Let it Go in One Ear and Out the Other!

Read: Isaiah 36-Isaiah 37:13

There are some things that we hear that ought to go in one ear and out the other. I had an experience that reminded me of that the other day. Here is what happened. I wanted to listen to an NFL game on the Echo Dot; so, I asked that Westwood One be opened. The proper protocol for listening. The response was funny but false. I was told that all of the games that were a part of March Madness would be carried on that channel, but there was no broadcast at the present time. I can be a bit slow on the uptake at times, but I did know that it was still October. Five months before March Madness. I tried a few more times, and finally the NFL game was offered. I never considered that it might be March despite the message I was, at first, given.

I have another "message" in the house that I also ignore. It comes from my chime clock. I love that clock since it was a special Christmas gift; however, it has a quirk. It chimes two more times than the actual hour. For example, when it is noon, the clock chimes twice as if it were 2:00. Not a problem for me because I know it is incorrect so I simply pay no attention to its wrong number of dings. When a message is obviously false, it is easy to ignore; however, we have an adversary who is like a roaring lion and wants to bring destruction into our lives, 1 Peter 5:8, and his messages sometimes can appear to be true because he is a deceiver, 2 Corinthians 11:14. There aren't many days when we aren't exposed to false messages, and some sound harmless. After all, Satan has been opposing the Lord since Eden, and his hatred for the Savior hasn't waned. Oh, the falsehood that spewed from the evil one on that fateful day. He crafted a lie about God, telling Eve that her Creator Who had given her and Adam a beautiful garden home was withholding a gift that would be beneficial for them, Genesis 3:1-6. Oh, if only they had seen that falsehood for what it was. A slanderous lie from one who hated God and wanted to destroy them and bring misery into the perfection they had enjoyed. Because of their sin and our own vulnerability, we truly need to be discerning listeners. We need the Holy Spirit's filter to be on our ears so we can know if what we are hearing is truth or error.

After all, Satan the father of lies, John 8:44, is still defaming the Holy One. The one the Bible calls the accuser of the brethren, Revelation 12:10, is still lying about what God has done on our behalf and how much He loves us. The Savior does not withdraw His love from us. In spite of the fact that we often fall short. Precious truth to combat Satan's lies. No wonder the first spiritual weapon Ephesians 6 tells us to put on, is truth. No wonder Philippians 4:8, where Paul enumerates the things we should think about, also begins with what is true.

I love that the children of Israel teach us the lesson of good listening in today's scripture passages in Isaiah. Usually, we benefit as we read about their mistakes, but today, we have the privilege of recounting a time when they did things the right way. First, a bit of history: The Assyrians, a wicked and incredibly cruel enemy had already taken over some cities that were a part of Judah's territory, and Jerusalem was not far from being next. This approaching enemy was known for its unspeakable cruelty. In Isaiah 36, we read the boastful taunts of Assyria's leadership. They had no regard for the Living God of Israel and spoke falsehoods about Him. What they failed to understand was that this Holy God had heard their taunts and blasphemy, and because of that and God's covenant love for His people, Assyria's defeat was imminent. Now let's look at the good example given to us by the people of Israel. They obeyed their king whose name was Hezekiah who had told them to not engage the enemy's spokesman. What were they told to do? They were to remain quiet. They were not to either cower in fear or get into a shouting match with the officials. They weren't swayed by the mocking of Judah's army or tempted by the lie that they would be well treated by the Assyrians. They obeyed the king and let the words they heard go in one ear and out the other. The result? God stopped the Assyrians before they could destroy either them or Jerusalem. Once again, in His way and in His time, God showed Himself to be faithful.

We don't have an earthly king to guide us, but we have the words of the King of Kings Who neither can nor will lie, Numbers 23:19. That means that He is wholly trustworthy in all He has said, Psalm 12:6; therefore, if we hear anything that conflicts with what the Lord has declared to be true, we can disregard those words like  a clock that sounds pretty but chimes incorrectly. Let's end today's writing with a few verses from God's trustworthy Word:

Psalm 103:8-14

The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;

he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his love for those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.