought that I’ve said too much at times, the truth is that I haven’t said nearly as much as I might have, nor been as direct as perhaps I should have been. For I have been appalled at how we sit in judgment on God’s Word – rather than receiving it into our hearts as He gives it to us, rather than listening closely with our ears. Rather than say, “Amen” to God’s Word, we tend to say, “Yeah but.” Rather than say, “How can I, by God’s grace, understand and obey this passage?”, we tend to say, “What shall I accept here and what shall I reject as not being relevant to my life?”

 

When I take God’s Word into my heart, I do so unreservedly, without hesitation. I do this because I trust Him. I may not understand all that He says or why He says it, I may be at a loss to know why, or how – and I may feel so far removed from obedience that I may think I will never enter into the fulness of His promises…but whatever my state of mind or condition of my heart…God is trustworthy, I can trust Him, I can trust His Word.

 

This is not blind faith, this is not uninformed faith, this is not unintelligent faith – this is faith whose object is the True and Living God – it is not the measure of my faith that matters, it is the object of my faith – and the object of my faith – the God of the Bible – is true and certain and altogether trustworthy. My total life depends on God, on His Nature, His Essence, His Character – as it is manifested in His Son Jesus Christ and revealed through the Bible.

 

Therefore, ought I not to take into my heart all of His words?

 

Jesus says that if we are ashamed of Him and His words that He will be ashamed of us (Mark 8:38). Do we trifle with this idea? Do we set ourselves up as judges of His words – when in fact His Word will judge us?

 

And yet, as I’ve said, I’ve heard us apologize for His words again and again, question His words, dismiss His words…as if we were competent to stand as judge and jury over God. We value the praise of man more than the praise of God, the approbation of man more than the approval of God. This is truly crazy.

 

“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” (Hebrews 6:6).

 

Again, it isn’t the measure of our faith, it is the object of our faith. Certainly, as our vision of the object of our faith – our Lord Jesus Christ – grows, the measure of our faith will also grow in union with Him – but this will always be through His sacramental Word, His Word which draws us into union with Himself, into the Holy Trinity.

 

This series of reflections began with, “I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking” (Ez. 1:28b). That is a good place to conclude. Amen.