Summary
Listening
"If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame" Proverbs 18:13. The book of Proverbs returns again and again to the link between hearing and wisdom: fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to advice Proverbs 12:15; listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom for the future Proverbs 19:20; hear, my child, and be wise, and direct your mind in the way Proverbs 23:19. To listen is the posture of the wise; to answer before hearing is folly.
Listening, however, does not come naturally to us. Luther described our sinful condition as being curved in on ourselves — a definition of sin you can almost see by capitalizing the "I." From the womb forward, we would rather speak than listen. The folly Proverbs condemns plays out in many small ways: answering before the other person has finished, answering before they feel heard, hurrying the conversation along because we already know what they will say, or rehearsing our reply while they are still speaking. James names the better way: "Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak" James 1:19. To listen like that is an act of humility — putting the other first, taking the servant's place — and humility is precisely what our old nature resists.
The deeper struggle is listening to God, whose voice comes to us through His Word. We can be content to keep our ears plugged with the noise of the world or the chatter of our own hearts, giving only a passing nod to Scripture. But God does not leave us deaf. Persistently and lovingly, He opens our ears through Word and Sacrament, performing a kind of surgical work on the heart — for in matters of faith, hearing is tied to the heart. With the heart opened, the ears become clear, and we hear the rich and beautiful voice of our God speaking compassion, grace, lovingkindness, and mercy. We are comforted by the voice of our Beloved.
With God there is never a "What?" The psalmist confesses, "I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live" Psalm 116:1-2. He sees our eyes, reads our body, and knows the word on our tongue before we speak it Psalm 139:4. He hears our cry of confession and answers with absolution — the blood-bought word of grace won at the cross of Jesus Christ: in His name, you are forgiven. He is the best of all listeners, and He always knows what to say.
What God does, His people are called to do. He hears and speaks; we hear and speak. In the gathered congregation — even in the narthex after the service — listen, and you will hear the joy of news your brother or sister cannot wait to share, the pain carried through the week, the hopes fulfilled, dashed, or still waiting. Listen, and God will give you a precious word to share, for His Word comforts us all the more sweetly when it comes from the lips of another. Listen first, and then you will know what to say. This is the heart of the teaching in Listening: "What?" 7-27-25.
Video citations
- Listening: "What?" 7-27-25 — Would you open up your Bible's please for our time and God's word today to Proverbs the 18th chapter. If you're using a Pew edition of Holy Scripture, you're going to find that in the Old Testament…