“As for you, son of man, your people who talk together
about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, say to one another, each
to his brother, 'Come, and hear what the word is that comes from the LORD.' And
they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they
hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their
mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain. And behold, you are to them
like one who sings lustful songs with a beautiful voice and plays well on an
instrument, for they hear what you say, but they will not do it.” (Ezekiel
33:30-32)
I love listening
to good preaching. It thrills me to sit at the feet of faithful men as they
open their Bibles and expound the word of God. What a blessing it would have
been to hear Ezekiel or Isaiah or John the Baptist or Paul preach! Not everyone
enjoys good preaching, but those who do must be on-guard that our delight is
not led astray.
The Lord warned
Ezekiel not to be puffed up by the praise and popularity of his preaching. Men
loved to come and hear him, but their enjoyment was superficial. They did not
receive the word of God in their hearts. People enjoyed listening to Ezekiel
the same way they enjoy beautiful music. But good preaching is not
entertainment. It is edification (up-building) and instruction for the soul.
We must be
careful that our joy in exposition does not remain on the surface of our hearts.
God’s word is intended to pierce our inner being (Heb. 4:12). It lays us bare,
convicting and converting us anew as we persevere in hearing, reading, studying,
and meditating on it. James tells us, “Be doers of the word and not hearers
only, deceiving yourselves” (1:22). That is a real danger for us all. So love
preaching. Enjoy the delight of hearing God’s word proclaimed. Look forward to sitting
under the instruction of God’s word. But let it do its work in you. Let the
words sink deep in your heart. May the preaching of God’s word give us joy, but
even more may we be better, more faithful, and more obedient for having heard
it. -JME
