Listen to this question from the Bible in Galatians 4:21: “Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?” Galatians 4:21-31 is clear the apostle Paul addressed that question to Jewish teachers who in fact where NOT hearing the law, at least not accurately. An elaborate argument follows verse 21, and Paul completely turns on its head the way the Jewish teachers heard the law. They heard it teaching the Jews alone were God’s favored people because they physically descended from Abraham. Their preconceived, long-held way of viewing and hearing the law left them unable—or more correctly, unwilling—to hear it saying that the Gentiles, too, could be favored by God, not by being physical descendants of Abraham, but by being Abraham’s spiritual descendants through a trusting and obedient faith in Christ (see 3:26-29). Paul sought to change their perspective and to get them to hear the law more carefully and perceive what the law actually said. Paul’s words in Galatians 4 remind us we need to “get the whole picture” when it comes to the Bible and the gospel. The ancient Roman dramatist Terence once warned about the power of preconceived ideas to close our ears and eyes and minds to fuller insight. He said, Beware of prejudices. They are like rats, and men’s minds like steel traps. Prejudices get in easily, but rarely do they get out.” Paul’s question, “Do you not hear the law?” was directed to people (Jewish teachers) who were convinced they heard the law of God more accurately than anyone on earth, but they didn’t!
Author Gary Patterson, in Character Forged From Conflict, relates a story that challenges how we hear when we listen to the Bible being taught and / or read it for ourselves. Here is Patterson’s story When the telegraph was the fastest means of long-distance communication, there was a story about a young man who applied for a job as a Morse code operator. Answering an ad in the newspaper, he went to the address that was listed. When he arrived, he entered a large, noisy office. In the background a telegraph clicked away. A sign on the receptionist’s desk instructed applicants to fill out a form and wait until they were summoned to enter the inner office. The young man completed his form and sat down with seven other waiting applicants. After a few minutes, the young man stood up, crossed the room to the inner office, and walked right in. Naturally, the other applicants perked up, wondering what was going on. They muttered among themselves that they hadn’t heard any summons yet. They took more than a little satisfaction in assuming the young man who went into the office would be reprimanded for his presumption and summarily dismissed for the job. In a few minutes the young man emerged from the office escorted by the manager who announced,
“Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming, but the job has been filled by this man.” One applicant spoke up with great irritation in his voice, “He was the last one to come in, and we never even got a chance to be interviewed. Why was he hired? That’s not fair.” The boss responded, “All the time you’ve sat here, the telegraph ticked out the following message in Morse code: ‘If you understand this message, come right in. The job is yours.’ None of you heard or understood it. This man did. The job is his.”
In our very noisy world, Jesus still challenges every person in Luke 8:18, “Take heed how you hear.” So, do you read the Bible? Do you listen to it preached? Tell me, do you not hear the Bible?
by: Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN
