Have you ever been listening to someone, and in your mind, you couldn’t follow what they were trying to explain to you? Sometimes, it is the fault of the hearer. Maybe they were not paying attention; their body was present, but their mind was somewhere else. In this case, they had chosen not to listen. Yet, at other times, the words were heard, but the hearer couldn’t connect the dots. The words didn’t make sense. In both of these situations, the hearer was slow to understand.
In Hebrews chapter 5, the writer allows us to see such a situation. He tells the hearers that it is hard for him to explain the truths of God’s word and principles of the gospel because he deems them as slow to understand. They had accepted Christ at some time in the past but had failed to grow in their understanding. They had regressed back to the infancy stage of knowledge. Like a baby, they could not take the strong meat of the word and were in danger of committing apostasy. They had failed to grow, and as a result, they were moving away from the gospel instead of embracing it. They now needed to be retaught the basics.
Hebrews 5:11-14 “Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For everyone that used milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belonged to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
In verse 5, the word dull means to be lazy or sluggish. These have become slow to understand because of their own lazy actions. Anyone who is not diligently studying and applying the truths of God’s word can become dull of hearing. We are to grow and become skillful in the word of God. If we do not, this same danger of becoming “dull” in our hearing applies. When we are not hearing to the point of understanding, we are taking the risk of falling back to our old ways and lacking understanding. The writer is warning the Hebrews and us that there is a chance of falling away and making a shipwreck of our faith. Paul instructs Timothy in I Timothy 1:18-20. “This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.” In verse 20, Paul names two men who had done this. Hymenaeus and Alexander. You may think it is impossible to make shipwreck of your faith, but several places in scripture support the possibility.
Paul tells Timothy to approach holding the faith as if he were going to war. We must be diligent and not retreat for a second. To hold the faith in good conscience is to maintain a conscience that has not been edited by sin. We must study and persevere in the truth. When we begin to make excuses for the things in our life that are not pleasing to God we are opening up a door that leads the wrong way. If you are doing things and saying things such as “It’s not so bad, or God understands.” You are making excuses for your sins. If you are not studying the word, and your excuse is lack of time, you are lying to yourself. We all have the same amount of time. It is a matter of priorities. I understand things happen, and your scheduled time may get missed, but when something is as important as our eternal life, we must put every effort into growing and maintaining a strong relationship with God through His word and prayer.
Are you growing dull of hearing and slow to understand but don’t even realize it? Now is the time to catch your dullness before you come to the point of not caring. Satan would love nothing more than to see you slowly be deceived. I Peter 5:8 teaches us that Satan is like a roaring lion; he crotches in the nearby bushes and waits for your weak moment, and then, when you least expect it, he attacks. We combat him by being sober, which means serious. We are to be vigilant, not passive. Those who become dull of hearing and are slow to understand have not been vigilant about their relationship with Jesus Christ.
I Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
Are you vigilant to protect your spiritual life by paying attention to the word when it is preached, or do you zone out for 30 minutes? Can you remember what was preached and taught at church so you can make an application in your life? Do you make excuses for not studying and praying? Be honest with yourself. That is the first step to having a vibrant successful Christian life.
