Will Not Hear To Cannot Hear

Matthew 13:13-14: Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

I have been amazed that a few deaf people I have known have somehow understood the gospel and are saved even though they never heard it through their physical ears. Somehow the Lord reached around their deafness and saved them. They heard the gospel with their hearts. They love to read the Bible and other spiritual writings. Somehow they understood that I was a Christian and convinced me that they were. I remember a deaf woman named Martha. I have never known anyone who was more excited about the Bible. She would almost jump out of her shoes whenever I gave her a Bible study. She put me to shame about how luke-warm I had been about the Bible.

I encounter many elderly individuals in nursing homes who have hearing disabilities. No matter how loud I shout the gospel to some they cannot hear it. I wonder if their deafness is judgmental. I wonder if they have refused to hear the gospel. I wonder how many times they have refused to hear it. I wonder if they have put themselves beyond the reach of God*s grace. I have a short version of the gospel typed in large print that I can offer them.

I have also known some Christians who would not read and obey the Bible. They may be saved but they seem to have reached a point where they cannot grow. They were not willing to listen to the Lord and obey Him and now they seem unable to. If individuals are unwilling to listen to the Lord, they might as well be stone deaf. There is no one else they need to hear from as desperately as they need to hear from the Lord.

2 Thessalonians 2:8-12: And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

When unbelievers resist the Holy Spirit, they are in danger of not hearing from Him again. When believers quench or grieve Him, they can erode their ability to hear His reproof in the future. There is physical deafness and there is spiritual deafness. Spiritual deafness is a far worse malady.

Genesis 6:3a: And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, . . .

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