As I type this, I hear a variety of sounds.
- The gurgle of my pet’s water bowl fountain in the next room.
- A fan drying out a recently cleaned carpet spot. (Yes, a pet was the culprit!)
- A neighbor’s car door slamming shut.
- The clicking of my computer keyboard.
- The occasional sound of kids playing outside.
- And my breathing.
These are easy sounds to identify.
But what does it mean to listen to God and how do we do it?
Jeremiah 1 | God’s Purpose for Jeremiah
Reading through the book of Jeremiah is challenging.
Why do I say that?
Well, Jeremiah was called by God to inform Judah they would soon suffer the consequences of their unfaithfulness to God. Consider the following statement from God to Jeremiah in chapter one:
10 See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to break down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.” [1]
How many negative activities did God assign Jeremiah?
What positive activities did God assign Jeremiah?
God prepares Jeremiah to alert his generation of their failings, intending to encourage them to once again listen to and thus obey God.
Jeremiah 1-7 | God’s Reason for Sending Judgment Against Judah
God tells Jeremiah in chapter one why He is sending judgment against Judah.
16 And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands.[2]
List the two items that are offensive to God from verse sixteen above.
Jeremiah 2:1-3:10 describes in graphic detail the charges God levied against Israel and Judah.
Then the Lord has Jeremiah plead for both Israel and Judah to return to Him in Jeremiah 3:11-4:4.
Yet the consequences for their heinous disobedience must still occur. (See Jeremiah 4:5-7:20)
Jeremiah 7:23-26 | The Call to Listen to God
God has Jeremiah remind Israel and Judah that he did not require burnt offerings and sacrifices when He brought their forefathers out of the land of Egypt. (See Jeremiah 7:21-22 and Exodus 15:26)
Instead, God’s first instruction to the Israelites upon rescuing them from the Egyptians was:
23 But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.’ 24 But they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward. 25 From the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt to this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day. 26 Yet they did not listen to me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers. [3]
According to the verses above, how did God usually speak to Israel and Judah?
Why did God appoint certain people as prophets instead of speaking directly to all? (Consider Exodus 20:18-21)
What else is involved besides simply hearing God’s voice through His prophets?
Read the following verses from chapter thirty-six of Jeremiah.
In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today. 3 It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.” [4]
What method does God ask Jeremiah to employ so that the house of Judah will “hear”?
Does listening for God’s voice only come through our ears? Why or why not?
Jeremiah 7:23-26 | Are You Listening to God?
Having reviewed these passages and questions today, how do you answer the question, what does it mean to listen to God?
What methods do you use to “hear” God?
How does listening to God help you?
Jeremiah | To Build and To Plant–A Prophecy of Hope
The Lord also gave Jeremiah the following prophecy to include in his scroll that references the tasks God gave Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:10.
27 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. 28 And it shall come to pass that as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring harm, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, declares the Lord.[5]
How does this promise of building and planting apply to Christians today? (See also Jeremiah 31:31-34 and 1 John 3:19-24.)
Although it is difficult to read through the judgments in the book of Jeremiah, we also learn about the Lord’s desire to restore His created world.
Throughout the Old Testament, there is indeed evidence of the Lord’s amazing grace and mercy for His creation.
From Genesis to Revelation, the Lord is at work to restore us completely to be in His presence.
Take courage this week as you seek to put into practice the Lord’s Word.
Share some other verses that remind you to listen and hear the Lord’s voice in the comments section to encourage others.
Blessings,
Barbara Lynn
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Je 1:10.
[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Je 1:15–16.
[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Je 7:23–26.
[4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Je 36:1–3.
[5] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Je 31:27–28.