The Difference Between Hearing and Listening

By Danny Saavedra

“The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ Then Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’”—1 Samuel 3:10 (NIV)

Have you ever heard someone but you didn’t really listen? Maybe you were on your phone, maybe you were watching a show or a game on TV, maybe you were lost in thought. Whatever the case, your ears heard the words, but you weren’t truly listening with intentionality. Chances are you’ve done this many times to people and have had it done to you just as often. And honestly, as Christians, I believe we do it more often than not with the Lord.

Today, we’ll compare two scenarios in the examples of Eli and Samuel. First, let’s talk about Eli . . .

As we’ve learned over the first two and a half chapters of 1 Samuel, Eli was a priest and a dad, and the harsh truth is he failed to honor or steward either of those important roles well. His sons were a pair of fiends who abused and dishonored the priesthood through horrible sinful behavior—they stole portions of the sacrificial offerings meant for God and committed acts of sexual immorality with women who served at the Tabernacle!

So, the Lord said to young Samuel in a vision, “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle. At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God, and he failed to restrain them. Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering’” (1 Samuel 3:11–14 NIV).

You see, Eli heard God’s warning about what would happen if he did nothing to lead and discipline his sons as he needed to. But did he listen? Nope! Oh sure, he confronted his sons verbally (1 Samuel 2:23–25); he rebuked them for their actions and warned them about the consequences, but he failed to take decisive measures to remove them from their positions or enforce consequences for their misconduct. Just like with Eli and God, his sons heard his warning, but they didn’t actually listen, and Eli did nothing about it.

Eli should have known you can’t take half measures in desperate times. You can’t put Vicks on cancer or kiss the booboo when the booboo is a ruptured appendix. Sometimes, for the good of everyone, including the person with the sin issue, you have to take drastic steps. And because of this, God ended Eli’s line.

Now, let’s look at Samuel . . .

Look at young Samuel’s response when God called out to him: “Speak, for your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10 NIV). And because he listened when the Lord spoke to him, we’re told, “The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord. The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word” (1 Samuel 3:19–21 NIV, emphasis added).

Friends, when God speaks to us and we don’t listen, we’ll always experience consequences. They may not always be immediate, but they’ll come. Even if you’re a believer, like Eli, if you don’t really listen to God, there will be consequences here on earth. It could affect your relationships, your family, your work, your ministry, your legacy. It could lead to a life of difficulty, heartache, and struggle. But when we listen to the Lord when He reveals Himself to us through His Word, through prayer, through others who heard Him and listened, He’ll work in and through us, He’ll accomplish His good and perfect purposes, and He will honor those who honor Him (1 Samuel 2:30).

Pause: What does it mean to listen to God? When He speaks through His Word, do you receive it, submit to it, and obey it—even when it’s something you don’t like or something that’s counter-cultural?

Practice: When you open the Word of God this week, be intentional to pray beforehand and say this simple thing to the Lord” “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

Pray: Father, I pray I’ll follow the example of Samuel and not Eli or his sons. I pray I won’t simply be a hearer of Your Word, but a doer. Please help me grow inmy listening; that I’ll listen with intentionality and devotion even when I don’t like what You reveal to me—if it goes against the culture, my upbringing, my philosophies, or the concepts of life I most likely picked up from the world or anything else. Holy Spirit, I ask You to lead and guide me into putting into practice all You reveal to me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.