Articles
Listening to God's Word
“This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:19-21).
James’s admonition to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger is great advice and might well apply in a number of circumstances. In context, it is part of his picture of a how to listen to God’s word. (“This you know” transitions from the previous verse in which James said God brought us forth by the word of truth, and the verses that follow our paragraph are about being doers of the word.) James says a good hearer of God’s word...
Listens sincerely. James contrasts the righteousness of God with the filthiness of sin. Sin is disgusting, not just wrong. We must make up our minds to do right. Any sympathy with sin makes us ill-prepared to receive God’s word because it might prompt us to seek ways to justify what we want to do rather than seeking God’s will. Interestingly, James’s word for filthiness is used in secular Greek of, among other things, ear wax!
Listens humbly or meekly. We respectfully listen to financial or medical “experts” because we understand they have greater insight than we do. We want to benefit from what they know. How much more should we respect Almighty God and seek His greater wisdom!
Listens readily: “quick to hear.” Don’t assume you already know. Be anxious to learn. Take advantage of every opportunity to hear God’s word.
Listens quietly: “slow to speak.” It is hard to listen while you are talking! “Think before you speak” is good advice, often unheeded. In the context of listening to God’s word, the point may be to listen for divine truth instead of expressing personal opinions, or perhaps it is a caution against talking back to God, suggested by James’s next description. . .
Listens calmly: “slow to anger.” God’s word often corrects us, and it is tempting to react angrily to rebuke or to truth that does not suit our preferences. We must control ourselves because, as James notes, human anger does not result in divine righteousness. Anger gets in the way of objectively considering the message, its evidence, and its application. It tends to close our minds to God’s word.
Listens thoughtfully. “Receive the word implanted” means take it to heart. Read the Bible with a this-means-me outlook: every instruction, every correction, every warning, every promise, every encouragement.
One more vital point: the good hearer of God’s word puts into practice what he hears, next week’s study.
