Obedience is hearing. The word that Hebrew for obedient is the word “Shema.” This word carry with the meaning of hearing, and obeying. Beadiant is not our only share measure of successful listening. There is a relationship between hearing and obeying.
Obedience in Hebrew means to hear, listen, to give attention to, to understand, to submit to and to obey.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said “One act of obedience is better than one hundred sermons.“
The word Shema for obey is a direct correlation between hearing and obeying. This is where we usually run into difficulty. We hear but don’t obey. Modern culture stresses mental activity in terms of relationship with God, but in order to have a deep relationship with God, we need to not only listen, but give attention, understand, submit, and obey.
To know, God and His voice, we need to first have an intention to do what it is we hear Him say. We must have the willingness of spiritual intent, and practice to prepare the soil of our minds and hearts who directly experience oneness with Him as we hear and obey.
“If you are willing and obedient you shall eat the good of the land“ -Isaiah 1:19
Willingness yoking yourselves to the will and Word of God. When we do, this, we will obey as we hear. As a result, just as in Isaiah 1:19, we will eat the good of the land, the rich produce that comes from yoking ourselves to Him. The produce is to shema (obey) what we hear from God. Unless we have harnessed our willingness to yolk ourselves with Him, and His instruction, we will no shema (obey) or hear the voice of God and obey, and subsequently, will not eat the good of the land.
In most cultures, listening is a passive mental activity, and hearing just means that our ears registered sound waves. In Hebrew, the word shema describes hearing and also its outward effects of taking heed, being obedient, and doing what is asked.
“But if you carefully obey His voice and do what I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and an adversary to your adversaries” -Exodus 23:22
For those of us who are parents already understand this biblical truth by the way we speak to our children and give them instruction. The fact that our children simply heard our instruction is not enough. Usually there is a physical, concrete action that they take as a result of their hearing us. When there isn’t, we often repeat it, even louder, until they hear and obey. It is only then that we consider that they in fact heard us. The same is true in scripture. Almost every place is used in the Bible it is translated to obey, rather than hearing, listening give attention, understand, and submit.
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ” -Romans 10:17
It is fruitless for us to read God’s Word without committing ourselves to do what it requires of us. Actually, I think it’s worse than fruitless really because it dulls our hearing all together, and this is disobedience. How can we call ourselves followers of God, and ignore the transformative changes in our lives that He demands.
“He who has ears to hear, let him hear” – Matthew 11:15
Jesus says, “He who had ears to hear let him hear!” he is calling us to put His words into action, not just listen. He wants us to be doers of the word, not hearers only. Our culture puts all our stress on what is it our minds, and tend to consider it action, this is just “dead works.” However, the biblical way of thinking is that we have not yet truly understood, until we put what we have heard into our hearts and allow it to transform the way we live.
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” -James 1:22
When we approach to God and His Word, it isn’t simply about an academic study so we can recite truth, it’s about having our lives changed and transformed. If my life isn’t changing because of His Words, then I haven’t learned anything, and biblical definition, I haven’t heard. The action of obedience is our only sure measure of successful living.
From Pity to Praise 