Hear Ye, Hear Ye!

I find it interesting that the third time the word shama is used in the Bible is when Adam is reprimanded for "shama-ing" Eve, (Gen 3:17) http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=gen%203:17&version=49.

The first two occurrences of the word are in Ch 3 verses 8 and again in verse 10.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=gen%203:8;&version=49
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=gen%203:10;&version=49.

The first and second occurrence have to do with "shama-ing" the voice of God. The third time that the word shama occurs is when God tells Adam that it's because he "sham-ed" Eve's voice that...

(well you all know what happens.)

Disclaimer: I don't mean to imply boys that husbands shouldn't listen to wives. (I know you were all going there.) Just hang with me for a little while longer.

Redirecting your attention to the point... Adam "shama-ed" a voice that was not in agreement with God's word. Eve's voice was in opposition of what God had already spoken.

When we hear, attend, understand, obey and remember (elements of shama) do we ensure it's the voice of God that has spoken it?

I recently saw a movie in class about an elderly Deaf couple who decided to under-go surgery to receive cochlear implants (a device ran by a mini processor that uses an external microphone to receive sound which is fed to an electrode array embedded under the skin which in turn transforms the sound into coded signals that are decoded by the brain). The couple being in their upper 60's struggled with their new implants. The wife had the most difficulty . You see after being Deaf all her life she now suffered from sound overload. It was extremely hard for her to learn how to distinguish the difference in sounds. Everything was noise to her from music to voices to white noise. At the end of the program the poor woman reached utter despair and said the following...

"Part of learning how to hear is learning what not to hear, what to take in and what to ignore".

I almost shouted out a big ole "AMEN say it sister!" right there in the classroom. Needless to say it really made an impression on me!

In this world full of sounds and voices I ask you ECF do you know which sounds and voices to hear and which to ignore?

Who's the originator of the voices you HEAR?

Do you UNDERSTAND what you are hearing?
Are you purposely directing your ATTENTION to the voice of God?
Are you OBEDIENT to His voice?
Do you dwell in His Word daily to ensure that you REMEMBER what He has spoken?

SHAMA ECF...
HEAR HIM, ATTEND HIS MESSAGE, UNDERSTAND WHAT HE SAYS, BE OBEDIENT, AND REMEMBER WHAT HE HAS SAID.

Oh and boys...
Sometimes He does speak through wives, friends, pastors (wink, wink) and others.