“His sons, however, did not listen to their father’s rebuke … ” –1 Samuel 2:25
“You’re not listening.” A mother spoke to her son in a sing-songy voice. I turned to observe from where I was sitting in the park, soaking in the sunshine. Her 3- or 4-year-old was climbing on the playground equipment, apparently oblivious to his mother. “Jacob, come down!” she said sweetly, but a bit more firmly. “I don’t want you to get hurt.” The boy climbed higher, triumphant.
The mother was getting irritated and started to lose her sweetness. “Jacob, I need you to come down immediately.” There was no response — not even a glance in the mother’s direction. As time went on, the woman became more irritable. She marched around the playground, trying to find the best place to view her son. Her temper escalated. “Get down right now or you’re going to be sorry!” she called emphatically. Up until that point, Jacob had given no indication that he had heard, but with the last demand, he looked at his mother and defiantly took a step backward, tumbling off the top step. His mother rushed to his side, both fearful and exasperated at his lack of response to her commands.
In our passage today from 1 Samuel, Eli’s sons blatantly abandoned the course that God had set out for the priests of Israel. They threatened the Israelites and took more than their allotted share from the people. They behaved badly in many ways. Eli pleaded with them to change their ways, but scripture says they “did not listen to their father’s rebuke.”
What causes people not to listen? Perhaps it is overconfidence, arrogance, curiosity, fear, misunderstanding or even good intentions. In the context of our story, the aging father cautioned his sons to be respectful of God’s commandments concerning their duties as priests, just as the mother at the playground strongly cautioned her son to trust her wisdom.
But it wasn’t enough to simply hear; listening necessitated a change in behavior. Changing behavior is difficult and some would rather not make the effort. While not listening may sometimes be appealing, there are consequences.
Listening to God’s voice is essential to a vibrant spiritual life. We learn to hear Him through an intentional relationship built over time on love and trust. Jesus, as recorded in John 10, taught about the good shepherd. He said that sheep follow the shepherd “because they know His voice.”
A vital responsibility for us at Loma Linda University Health is to know the voice of Jesus so that we will unmistakably recognize it. There are many voices calling to us.
It will change our lives if His voice stands out above the others.
—Kathy McMillan is director of Employee Spiritual Care at Loma Linda University Medical Center.