“HEAR, my people….”

Every parent has experienced this. We’re trying to get something very important across to our children and what do they do if they don’t like what you’re saying?  They start to walk away, and –if they are totally disrespectful—even put their fingers in their ears to block their hearing.

Do you realize that Yehoweh tells us that’s what too many of us - -His children -- are doing? We aren’t listening. We’ve sometimes even blocked our hearing.  We’ve turned up the volume of the instruments of mass distraction – TV, computers, Facebook, texting, and so on.

In today’s Torah portion, which many Jews and “Messianics” are reading, we see the very scriptures in Deuteronomy 32 where Yah PLEADS with us to hear. He has something to say to us. Please read Deuteronomy 32 yourself. I think it’s significant that this passage is being read just as we come into the Fall holydays. Do we just “go to church” for the Feast days in a rote habitual manner without realizing the seriousness of the times we are in? As we go, let’s go as a people of God going there to hear His voice.

Deuteronomy 32:1-3

Give EAR, O heavens, and I will speak; And HEAR, O earth, the words of my mouth. 
Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew,
As raindrops on the tender herb, and as showers on the grass. 
For I proclaim the name of YHVH, Ascribe greatness to our God (Elohim).  

As we read those words, we remind ourselves that the Fall holydays are upon us. We’re being reminded we’re yet another year closer to the return of Yeshua coming in might, power and glory to rule this world. We’re another year closer to facing some of the most exciting – or scary – times the world has ever seen, depending on how close we are to Him.

When we want to hear someone, we tune in our ears in that direction. We get as close to the Speaker as we can. We take notes. We discuss what we heard afterwards with others. We ask the speaker to repeat something we missed, or to explain it further. PRAY for this kind of desire to hear the words of our God.

As we enter into this season, determine more than ever to STUDY HIS WORDS, to HEAR them explained, to HEAR Him even as you pray, to HEAR Him as you experience life’s experiences.  He speaks to us in so many ways, but many of us just don’t have that RELATIONSHIP with Him enough to even realize He is speaking! Or we’re so busy with our own priorities (see Haggai 1). Or we’re asleep (see Rev. 2). Or we’re naked and ashamed to come to the Door, who is Christ (see the word to the Laodiceans). Or we are so distracted by Facebook, texting, games, computers and the NOISE of life all around us – that we couldn’t possibly hear Messiah speaking to us! I’ve determined to turn off the TV, reduce my Facebook time and spend more time in His word and HEAR HIM speaking to us. 
If you want to hear more about what Yah says about this vital topic of HEARING, click here….

In my next blogs and sermons, I will be speaking about Yom Teruah, the Feast of Trumpets, the day of blasts and jubilant shouts. Hear those words of God.  Then we’ll have messages about the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur – the day of covering) and the Feast of Tabernacles and the 8th day holy day.  
I hope you will hear GOD’S words in those messages and not just my words, assuming I’m asking Him to speak through His servants and through me.

We also hear Him through Bible study.  Do you even bother with daily Bible study now?   We need to get up and study His word first thing, just as Israel had to get up early and gather the Manna (a picture of the word of God, the bread from heaven) before the heat of the day would melt it. So USE that available manna.  GET up, open your Bible, read and hear.  You have His words so close to you, but all too many of us would rather do something else than hear the words of YHVH.

We have several Bibles in every home. As one man recently said, “Sodom had no Bible in their homes. But we do.”  Makes you think, doesn’t it? They had Lot and his preaching.  That’s it.  We have lots and lots of preachers and endless Bibles available. But are we hearing Yah’s words to us? Are we seeking His words?  We will be judged more severely for all the words of God we have sitting on bookshelves or on our table, but books we don’t open up daily and read.  

The book of Revelation was certainly written for and about the last days and end times. We’re there.  And to EACH of the 7 churches of Revelation 2 and 3, Messiah says, “To him who has an ear to hear, let him ear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 29; Rev. 3:6, 13, 22).  And just before the messages to the assemblies (ekklesia, churches) of the living God, John wrote:

Revelation 1:3
Blessed is he who READS and those who HEAR the words of this prophecy, and KEEP those things which are written in it; for the time is near.

I recommend you do a Bible study 
One more thing; VERY important: We need to even pray for Yah to give us the ABILITY to hear Him. We ask Him to OPEN our hearing spiritually! Without that, we won’t hear or see or grasp anything spiritual! Deuteronomy 29:4 says GOD first has to give us a heart that perceives His words and ears to hear and spiritual eyes to see.

“HEARING” also goes along with faith, and faith with doing.  Our faith is proven by our works of obeying what we’ve heard. Notice Hebrews 3:7-11 and the warning that goes with it.  We are about to enter a whole new world, led by King Yeshua—or are we? We won’t BE there if we don’t stop spending so much time on worthless things and start spending more time seeking His words and hearing Him!

Hebrews 3:7-11
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:
"TODAY, if you will HEAR His voice, 
Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion in the day of trial in the wilderness, 
Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, And saw My works forty years. 
10 Therefore I was angry with that generation, And said, 'They always go astray in their heart,
And they have not known My ways.' 
So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest.'"

Deuteronomy 30:11-14
11 "For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may HEAR it and do it?' 14 But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, THAT YOU MAY DO IT.”

We’re not “hearing” if we’re not doing what we heard. If Yah’s words aren’t changing us, we’re not hearing in the Biblical sense. But the words are there, in plain sight, in easy reach. We just have to tune in and HEAR now.  

I often end with the “Aaronic Blessing” – which is really God’s blessing when He wants to put HIS name on us. When we ask His face to SHINE upon us, I think of Him as beaming with joy when He sees us and thinks of us. We want him to be there, speaking to us.  Scripture speaks of God hiding His face from us…. What a tragedy when that happens.  We do NOT want Yah hiding His face from us. We do not want Him to go silent on us. We want to hear Him. PRAY that He speaks. PRAY that you HEAR Him.  Pray that you are given the will to DO what we hear from Him.  

So as we prepare to go to the Feast and hear YHVH speak. Let’s go SEEKING TO HEAR HIM, to hear as much as we can.  Let’s get as close and as near to Him as we can.  Let’s go seeking to come back knowing we’re more intimate with Him than ever before.  Let’s go with a joyous heart but a humble one too – to put our thoughts aside and hear HIS, as written in His word, as spoken by those who are faithful servants.  

Father, we pray: 
“SMILE on us, great Yehoweh our Elohim, Eternal One our God. Put your name on us, please we beg you, put your name on us. Let us be counted as your children and as the BRIDE of your Son, our Messiah.  
           Speak to your people. Please do not hide Yourself from us. Make our hearts fertile soil for your words, O Yehoweh. Fill your house with your glory. Please, as we come to you In Messiah, in your holy Son, may we bring you great joy in and through Christ our Savior. May HE live in us again as He lived when He walked the earth. May YOU walk the earth again, through us – your children, as you live in us and work in us, making us holy.  For only YOU are ultimately holy, Great YHVH.  Help us go now to YOUR feasts and hear with open hearts and ears that you have given us.  Thank you, great Yah, thank you Yeshua. We love you so much.”