Do you have those times when you are talking and no one is listening? You know when you feel like a brick wall will listen better than those you are talking to. Looking at Jeremiah 37, we can find some of the reasons people don’t listen or believe what you have to say.
The very first thing we see is people want to believe the lies that everything is going to be alright. They don’t want to hear there might be hard times coming. Like those living along the coast with a hurricane coming in and they refuse to evacuate because others stayed with no problem. So if they can do it why not. The problem is the hurricane that is coming is a lot worse than the one before. People don’t want to hear the bad stuff they want to live life as though nothing bad will ever happen.
Another reason people don’t listen is they would rather trust the gossip they have heard, than getting the message directly from the person in question. It is a sad place in time when people are more willing to believe something bad about someone and not listen to their side of the story. How many people, including Jeremiah, have been wrongfully imprisoned because of lies told about them?
Jesus brought up the point of people not willing to listen to the truth in the story of Lazarus and the rich man. Once the both died and they were each in their eternal space. The rich man begged Father Abraham to send Lazarus back to his family to warn them. Abraham’s answer is found in Luke 16:31 ESV,
‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’
The truth they have before them at all time they are unwilling to hear it.
(Photo by Jarrod Reed on Unsplash)
Bonnie Sue Writes 