Pastors, preachers, parents, and others with a heart to share the truth of God with others share a common frustration: sometimes, those to whom they speak will not listen. Parents warn their children endlessly of the dangers of living godless lives and warmly communicate the love that God has for them, and the children seem to have no comprehension. Preachers plead with wayward sheep regarding the greatness of God and the love he has for his people, but they do not change their ways.
Often we then get angry, as if our anger, and even our shouting will get our message across more successfully.
But what if those who do not listen to us do not do so because they are not able to do so? Their not listening is not necessarily due to their intransigence or their wickedness. It may be that their bondage, their pain, and their sorrow is deadening their ears.
Moses in coming to the people of Israel, brings them a great message of hope and deliverance and of the favor of God. One would think they would be eager to listen. But they do not. They reject Moses’ message and they reject Moses himself.
Why? Because in a very real sense, they could not hear him. We read in Exodus 6, “Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.”
I wonder how often those who don’t listen to me can’t because of a broken spirit. Shouting will not make my message any clearer. Neither will storming off in a fit of temper. All I can do is ask God to give them ears to hear through their brokenness.