Prov 7:24 [ESV] And now, O sons, listen to me, and be attentive to the words of my mouth.

 

Often it’s the almost unheard whisper. It’s like you know that something is not really a great choice, and you have that very slight sense of disquiet.

In the rush, or the focus I pushed on regardless. Sometime years later I think to myself, “I knew at the moment that there was a sense of caution and I should not have pushed on” – but I disregarded.

I think that in the past I was a little too pushy with the Gospel, as a new believer – it was not to much the fact that I wanted to share the Gospel, but I was so insistent and not really making space so much to listen. I saw someone else do what I had been doing.they were in a deep conversation with a young man that I knew, pinning him into the corner of a room, almost forcing him to make the sinner’s prayer.  I recognised a bit of myself in the forcefulness, and decided there and then to repent. That young man never came back to church and passed away a few years later. When we really know Jesus one of the hallmarks will be a life of gentleness (not weakness – don’t mistake the two).

 

 

 

 

 

KNOWLEDGE – In early Judaist culture, if you did not do something you were assumed not to know it. In a Jewish village, a family followed Torah. Wearing Tallit and Tefillin, they honored Shabbat, Pesach, Sukkot, Hanukkah, and Purim. A Mezuzah graced their home, embracing Mitzvot, Tzedakah, and Tzedek. And so the evidence of their knowledge was evidenced to all by their actions.

 

 

 

 

UNDERSTANDING – Let’s pick one word from this verse to look closer at and see if that can help us gain a deeper insight into how God would love us to live?

The word for attentive in Hebrew is pronounced as “qasab” and leans towards paying attention, giving heed – not just listening. The LXX uses πρόσεχε proseche – translated as “take heed”. This word appears 24 times in the New Testament and is often translated as “beware, pay attention, and be on guard” which has a deeper resonance that just “listening”.

 

 

 

WISDOM  – Wisdom is a verb. And while the English translation uses the word “listen” in th ESV, the Hebrew word, pronounced “sama'” carries with it the thought that from the base meaning of hearing, comes the extensions of understanding and obedience.

 

STRENGTHS THOUGHT: The Gallup strength named Learner has a great natural curiosity, that is loaded with a desire to learn, and although the outcome of learning is not always the focus of this talent, it can be incredible if paired with such as Responsibility, or Achiever. Achiever and Learner for instance are found together over 40% of the time.

 

Allan’s Unauthorised Version – and now my children, listen to me with the preconceived intention to obey, and give complete heed to the sayings of my testimony.

 

And now O sons – and now my children

listen to me – listen with the preconceived intention to obey

and be attentive – and give complete heed

to the words – to the sayings

of my mouth – of my testimony

 

PRAYER: Father, thank you for today. Help me to listen to everything you say, and already have decided before you speak that I will be obedient.

 

To chat to me as a professional coach/mentor – allan@theallankey.com

 

 

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