Do we "listen" to God, or only "hear" him?

Today's Sunday school lesson centered on the scripture from Jeremiah 5:18--6:10, and emphasized the importance of "listening" to God's word, rather than simply "hearing" His words.

We see in verses 5:18-19 that God's punishment for Israel was tailored to fit its crimes against Him.

¹⁸ "Yet even in those days," declares the LORD, "I will not destroy you completely. ¹⁹ And when the people ask, 'Why has the LORD our God done all this to us?' you will tell them, 'As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners in a land not your own.'

The preceding prophesy certainly came to pass as the Holy Land was overrun by Alexander the Great, then overtaken by the Roman Empire, the Persian Empire, and the British Empire in succession. Jews were forced to flee Palestine with the rise of the Islam and found themselves spread across Europe, Northern Asia, and North America. During World War II, God's chosen people were enslaved and exterminated by the Nazi regime. All of this was punishment for the rebellious nature of God's chosen people.

Jeremiah 5:22 and 5:26-29 tell us how deep the rebellion against God had become.

²² Should you not fear me?" declares the LORD. "Should you not tremble in my presence? I made the sand a boundary for the sea, an everlasting barrier it cannot cross. The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail; they may roar, but they cannot cross it.

...

²⁶ "Among my people are wicked men
who lie in wait like men who snare birds
and like those who set traps to catch men.

²⁷ Like cages full of birds,
their houses are full of deceit;
they have become rich and powerful

²⁸ and have grown fat and sleek.
Their evil deeds have no limit;
they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it,
they do not defend the rights of the poor.

²⁹ Should I not punish them for this?"
declares the LORD.
"Should I not avenge myself
on such a nation as this?

We see many similarities between the Israel addressed by Jeremiah and our own country today. The percentage of families who attend church regularly is in decline, signifying more and more who believe they don't need God. Our children are bombarded by society and the media with messages that discourage Christian values and promote a value system contrary to God's word. Violent crime, corporate corruption, terrorism, and criminal politicians are aspects of our society similar to that Jeremiah must have seen. In verses 6:6-7, God explains why the city of Jerusalem must be punished.

⁶ This is what the LORD Almighty says:
"Cut down the trees
and build siege ramps against Jerusalem.
This city must be punished;
it is filled with oppression.

⁷ As a well pours out its water,
so she pours out her wickedness.
Violence and destruction resound in her;
her sickness and wounds are ever before me.

Jeremiah had prophesied for 70 years, trying to turn the hearts of the wicked. God gave them opportunity after opportunity to return to Him, to follow His law. And though they heard God's word through Jeremiah, they refused to listen--to understand. Because His words weren't what they wanted to hear, they dismissed His message.

We should take care to listen to God when He speaks to us, and beware the temptation to ignore His word when it's not exactly what we want to hear.