Stuck in Sin, God’s Not Listening
Psalm 66:18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
God says that one’s attitude towards sin matters. He is talking about the space between the ears. The verse above is conditional, If…
If I had cherished… This is the Hebrew word raah. Strong’s Concordance defines the word as “to see”.
This is the word that is used repeatedly in the creation account in Genesis.
Genesis 1:31a And God saw (raah) all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.
Iniquity or aven in the Hebrew can be defined as trouble, sorrow, or wickedness.
…in my heart… The heart or leb in the Hebrew is known as inner man, mind, will, or heart.
…the Lord would not have listened. This is the Hebrew word shama. Plainly stated, it means to hear.
Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear (shama), O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
We are talking about the fundamental senses of seeing and hearing. God sees what is going on in your heart and mind. There is no tricking God.
Personally, if an individual knows a mental attitude is wrong, if you are sinning (mentally or physically committing) and you know it. God’s not listening to you.
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Job 35:13 Surely God does not hear an empty cry, nor does the Almighty regard it.
Surely God does not hear an empty cry… This is the Hebrew word shav. It is defined as: emptiness, vanity, or nothingness.
This is the same word utilized in the Third Commandment.
Exodus 20:7 You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
If one does not take God seriously, He does not take you seriously. If one is not listening to God and what He has to say, He’s not listening to you either.
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Isaiah 59:2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.
…but your iniquities… These are not just sins. These are avon or punished sins (Strong’s). The result is a barrier between the sinner and God. Because of our sin we committed, He does not want to see us or hear from us.
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John 9:31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, God listens to him.
John understands this is an established fact. We know that God does not listen to sinners…
As sinners, we are not stuck in an eternal state of God closing us out. There are two things we can do to be heard again, worship and obey.
- …worshiper of God… In the original Greek, this is the word θεοσεβής/theosebés. The definition is be God-fearing. Worship and respect God.
- …does His will… ποιέω/poieó: to make or do.
John 14:15 If you love me, you will keep my commandments. said Jesus.
Do what God says. And we always have a solution in Jesus Christ. He removed the barrier between the Father and us with His death on the cross.
Mark 15:37-38 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
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