Listening: "What?" 7-27-25

Overview

The Folly of Answering Before Hearing

"If one gives an answer before hearing, it is his folly and shame" Proverbs 18:13. The book of Proverbs returns again and again to the link between listening and wisdom. The fool is sure his own way is right, but the wise listen to advice (Proverbs 12:15; Proverbs 19:20). To hear is to be on the path of wisdom; to refuse to hear is to court ruin Proverbs 5:13-14.

Failing to listen is more than a bad habit—it is a symptom of our sinful nature. As Luther put it, we are by nature curved in on ourselves. We answer before the other has finished speaking, rush conversations along because we already "know" what will be said, or rehearse our reply while another is still talking. James calls us in another direction: "Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak" James 1:19. True listening is an act of humility—taking the posture of a servant who places another first.

We struggle to listen to one another, and we struggle even more to listen to God, who speaks through His Word. Yet God Himself never says "What?" to us. The psalmist rejoices, "I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy" Psalm 116:1-2. Before a word is on our tongue, He knows it altogether Psalm 139:4. Through Word and Sacrament He opens deaf ears and hardened hearts, and He answers our cry of confession with the blood-bought word of absolution: in Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.

Because God listens to us and then speaks His comforting word, we are freed to do the same. Listen this week to your brothers and sisters in the faith—to their joys, their pains, their hopes fulfilled and dashed. Listen to the words, and also to the eyes, the body, the emotion behind the words. Then you will know what to say, for God has placed in your hands a precious word of comfort to share. Listen first—and you will hear the voice of the Beloved, and be equipped to speak grace to another.

Transcript

Would you open up your Bible's please for our time and God's word today to Proverbs 2s

the 18th chapter. 6s

If you're using a Pew edition of Holy Scripture, you're going to find that in the Old Testament 8s

page 563 as we continue this summer series as we're looking at various Proverbs, like 12s

to examine with you a Proverbs today from the 18th chapter of that great book. 20s

What? 28s

What? 31s

That is really a workhorse word, isn't it? 33s

Because that word can be used in so many different ways. 37s

It can be used to communicate confusion. 42s

What? 47s

It can be used to communicate excitement. 50s

What? 55s

It can be used to communicate disappointment. 57s

But why there are so many ways that that what can be used? 63s

And one of the ways that what can be used is when we don't hear something. 72s

We can say pardon me or I'm sorry or sometimes we just say what? 82s

That's sometimes the reason why we can't hear, maybe it's something that matter with 92s

their ear or maybe it's a loud noise or a jet going over. 97s

There can be a host of reasons why we say what in associated with hearing. 103s

But sometimes we can say what? 110s

Because we weren't listening, right? 116s

We weren't listening. 121s

Okay, here are some facts. 124s

Are you ready? 126s

We can listen faster than we can speak. 129s

We can listen faster than we can speak. 137s

On average, we can listen to 400 and 50 words a minute. 141s

That's a lot of words, isn't it? 148s

But the average person speaks about 125 to 175 words. 149s

If we listen to 30 minutes of complaining and nagging, 162s

the scientists tell us that it actually harms the part of the brain involved with problem solving. 169s

And here's another scientific fact. 180s

Men, this is going to be a little rough. 186s

There are two lobes to the brain, two lobes. 193s

Women listen to scientists tell us with both lobes of their brain. 197s

Men, however, and I can see on the look of your faces, 207s

you are ahead of me here. 213s

Men scientists tell us, don't listen with both lobes. 217s

They listen with one lobe. 221s

I'm sorry, men for sharing that. 224s

That might have been a mistake. 227s

Because the statistics tell us that we remember about 17 to 25 percent of what it is that we 228s

hear, chances are that that stat will perhaps come back in one's lives with regard to listening. 236s

The book of Proverbs has much to say about the subject. 254s

In Proverbs, the fifth chapter, we read this. 258s

I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or inclined my ear to my instructors. 264s

Now, I'm at the point of utter ruin in the public assembly. 272s

I did not listen. 277s

The verses start. 280s

Proverbs 12. 281s

Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to advice. 285s

Proverbs 19. 296s

Listen to advice and accept instruction that you may gain wisdom for the future. 298s

Proverbs 23. 306s

Here my child and be wise and direct your mind in the way. 310s

Notice the connection there between hearing in the sense of listening. 318s

Listening to advice and listening in association with wisdom. 325s

Our text for today is one such verse. 333s

One more verse of many in Proverbs with regard to listening. 337s

Chapter 18 verse 13, we read this. 342s

If one gives answer before hearing, if his folly and shame, if one gives answer before hearing, 347s

it is folly and shame. 360s

Luther talks about our natural condition of sin. 369s

In one of the ways he described it, he said, we are by nature curved in on ourselves, 375s

we are curved in on ourselves. 383s

A very simple definition of sin is just spelled it out and capitalise the eye. 387s

We are curved in on our sin. One author puts it this way. 393s

That when we emerge from the womb, we do not have a natural inclination to listen. 400s

Rather, we would prefer to talk. 408s

Verse 13 again, if one gives answer before hearing, it is folly and shame. 415s

But we can act out in a host of ways. Can't we? We can act out what this verse 429s

condemns. It's giving an answer before hearing what's said. 440s

We can live it out by giving an answer before the other person feels like they've been heard. 451s

We can live it out by giving an answer to the trying to just move things along in the 460s

conversation. We know what the person is going to say. Let's just move it along here because it's too slow. 467s

Let's pick up the pace there. Or we can live it out by thinking of what it is we're going to say 473s

while the person is still speaking. James, the brother of our Lord, he writes this in the first 484s

chapter of the book that bears his name. You must understand this, my beloved. Let everyone 496s

to be quick to listen. Slow to speak. Quick to listen and slow to speak. 504s

You see, when God's grace we live out this exhortation here of our Lord 520s

that He gave through James, when we live that out that is really an act of humility, isn't it? 526s

When we do that, we're putting the other first. We're taking the role of the servant. We're 534s

we're humbling ourselves to listen to what the other person has to say. And that really is an act 543s

of humility. What we can struggle with humility can't wait. We're going to really struggle with it. 552s

If we're honest with ourselves, and another area that we can struggle with 562s

is listening to God. And where do we hear the voice of God here? Here. God speaks through 574s

His word and we can struggle with that. Can't we? We can struggle in listening to Him. 595s

With the very words He has given us to hear. His name was Oswald Lawrence. He was an actor. 608s

He didn't have much success. They say, never, never won any, any big awards there. What was 625s

a known for any, any part? But there was one thing that He was really, really known for. 632s

He was the voice of the London Underground. The London Underground is a mass transit system. It's 643s

also called the tube. It's called the tube because so often the trains pass through these 653s

these tube-like tunnels. And he was the voice of the London Underground. And when the train would 660s

pull in to the embarkment station, he would say, mind the gap. Mind the gap. Every time a train 670s

would come in, mind the gap. Mind the gap. In other words, mind when you get off of the train, 686s

the gap there between the train and the platform. Mind the gap. Mind the gap. 695s

He died in 2007. But they had a recording of his voice that they used. 707s

And oftentimes his wife Margaret would go down to the embarkment station. 718s

And she would just listen. Listen to the voice of her beloved. 727s

Well, in 2012, the powers that that be, they wanted a uniform voice across the host of different 738s

stations there. And Margaret got wind of this. And she was absolutely distraught. And she went and 748s

talked to the powers that be. And they heard her. They heard what she said. They listened. 756s

They listened not only the words, but they listened to the emotion behind it. 775s

They listened to how her body spoke as she talks about her husband. 784s

And the possibility of not being able to hear his voice at the station anymore. They listened 792s

as they looked into what was being communicated, what was being said in her eyes. And the powers 799s

that be, they listened. And they said there will be one station that will have a different voice. 807s

And it will be the voice of your husband. 824s

That will remain. 829s

And often she would continue to go. And she'd sit in embarkment station. 835s

And she'd hear the voice of her beloved. 846s

The voice. 860s

We can be content to have our ears plugged. And listen to the noise of the world or our own 866s

matter. And Mary given nod to the author of the word. But persistently and lovingly. 883s

God comes. And opens up our ears. He opens up our ears so that we can hear. 902s

He opens up our heart through the surgical precision using word and sacrament. 918s

And he changes the heart because you see the ability to hear is connected to the heart 928s

when it comes to faith. And with the heart open, the ears become clear. 936s

And one hears the rich and beautiful voice of God in his word. 945s

One hears of the compassion and the grace. He teaches us of his loving kindness 964s

and mercy. And we hear his word. And we're comforted. We're comforted by the voice of our beloved. 975s

Psalmist writes Psalm 116. I love the Lord because He has heard my voice, my voice, and my 1005s

supplications. Because He inclined His ear to me. Therefore, I will call on Him as long as I live. 1019s

With God, there is never what is never that. For baptized child, He hears you. He hears you. 1031s

He sees in your eyes and He reads the body language. And He knows the scripture tells us 1050s

before a word is even on our tongue. He knows it completely. He is the best of all listeners. 1055s

And He hears our cry of confession. And He responds with the word of absolute. 1064s

It is the promise born of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, the blood bought sweet word of His grace 1074s

that in the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. He hears us and He speaks that word of forgiveness 1084s

that has been one at the cross. He's really, really good at listening and He's really good at what 1096s

to say. What God does, we are to do also. God hears any speaks. We are to hear and speak. 1111s

In the narthex following the service today, listen and you'll hear, you'll hear the joy 1138s

of people. The joy of what they've experienced this week news that they can't wait to tell 1148s

their sister and brother in the faith. Listen in the narthex today. 1155s

And you will hear the pain of this week. Listen today. Listen and you will hear 1164s

hear the hopes of your sister and brother in the faith. 1176s

And you will hear of hopes dashed, hopes fulfilled and hopes left behind. 1184s

Listen today. Listen and you will hear 1198s

God has given you a precious, precious word to share. That word comforts us, doesn't it? 1210s

That word comforts us and how comforting it is to hear His word from the lips of the other. 1226s

Listen, listen and then you will know what to say. 1250s