Be ye ‘hearers of the Word and not doers only’

“Lord, help us to be hearers of Your Word and not doers only,” a young man prayed recently in chapel.

Oops… a misquote, of course. When I heard him mix up the words of James 1:22 (”be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only”) in his prayer, I was a little startled, and took a moment during announcements to look the verse up again to make sure I had it straight in my head.

I can’t say I blame the man for misquoting — preachers misquote Bible verses all the time, of course, and having once prayed in chapel at BJU myself, I can only say that the fear of the Lord isn’t the only fear felt while praying there. Besides, everyone says things wrongly in public prayer now and then — I tend to nearly stammer when I pray out loud.

The misstatement caused me to think about James’ point, and I think even the misquotation leads to an important point of application.

James was addressing the problem of disobedience despite knowledge of the Word’s contents. He explains in verses 23-24 that anyone who does not adjust his behaviour in response to the Word is foolish. James challenges Christians to be obedient doers of the Word, not forgetful hearers (v. 25).

Do Christians sometimes fall into a different trap? Amidst the hustle of “doing ministry” or “doing the will of God,” do we sometimes fail to also be attentive hearers? How often have we ignored the message of a sermon because it was presented in a style we disliked or with applications that came too close to home? Worse, how often do we read Scripture in superficial pursuit of “our own personal growth” or immediate practical application without attention to the truths of Scripture enlightened by context?

Interestingly, James addressed this too. Verses 19-21 warn that obedience to God requires attention to the Word of God:

KJV James 1:19-21 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

Considered as a unit, James 1:19-22 teaches that obedience is a union of informed belief and responsive practice.

Oddly (providentially?), the sermon from that day’s chapel service was from Isaiah 6:1-8. I could not help but wonder about all of this when I saw these verses in the context:

KJV Isaiah 6:9-10 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

Are we Christians today remiss the way James condemned and the way Isaiah was to expect?