Ecclesiastes 5 offers some advice on the importance of listening. “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools”. James quotes this in James 1v19, “let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger”.
Amongst all the advice we’re given, listening carefully doesn’t feature prominently, but the way we listen is a good indicator of our relationship. With someone we barely know, listening is very superficial, their words soon forgotten. But we pay careful attention to the words of someone we know well or want to know better. The same applies to our relationship with God – listening carefully is an important aspect.
Jesus used the phrase “he who has ears to hear, let him hear”. A bit of hyperbole, since we all have ears, but attentive listening can easily be neglected in today’s busy world. Unlike Israel, who “with their ears they can barely hear”, we have the chance to really hear and understand, “blessed are… your ears, for they hear”. So let’s take the time to “draw near to listen”, both to the needs of each other, and also the “wisdom from above”.