How Long O Lord?

 

 

Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.

Proverbs 19:20

 

 

 

The cry of the psalmists and the prophets – “How long, O Lord” – is echoed today by more than a few in our churches.  Unfortunately, they’re talking about the length of the sermon and not God’s patience in returning or judging. I have been trying to come up with an appropriate response.  Are there really things that are so important for us to do on a Sunday afternoon that spending an extra 5 – 10 minutes listening to the Word of God taught should get us so bent out of shape? What must God think?  

I have spent the last year studying 1 and 2 Samuel.  Every time I read the passages where David refuses to kill King Saul – who is trying to kill him – I am struck by his reason.  He says that he will not raise his hand against the Lord’s anointed.  In the last few weeks I have heard several people bash their Pastors.  It seems that not only do we have no trouble bashing a Pastor (the Lord’s anointed) – but we reject the word of God he brings. 

The most recent experience I had with this was someone telling me that a certain man no longer attends her church because “he likes to get out of the service on time.”  Wow! Is this man running from the teaching of God’s word?  As I walked away I wondered where his mind was while the preaching was going on – it obviously isn’t on the Lord.  

Another woman once made a very derogatory comment about her Pastor’s long sermon, though he had only gone over the allotted time by 4 minutes.  A Christian who doesn’t have an extra 4 minutes for the Word of God?  What’s wrong with that picture?  Proverbs 19:20 says, Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.   

The Bible speaks many times to people who won’t listen – and it is never good.  Jeremiah told the Israelites to confess their sin and give God glory by owning up to how they had turned against Him.  In Jeremiah 13:17 he says to the people, “But if you will not listen, my soul will weep in secret for your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears, because the LORD’s flock has been taken captive.”   

Are we a people who have been taken captive by the delights of this world….going out to lunch, going to see the Grandkids, being the first in line at the movies – whatever it is we want to leave church for so we can get there?  Over and over again in Psalm 119 we hear the Psalmist taking delight in God’s statutes, His commandments, and His law.  (Psalm 119:24, 35, 77)  What could be more delightful than worshiping God with His people and hearing the Word of God taught?   

Ecclesiastes is the book that tells us there is nothing new under the sun. (1:9) In chapter  5 verse 1 we see this warning: Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil.  

Don’t we pass up a blessing when we’re concentrating on the length of the sermon instead of the depth of the sermon?  Clearly God wants us to draw near and listen –not just “put in our time”. There are pearls of wisdom in His Word. How many have we forfeited by taking our minds off what we are listening to?  We are all guilty of this at times.  Somehow, though, it seems that losing our attention is less offensive than begrudging our attention. 

Here are additional verses that I found so we can see what God’s Word says about actively listening.  The italics are mine for emphasis: 

To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear?  Behold, their ears are uncircumcised, they cannot listen; behold, the word of the LORD is to them an object of scorn; they take no pleasure in it. Jeremiah 6:10

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.  Proverbs 1:7

We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. 1 John 4:6 

In Romans 10:17 Paul teaches, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”  This is true of salvation but also true for spiritual growth – it takes serious study of the Word of God to mature in our faith. The church is set up to give us the Word of God weekly – how many of us simply don’t really want all that much of it?   

Praise the Lord for a patient and gracious God who, – at least for now – continues to offer us what we do not seem to want.  Paul also said in Romans 10:   “But of Israel He says, ’All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.’”  (Romans 10:21)