What does "My people would not listen" reveal about Israel's spiritual condition? Verse in Focus “ But My people would not listen to Me; Israel would not obey Me.” (Psalm 81:11) The Heart Problem Exposed • Refusal to listen shows a willful, deliberate choice, not mere misunderstanding. • God calls them “My people,” highlighting covenant privilege; their defiance is therefore treason, not ignorance (cf. Exodus 19:5-6). • Disobedience accompanies deafness—once the ear closes, the feet wander (Psalm 81:11b). Symptoms of Spiritual Disease 1. Hard-heartedness – “They turned a stubborn shoulder; they stopped their ears from hearing” (Zechariah 7:11-12). 2. Prideful self-reliance – “They walked in their own counsels” (Psalm 81:12). 3. Idolatry lurking beneath the surface – Context prohibits “foreign god” (Psalm 81:9); refusal to hear God opens the door to other voices. 4. Forgetfulness of grace – God had “brought you up out of Egypt” (v. 10); ingratitude dulls spiritual senses. 5. Spiritual deafness leading to moral blindness – “The word of the LORD is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it” (Jeremiah 6:10). A Pattern, Not an Isolated Moment • Wilderness generation (Exodus 17:7; Hebrews 3:7-11). • Judges era: “Yet they did not listen … they prostituted themselves” (Judges 2:17). • Monarchy: repeated prophetic indictments (Isaiah 30:9; Jeremiah 7:24). Israel’s history shows chronic spiritual resistance rather than occasional lapses. Consequences God Permitted • Judicial release: “So I gave them up to their stubborn hearts” (Psalm 81:12). • Harvest of futility: oppression by enemies, famine, exile (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). • Silence of heaven: “So when they called, I would not listen” (Zechariah 7:13). God’s Unchanging Desire • He longs to satisfy: “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it” (Psalm 81:10). • He stands ready to subdue enemies swiftly (v. 14). • Blessings withheld were poised and waiting; only listening was lacking (vv. 16). New Testament Echoes • Stephen: “You stiff-necked people … You always resist the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:51). • Writer of Hebrews warns believers against “an unbelieving heart” (Hebrews 3:12-13). Spiritual deafness remains a danger whenever divine voice meets human pride. Takeaway Principles • Hearing is the doorway to obedience; shutting the ear shuts out blessing. • Privilege without responsiveness worsens guilt. • God’s patience is great but not limitless; persistent refusal invites discipline. • Revival begins when “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 3:15). |
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