The Book of Acts ~ Study Seven

"Ready to Hear"


Acts 2:5-13 (NLT) At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.
     They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!” They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other.
     But others in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, “They’re just drunk, that’s all!”


In our last study we learned about "Shavuot" (Pentecost) that was celebrated 50 days after Passover. Many faithful God-fearing Jews "came from every nation living around Jerusalem." It was after the morning sacrifice, around 9:00 in the morning, when God let His Spirit come down like a mighty wind and alight on the followers of Jesus. In turn each believer began speaking a language that a person from another country could understand. God has impeccable timing doesn't He?


"And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!” They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other. The faithful heard and wanted to know how this was happening. They heard and understood these phenomenal things about God. At the same time there were those who heard and explained it away as drunkenness and just laughed. Its common to explain things away as ridiculous when we don't understand them.


This reminds me of the parable that Jesus told about "A Sower, Seeds and Ground." 
Matthew 13:1-9 (NLT)That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear."


We all hear the Word of God its how we receive it. The faithful people of God coming out of the temple, heard and their hearts accepted the wonderful words that were spoken in their native tongue. Their hearts were fertile soil and immediately the wonderful truths they heard sprung up within them. (Later we'll see how many came to know Jesus.)


Notice what happened next. There were those who were there who heard the words spoken and for whatever reason they explained the phenomenon away by saying the followers of Jesus were just drunk. (What a lame explanation.) I know that when people get drunk they speak in languages they've never spoken before and tell wonderful stories about God. (NOT!!!) 

Have you ever been in a situation were the Word of God was spoken and you tried to explain it away? How about when you are involved in, let's say...gossip and someone stops the conversation with something good about the person/s you are talking about? Do you try and explain your behavior away? What is keeping you from hearing the truth? What irks you about someone interrupting your conversation, your way of doing things? How do you explain your frustration when you hear good news? Does any of this type of behavior sound familiar? (Sadly, it does for me.)


When we are faithful to Jesus, we can hear and receive His words at anytime and be blessed by Him. When we are involved in unfaithful activity or mindsets we become irritated by the seed that falls on us. God wants us to prepare our hearts to hear more and more of what He has to say to us. Why do we resent it so much?


1 Thessalonians 2:13 (NLT) And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.


Are you ready and willing to receive God's message to you? Is your heart soft and pliable to allow it to be planted deep within your soul? Is your heart hard because of ungodly behavior, unforgiveness, lust, greed...? Do you feel like you can't hear Him anymore? 


Hebrews 4:6-7 (NLT) So God’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God. So God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted: “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts.”

We choose to have our hearts softened by God and through our obedience to Him or we harden our hearts further and further when we are disobedient. What is the condition of your heart? I must analyze my own. I pray, "Lord, give me a soft heart willing to receive what you have for me to hear."

“Today when you hear His voice, 
don’t harden your hearts.”