Distaff Side Retreat, Session 2

This session was taught (excellently by the way) by Sencery. She got this to me a LONG time ago and has probably been wondering why in the world I haven't published it yet. I don't have an answer. Here it is...FINALLY!

Session 2: Be Still and Hear
Numbers 9:8

My two year old son has gotten into the habit of holding my face tightly between his little hands, placing his nose to my nose, and saying, “Mommy, do you HEAR me?” I assure him that I do hear him, but he keeps asking me over and over again; not only does he ask me the same question multiple times, he gets increasingly louder each time he asks. To me, this demonstrates the “be still and hear” concept very well; I believe he has mastered it. Step one: Grab the face so that movement is no longer an option (be still...); Step two: Repeat yourself while getting increasingly louder so that not hearing would be impossible (and hear...).

As adults, I am sure you have probably heard, if not used, the following phrase when trying to communicate with certain people: “I know you HEAR me, but are you LISTENING?” Most of the time you can tell when someone is hearing you because there is usually some change in facial expression, body language, or some type of verbal response. How do you know that they actually listened? You wait to see if there are actions that follow. So when the Bible talks about “Be still and hear...”, does that mean we freeze in place and strain our ears until we hear Him? Not quite...

In the book of Numbers, chapter 9, Moses and the Israelites are in the wilderness of Sinai. Numbers 9:1-2 says, “Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying: ‘Let the children of Israel keep the Passover at its appointed time.’” In the Old Testament, in order to have a relationship with God, the Israelites had to follow the Law. Even when they followed the Law, they couldn’t have a direct relationship with God; they had to go through a third party. If they wanted to keep their relationship with God in good standing and be pleasing to Him, they had to be obedient and observe all the rules, rites, and ceremonies that were required of them. A lot to deal with, but they did it to the best of their ability because they had a heart for God and wanted to be in relationship with Him. However, there were some Israelites who were disqualified. They had the desire to be obedient and to observe the Passover, but the rules were keeping them from it. Numbers 9:6-7 says, “Now there were certain men who were defiled by a human corpse, so that they could not keep the Passover on that day; and they came before Moses and Aaron that day. And those men said to him, ‘We became defiled by a human corpse. Why are we kept from presenting the offering of the Lord at its appointed time among the children of Israel?’” They wanted to do the right thing, but because of their circumstance they were prohibited. I don’t know how they came in contact with the dead body – I’m sure they weren’t playing a game of dare where they decided whoever touched the dead body was the coolest – but that dead body got in the way of their worship of God.

So what did these men do? Did they storm the Holy of Holies in the inner room of the tabernacle and begin making their case before God? Nope – then they would have been dead bodies. The step they had to take was to go to Moses, their leader, and Aaron, the priest, and have them bring their circumstance before God. Numbers 9:8 says, “And Moses said to them, ‘Stand still, that I may hear what the Lord will command concerning you.’” The Message Bible puts it this way, “Moses said, ‘Give me some time; I’ll find out what God says in your circumstances.’” The Bible doesn’t tell us how long they had to wait for an answer to their dilemma; but they did have to wait. The Hebrew word for “still” in that verse means “again, repeatedly, still, more”. They were probably like children in the backseat of a car on a long trip asking, “Are we there yet?” – patience isn’t naturally occurring in the flesh. The Hebrew word for “hear” in that verse means “to hear intelligently, often with the implication of attention, obedience, etc.”. In verse 9, the answer is given, “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If anyone of you or your posterity is unclean because of a corpse, or is far away on a journey, he may still keep the Lord’s Passover. On the fourteenth day of the second month, at twilight, they may keep it.’” The defiled Israelites heard what the Lord said through Moses – there was a way for them to maintain their relationship with God despite the circumstances they found themselves in – and they listened by observing the Passover as they were told.

So what does that have to do with us? We aren’t under the law; through Jesus Christ we have direct access to God – a personal relationship with no third party. We don’t have to worry about being defiled by a dead body and not being able to attend church or fellowship with other believers because of it. But... are there things in our lives that hinder our relationship with God? Things that affect how pleasing we are to Him? Do we find ourselves in situations or with circumstances that separate us from God? I’m not necessarily talking about some blatant, neon-sign sin; just anything that is out of His will; that is not according to His instructions in His Word for us. I know I can think of many things that I have in my life that battle for my time and attention every day. If I give them priority and let them keep pushing my prayer time, Bible-reading time, devotional time, or quiet time with God later into the day until I fall into bed and realize I have put Him at the bottom of my list – that hinders my relationship with Him. Our circumstances in everyday life can sometimes separate us from Him; but the good news is that we can talk directly to our Father and tell him about our circumstances (confess), apologize, and try it again (repent). Isn’t God awesome?

When we work on our relationship with God (yes, I said work – you have to make a focused effort in any relationship you have or it dies), there are times when, like the Israelites, we have to be still and hear what the Lord is saying to us. Being still/waiting is difficult – especially when our circumstances may be worsening as we wait. But our faith that God is who He says He is, and that He is our provider, stronghold, shield, and covering, is what helps us be still when our flesh is screaming otherwise (are we there yet????). Once we hear what He says to us, it is our turn to let Him know we are listening. How do we do that? In our Christian walk, there are many times we say, “I know what the Bible tells me to do.” So we definitely hear God speaking to us through His Word. However, how does God know that we are listening? Colossians 1:10 says, “that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;” The fruit will show up in your life.

So whether you are coming out of a situation, in the middle of a situation, or getting ready to enter a situation (that would be all of us, right?), remember to be still. Then, when you do hear, make sure you listen!