Listening
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” James 1.19, 20
“Wherefore” indicates a connection between what had previously been explained and how the follower of Christ should respond.
Whenever I am tempted to be quick to speak, I remind myself that no one has ever learned anything significant while they were talking. Oh, some previously learned facts and information may come together while we are speaking, but we come across nothing new.
One of the grave dangers facing counselors is their desire to fix someone’s problem before they have heard the whole story. Responding to “one side” of a story or reacting before the one speaking has had a chance to complete their thoughts robs the listener of the ability to offer wise counsel and often shows to the speaker a rude arrogance. This would include helping someone finish their sentences, which suggests that the listener is either bored with what is being said or so well versed on what to expect from the speaker that the speaker needs to say no more – the listener already has everything figured out.
Our ability to hear a matter with wisdom is based upon the previous argument offered by James in which he reminds us that we have a special position in Christ as those who are a kind of first fruits – a people resembling our Savior. As believers, it is incumbent upon us to hear the whole matter with patience and concern for the one who has the concern. Just a few days ago, I was relating some of my experiences concerning my heart attack and my prolonged hospital stay to a friend. In the middle of my explanation he cracked a couple of jokes and then made a comment to someone who was passing by. At that point I stopped speaking. When he asked me to continue, I simply said, “No, I was done.”
Some years ago my wife was ministering to a young lady who had been saved out of a life of prostitution. This new convert had been courted by a very nice young man who wanted to marry her despite her past and faith that God could deliver her from her emotional damage. My wife, not feeling that she, nor anyone we knew personally, had the expertise to deal with this type of a situation, my wife along with this new believer traveled across the state to meet with a pastor’s wife of a large, well-known church.
As they entered into the office of this well-known counselor, they were allowed very little explanation and very little “time.” It seemed that the counselor was more interested in getting on with her day than ministering to this new babe in Christ. The counselor’s response was one that was swift to speak rather than swift to hear. This resulted in anger as the new convert attempted to tell her story and to reach out for help. Due to impatience on the part of the counselor, the “interruptions” of this needy lady brought anger rather than help. Unfortunately, this quick to speak and quick to wrath counselor drove this new convert away and back into her previous lifestyle. What could have worked to bring glory to God who forgives, mends and makes things new ended up in disaster. A prospective husband’s loss of a wife (a forgiven and restored wife) and a new born Christian who returned to her life of sin.
Being swift to hear doesn’t indicate that one needs to listen quickly, but rather, to be ready to hear – prompt to hear what a speaker is saying. It especially involves the words of truth as given by God through His Word. Being slow to speak doesn’t indicate that someone needs to utter his words slowly, but rather to speak deliberately after having heard the entire matter. Two ears are given to us, the rabbis observe, but only one tongue: the ears are open and exposed, whereas the tongue is walled in behind the teeth.
Slow to wrath (James 3.13, 14; 4.5) means to be slow in becoming heated by debate. This was a common Jewish fault (Romans 2.8), which often tended to be caused by much speaking. Some suggest that it is not so much “wrath” in the normal sense, but rather an indignant feeling of fretfulness under the calamities to which the whole of human life is exposed. That agrees with the “divers temptations” in James 1.2. Hastiness of temper hinders hearing God’s Word.
Man’s angry zeal in debating, as if jealous for the honor of God’s righteousness, is far from working that which is really righteousness in God’s sight. True righteousness is sown in peace not in wrath. (James 3.18) The reading “worketh,” indicates something that is not a desired product.
Walking within the Word of God causes us to be good listeners who are slow to jump to conclusions before hearing the whole matter and will not result in the wrath (orge – “anger, hot passion”) of man.
Whenever I am tempted to be quick to speak, I remind myself that no one has ever learned anything significant while they were talking. Oh, some previously learned facts and information may come together while we are speaking, but we come across nothing new.
One of the grave dangers facing counselors is their desire to fix someone’s problem before they have heard the whole story. Responding to “one side” of a story or reacting before the one speaking has had a chance to complete their thoughts robs the listener of the ability to offer wise counsel and often shows to the speaker a rude arrogance. This would include helping someone finish their sentences, which suggests that the listener is either bored with what is being said or so well versed on what to expect from the speaker that the speaker needs to say no more – the listener already has everything figured out.
Our ability to hear a matter with wisdom is based upon the previous argument offered by James in which he reminds us that we have a special position in Christ as those who are a kind of first fruits – a people resembling our Savior. As believers, it is incumbent upon us to hear the whole matter with patience and concern for the one who has the concern. Just a few days ago, I was relating some of my experiences concerning my heart attack and my prolonged hospital stay to a friend. In the middle of my explanation he cracked a couple of jokes and then made a comment to someone who was passing by. At that point I stopped speaking. When he asked me to continue, I simply said, “No, I was done.”
Some years ago my wife was ministering to a young lady who had been saved out of a life of prostitution. This new convert had been courted by a very nice young man who wanted to marry her despite her past and faith that God could deliver her from her emotional damage. My wife, not feeling that she, nor anyone we knew personally, had the expertise to deal with this type of a situation, my wife along with this new believer traveled across the state to meet with a pastor’s wife of a large, well-known church.
As they entered into the office of this well-known counselor, they were allowed very little explanation and very little “time.” It seemed that the counselor was more interested in getting on with her day than ministering to this new babe in Christ. The counselor’s response was one that was swift to speak rather than swift to hear. This resulted in anger as the new convert attempted to tell her story and to reach out for help. Due to impatience on the part of the counselor, the “interruptions” of this needy lady brought anger rather than help. Unfortunately, this quick to speak and quick to wrath counselor drove this new convert away and back into her previous lifestyle. What could have worked to bring glory to God who forgives, mends and makes things new ended up in disaster. A prospective husband’s loss of a wife (a forgiven and restored wife) and a new born Christian who returned to her life of sin.
Being swift to hear doesn’t indicate that one needs to listen quickly, but rather, to be ready to hear – prompt to hear what a speaker is saying. It especially involves the words of truth as given by God through His Word. Being slow to speak doesn’t indicate that someone needs to utter his words slowly, but rather to speak deliberately after having heard the entire matter. Two ears are given to us, the rabbis observe, but only one tongue: the ears are open and exposed, whereas the tongue is walled in behind the teeth.
Slow to wrath (James 3.13, 14; 4.5) means to be slow in becoming heated by debate. This was a common Jewish fault (Romans 2.8), which often tended to be caused by much speaking. Some suggest that it is not so much “wrath” in the normal sense, but rather an indignant feeling of fretfulness under the calamities to which the whole of human life is exposed. That agrees with the “divers temptations” in James 1.2. Hastiness of temper hinders hearing God’s Word.
Man’s angry zeal in debating, as if jealous for the honor of God’s righteousness, is far from working that which is really righteousness in God’s sight. True righteousness is sown in peace not in wrath. (James 3.18) The reading “worketh,” indicates something that is not a desired product.
Walking within the Word of God causes us to be good listeners who are slow to jump to conclusions before hearing the whole matter and will not result in the wrath (orge – “anger, hot passion”) of man.
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