What Does The Bible Say About Listening?

What Does The Bible Say About Listening? Despite the fact that listening is one of the easiest things that you’ll ever do, it also happens to be one of the hardest. In simple terms, we can say that listening is easy – or hearing is easy. It is clear to everyone that listening does not demand the initiative or energy that is required in speaking or maintaining a discussion alive. It is in this light that it is said that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). Hearing or listening is a very important aspect of a Christian’s life. The fact is that hearing is easy, and faith is not an expression or a result of our activity, but our receiving of the activity of another in the person of Christ.

Behold, it is “hearing with faith” (Galatians 3:2, 5) that accents the mighty achievements of Jesus Christ thereby bringing forth a channel of grace that starts and sustains the life of a Christian. It is rather unfortunate that despite this ease – or perhaps precisely because of it – we are more into fighting against it. This is because even in our sin, we’d rather trust ourselves than another. We are more into amassing our own righteousness than simply accepting another’s. It is in the same way that we find ourselves speaking and defending our thoughts than listening to someone else. Genuine, recommended, active listening is a great act of faith, and a demonstration of grace both for ourselves and those with whom we are fellowship with.

What Does The Bible Say About Listening?

What the Scriptures say about Listening

The Scriptures say much about listening worth knowing. We’ll take as our basic text for Christian listening, James 1:19 – “Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.” Although simple enough in principle, it is almost impossible to live for many. It is rather unfortunate that we are more into practicing the opposite. That is, too often, we are slow to hear or listen, quick to speak, and quick to anger. Thus, learning to listen actively and well isn’t something that will take place overnight. Actively listening requires your personal effort, discipline, and consciousness. It is something that you’ll get better at as time goes by given the effort you are putting in.

It is important to understand that becoming a better listener is not just about resolving to do better in a single conversation, but coming-up with an effective pattern of little resolves to focus on particular people at given moments. This is actually a needed area of growth in your life which needs your attention. By focusing on it and bringing amelioration, you’ll reap lots of benefits as time goes-by. Below are some vital lessons in good listening worth mastering.

Lessons in Good Listening

1. Good listening requires patience

The importance of good listening is reflected by the saying: “Poor listening diminishes another person, while good listening invites them to exist and matter.” But what do we mean when we say that good listening requires patience? Bonhoeffer points to a poor listening as “a kind of listening with half an ear that presumes already to know what the other person has to say.” He further refers to such as one which “is an impatient, inattentive listening, that . . . is only waiting for a chance to speak.” Such is more likely to happen when we think that we know where the speaker is going and we start formulating our response instead of actively listening to what he/she has to say till the end. This can also happen when we have another commitment approaching, and we wish the speakers were done already. Such leaves us half-eared because our attention is divided.

We can experience a divided attention by our external surroundings or internal rebounding to self. Dunn laments says, “Unfortunately, many of us are too preoccupied with ourselves when we listen. Instead of concentrating on what is being said, we are busy either deciding what to say in response or mentally rejecting the other person’s point of view.” Good listening requires concentration and means that we are actively in with both ears as we hear the speaker till they are done. It is very important to hear the whole train of thought before making any analysis. Also note here that good listening silences the smartphone and does not interrupt or stop the story, but is attentive and patient. Such is eternally relaxed but internally active. Good listening finds the energy to block out the distractions that keep bombarding us during the process.

2. Good listening is an act of love

Bonhoeffer talks of half-eared listening by saying that it “despises the brother and is only waiting for a chance to speak and thus get rid of the other person.” It is important to understand here that poor listening is a form of rejection while good listening is more of embracing. In simple terms, poor listening diminishes the other person, while good listening invites them to exist, and to matter in the subject of discussion. Having this in mind, Bonhoeffer says, “Just as love to God begins with listening to his Word, so the beginning of love for the brethren is learning to listen to them.”

It is also important to understand here that good listening goes hand in hand with the mind-set of Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:5). It flows from a gentle heart that values others or puts them before one’s self-interest (Philippians 2:3). Good listening does not only focus on personal interest but also on the interest of others (Philippians 2:4). It is governed by patience and kindness (1 Corinthians 13:4).

3. Good listening ask objective and perceptive questions

Proverbs 18:2 says that it is the fool who “takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.” Such is the person who “gives an answer before he hears” (Proverbs 18:13). Proverbs 20:5 says, “The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water,” “but a man of understanding will draw it out.” Good listening is such that it ask objective, perceptive, open-ended questions that don’t tee up yes-no answers.

4. Good listening is ministry

Bonhoeffer points out that there are many times when “listening can be a greater service than speaking.” Behold, there are days when the most important ministry we do is to square our shoulders hurting person, uncross our arms, lean forward as we make eye contact to actively hear their pain all the way to the end. You might neglect this but it does more good than you think. Inline with what the Bible says about listening, Dunn says, “good listening often defuses the emotions that are a part of the problem being discussed. Sometimes releasing these emotions is all that is needed to solve the problem. The speaker may neither want nor expect us to say anything in response.”

He further teaches on how to cultivate good listening as he calls on us to “put more emphasis on affirmation than on answers. . . . [M]any times God simply wants to use me as a channel of his affirming love as I listen with compassion and understanding.” In the same light, Bonhoeffer points out that “Often a person can be helped merely by having someone who will listen to him seriously.” Behold, “The best ministry you might do today is to listen to someone’s pain all the way to the bottom.”

5. Good listening reflects our relationship with God Almighty

When it comes to true Christian fellowship, good listening is a great means of grace dynamic. It is a great channel through which God continuous to pour His grace, blessings, and gifts into our lives. Through it, He also using us as a means of His grace in the lives of others. Such a mindset before God is one which eliminates our inability to listen well to others which can be regarded as symptomatic of a chatty spirit that is droning out the voice of God.

Bonhoeffer warns against this by saying, “He who can no longer listen to his brother will soon be no longer listening to God either; he will be doing nothing but prattle in the presence of God too. This is the beginning of the death of the spiritual life. . . . Anyone who thinks that his time is too valuable to spend keeping quiet will eventually have no time for God and his brother, but only for himself and for his own follies.”

6. Good listening prepares us to speak well

Truth be told, good listening prepares us to effectively minister encouraging words of grace that will address or touch precisely where the other is in need. This goes inline with Bonhoeffer wrote, “We should listen with the ears of God that we may speak the Word of God.” It is sad to mention but the fool “gives an answer before he hears” (Proverbs 18:13). On the other hand, the wise person strives hard to resist defensiveness, as he/she listens from a nonjudgmental stance. Such is the person who has trained self not to formulate opinions or responses until the whole train of thought is on the table and the entire story heard.

ALSO READ What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others?

What The Bible Says About Listening

Jeremiah 29:12 – “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”

Jeremiah 33:3 – “‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’”

1 John 5:14 – “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”

Luke 11:28 – He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

James 1:22 – “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

James 1:19 – “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”

1 John 5:15 – “And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”

Matthew 7:24 – “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.“

Philippians 4:9 – “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

Proverbs 16:20 – “Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.”

Psalm 116:1-2 – “I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.”

Group 1 – What The Bible Says About Listening

Romans 10:17 – “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”

Psalm 5:3 – “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.”

Proverbs 10:17 – “Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.”

Psalm 18:6 – “In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice;my cry came before him, into his ears.”

Revelation 3:20 – “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”

Matthew 18:15 – “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.”

Deuteronomy 13:4 – “It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.”

Malachi 2:2 – “If you do not listen, and if you do not resolve to honor my name,” says the Lord Almighty, “I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me.”

Proverbs 6:20 – “My son, keep your father’s command and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.”

Acts 16:25 – “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.“

Group 2 – What The Bible Says About Listening

James 1:25 – “But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”

Exodus 15:26 – “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”

Psalm 130:1-2 – “Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.“

Psalm 34:4 – “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.“

Proverbs 4:20-21 – “My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart.”

Galatians 3:5 – “So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?“

Matthew 4:4 – Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Luke 12:3 – “What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.”

Psalm 34:15 – “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry.”

Group 3 – What The Bible Says About Listening

Psalm 34:6 – “This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.”

Proverbs 12:1 – “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.”

Isaiah 65:1 – “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’“

1 Peter 3:12 – “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Micah 7:7 – “But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.”

1 John 2:24 – “As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.”

Genesis 26:4-5 – “I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.”

Zechariah 1:4 – “Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.’ But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the Lord.”

Group 4 – What The Bible Says About Listening

Proverbs 2:2 – “Making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding;”

Matthew 11:15 – “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.“

Proverbs 19:20 – “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.”

Proverbs 18:13 – “If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.”

James 1:19 – “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;”

Zechariah 10:6 – “I will strengthen Judah and save the tribes of Joseph.I will restore them because I have compassion on them. They will be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the Lord their God and I will answer them.”

Mark 9:7 – “And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.””

Proverbs 1:33 – “But whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”

John 8:47 – “Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

Proverbs 19:27 – “Cease to hear instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.”

Proverbs 25:12 – “Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear.”

Revelation 2:7 – “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’”

ALSO READ What Does It Mean To Have Faith In Jesus Christ?

Group 5 – What The Bible Says About Listening

1 Thessalonians 2:13 – “And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.”

Galatians 4:6-9 – “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?”

1 Thessalonians 5:19 – “Do not quench the Spirit.”

Proverbs 18:2 – “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.”

Group 6 – What Does The Bible Say About Listening?

1 John 5:15 – “And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”

James 1:22 – “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

Revelation 3:20 – “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

Luke 8:21 – But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”

Psalm 5:1 – “To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David. Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my groaning.”

Exodus 20:19 – And said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.”

Proverbs 1:5 – “Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance,”

John 10:1-5 – “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”

Group 7 – What Does The Bible Say About Listening?

Jeremiah 29:12 – “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.”

Psalm 116:1-2 – “I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.”

1 Kings 3:9 – “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”

Malachi 2:2 – “If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart.”

Psalm 5:3 – “O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.”

Matthew 18:15 – “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.”

Galatians 3:5 – “Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—”

Acts 16:25 – “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,”

1 John 5:14 – “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.”

Group 8 – What Does The Bible Say About Listening?

Matthew 7:24 – “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

Mark 7:14 – “And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand:”

Romans 10:17 – “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

Luke 11:28 – But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Exodus 14:14 – “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

Proverbs 11:14 – “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.”

Proverbs 17:22 – “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

Jeremiah 7:13 – “And now, because you have done all these things, declares the Lord, and when I spoke to you persistently you did not listen, and when I called you, you did not answer,”

Proverbs 18:9 – “Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.“

Jeremiah 33:3 – “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.“

Mark 4:24 – And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you.”

Group 9 – What Does The Bible Say About Listening?

Psalm 23:1-6 – “A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul, He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. …”

Psalm 25:4-5 – “Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.”

Revelation 1:1 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,”

Psalm 18:6 – “In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.”

Genesis 18:10 – “The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him.”

Proverbs 12:15 – “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”

Group 10 – What Does The Bible Say About Listening?

Philippians 2:3-4 – “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Philippians 4:8 – “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

1 Peter 3:12 – “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Philippians 4:9 – “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

Acts 16:14 – “One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.”

John 10:27 – “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

Acts 26:29 – And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.”

Philippians 4:7 – “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Group 11 – What Does The Bible Say About Listening?

Luke 16:1-31 – “He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ …”

Matthew 28:15 – “So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.”

Luke 12:3 – “Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.”

Luke 5:1 – “On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret,”

John 10:2-4 – “But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.”

Group 12 – What Does The Bible Say About Listening?

Matthew 15:10 – “And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand:”

Mark 16:1-20 – “When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb, And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large, And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. …”

Jeremiah 26:3-6 – “It may be they will listen, and every one turn from his evil way, that I may relent of the disaster that I intend to do to them because of their evil deeds. You shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law that I have set before you, and to listen to the words of my servants the prophets whom I send to you urgently, though you have not listened, then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth.’”

Matthew 17:5 – “He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.””

Group 13 – What Does The Bible Say About Listening?

Proverbs 21:23 – “Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.”

Isaiah 40:28 – “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.”

Proverbs 24:6 – “For by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.”

Micah 1:2 – “Hear, you peoples, all of you; pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it, and let the Lord God be a witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.”

Matthew 4:4 – But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Group 14 – What Does The Bible Say About Listening?

Proverbs 13:1 – “A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.”

Proverbs 10:17 – “Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.”

Psalm 119:105 – “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Proverbs 15:31 – “The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise.”

Psalm 145:16 – “You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.”

Proverbs 17:28 – “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.”

Proverbs 16:20 – “Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.”

Group 15 – What Does The Bible Say About Listening?

Psalm 81:8 – “Hear, O my people, while I admonish you! O Israel, if you would but listen to me!”

Psalm 37:4-5 – “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.”

Proverbs 8:32-34 – “And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors.”

Proverbs 6:20 – “My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching.”

Group 16 – What Does The Bible Say About Listening?

Hebrews 4:7 – “Again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.””

Deuteronomy 13:4 – “You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.”

Psalm 34:11 – “Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”

1 Samuel 3:10 – “And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.””

Psalm 34:15 – “The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.”

Group 17 – What Does The Bible Say About Listening?

John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

John 9:31 – “We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him.”

Genesis 27:5 – “Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it,”