“Hear
Him”
Mark 9:7 “And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and
a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.”
Much has been written, and much has been said and preached regarding
following Christ, but little is heard regarding hearing Him. It seems fitting
at the beginning of a New Year to consider this most important subject, and the
command given in the text, for Jesus plainly stated that before we can follow
him we must first hear his voice. (John 10:4, 27)
Yet before we can look at hearing Him, there is the subject
of our personal salvation that must be considered. If we are to “hear him”, it
is necessary that we belong to him. John 10:27 “My sheep hear my voice”.
Throughout John chapter 10, Jesus makes it clear that his sheep hear his voice
and follow him; he also made it very clear that those who are not his sheep do
not hear his voice – “Ye believe not because ye are not of my sheep”. 2Pet.
1:10 says, “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling
and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.” There is
little use in studying how to follow Jesus unless we are first certain that we
are his; for we cannot follow him
rightly unless and until we truly know him.
To hear means to give audience or allowance to speak. It
means to attend favorably to, to regard; to listen to. In the text, it carries
with it the assumption of obedience. To hear means to learn, to approve, and
embrace. It means to lend, turn, or incline the ear.
God said to “hear” Jesus. That is, we are to attend
favorably to him; we are to approve and embrace his words. If we are to “hear
him” we must be listening. We are always listening for the voice of one we love; and when we hear them speak, we
listen to them, eagerly desiring to
catch every word. Are we listening for the voice of Jesus? If to hear means to give allowance to speak, then are we devoting time
to listening for our Saviour? Or do we only speak to Him? When he would
speak to us, when the Spirit prompts to prayer, do we incline our ear to him?
Or do we offer some excuse of inconvenience (Songs 5:3)?
We are told to “hear him”.
We are not told to hear any other but Jesus. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice”; and in John 10:5 he said
that, “they know not the voice of strangers.” How sad that so many of God’s professed people better know the voice of
others, yet cannot even hear the voice of the One who loves them and gave his
life for them! The apostle Paul said that there are “many kinds of voices
in the world”; how true that is! There are voices of friends and foes; voices
of family and loved ones; voices of employments and cares. These can be true
and right, or they may be false and wrong. However, the reality is that the
many kinds of voices may be categorized into two: the voice of the Word, and the voice of the world. The many kinds
of voices are constantly calling, and if we are not listening for and to his
voice, the “many kinds” will so distract us that we will not be able to hear
him when he calls. And if we cannot hear him when he calls, then we will not
follow.
In the command to “hear him” there is the suggestion that we
are not to hear others. We are not to listen to them, we are not to give them
allowance to speak, we are not to regard or obey them, nor even give them the
time of day. We are only to “hear him”. And this thought suggested by the text
is verified by Jesus himself when he said, “for they know not the voice of
strangers.” Yes, it is true that God can and does at times speak through some
or all of these; only if we know him will we be able to discern when it is his
voice through others, and when it is
the voice of others. The Scriptures
are the rule to give us discernment in this.
While no specific time of hearing is stated, and while we
know that we are always to “hear him”, listening for his voice, yet the text
suggests a particular time of which it is helpful to note. The text says, “And
there was a cloud… and a voice came out of the cloud”. God is not always so near
when the sun is shining, for then we do not feel our need of him; and J.R. Miller
rightly points out (speaking of Luke 24:28, 29) that Jesus “loves to be
constrained. He does not go where he is not really and earnestly desired, where
his presence is not eagerly sought after.” When life is dark and the clouds seem
to hang low, then, as much as ever, we ought to “hear him”. Many times we are
tempted when facing some trouble to think that Jesus is not near, that he does
not care; we often feel alone and forsaken. Yet this is not so, and it is
during the cloudy days that the Lord’s gentle leading may be the most evident,
when he speaks most tenderly to his sheep. Jesus
is near on cloudy days.
This year, whether it be one of sunshine or clouds, triumphs
or troubles, may we “hear him”; not just with the hearing of the ear, but of
the heart and life. May we hear the Word and not the world. May we hear him in
obedience and faith, and not in rebellion and unbelief.
May it be the resolve of God’s people to “hear him” in 2013!
PBC
