The Meaning of “Listen” in Hebrew

Mark 12:28-29 One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord.

In answer to that question, Jesus did not quote from the Ten Commandments. He quoted from an ancient Jewish prayer called the Shema. It’s found in Deuteronomy 6, when Moses was preparing the Israelites to enter the land God promised them. This prayer has been prayed by Jewish believers for centuries every morning and evening. It had a role kind of like the Pledge of Allegiance in American schools.

It’s a prayer that declares one’s devotion to God. It demonstrates the character of God, and shows us how to respond to God, and how to maintain an intimate relationship with him. In this 6-part series, each week we will highlight a specific word in the prayer.

The profound importance of this prayer is demonstrated for Christians who are not Jewish by the fact that Jesus made reference to it. So let’s take a look at this ancient prayer called the Shema:

• Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.

Different translations render it a bit differently: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” But the idea is the same.

The prayer gets its name from the first word: the Hebrew word “Shema”, which means to listen or hear. So what does this word mean? There’s much more to it than just sound entering your ears.

To Listen Means to Pay Close Attention

The first way the word Shema is used in the Bible: it means to really pay attention. It’s the difference between merely hearing and intently listening: the way God listens to his people. This is illustrated in the story of Leah, in Genesis. Jacob: descendant of Abraham. Had 2 wives. They were sisters: one he loved deeply; the other he sort of tolerated. He was tricked into marrying her by her father. In her pain / suffering, Leah prayed for sons to be born to her. She hoped this would cause Jacob to love her. When her second son was born, she gave thanks to God.

• Genesis 29:33 She soon became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She named him Simeon,* for she said, “The Lord heard that I was unloved and has given me another son.”

Leah named her son Simeon (Shim’on). The name means “the one who hears.” God paid attention to her request, and to her plight in life. She cried out to God and he heard her / helped her. Her son would always be a reminder that God was truly listening. God pays attention to his people. We have the privilege of crying out to God in our troubles. How comforting to know! 

To Listen Means to Act on a Request

But “shema” means more. It also means to act on a request. This is the kind of listening we want God to do when we pray to him. The good news is: this is another way God hears us. We can ask him to act on our behalf.

• Psalm 27:7 Hear me as I pray, O Lord. Be merciful and answer me!

When we ask God to hear us in prayer, often we’re asking God to act on our behalf, to do something for us. We might ask for God’s help, his forgiveness, his presence, his wisdom, his provision, and so forth. David was praying for God’s mercy, for his answers. The fact is, amazingly, that God does hear us. He responds to our requests. 

This is not a magic formula. God is not a cosmic vending machine. Like a wise parent, he doesn’t always give us whatever we want. But the assurance is: he is listening. When our prayer is in keeping with his best for us / his will, he will act. 

We’ve examined how God hears us. But the flip side is how we can hear God.

To Listen Means to Put What You Hear Into Practice

In the Hebrew language, listening and doing are two sides of the same coin. There is no unique Heb word for “obey”. So how do you get that idea across? You use the word Shema. If you listen to God, it means you obey him. There is no separate word.

In other words, when God speaks, if we’re listening to him, it means we will obey what he says. 

• Exodus 19:5 Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me.

In this verse, the word translated “obey” is “shema”. In fact, God says it twice: “If you will shema, shema me…” The double shema creates intensity. Like: if you REALLY listen to me. The point is: if you hear God, then you obey him. You do what he says. In this series, we’ll drill down on what that means: just what it is that God wants us to hear and respond to.

And that’s how Jesus sees it today. Look at his words…

• Mark 12:28-29 One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord.

Jesus was asked to identify the most important commandment in OT. He answered with the Shema. Listen to God and do what he says. This defines what it means to live as a follower of Jesus.

The Takeaway

But the truth is: Israel did not live up to the Shema. They failed again and again. Exodus 19:5 said, “If you will obey me and keep my covenant…” But Israel did not keep their covenant with God. The prophets often said, “They have ears, but they’re not listening.” How can we live up to the challenges of obeying God? The later prophets gave the answer. 

• Ezekiel 36:26-27 (NLT) And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.

When Jesus introduced the New Covenant with God, to replace the Covenant of Moses, he paid for all the ways we have not listened to God. But more than that, he sent his Holy Spirit to make it possible for us to follow his decrees and obey his regulations. He works inside his people to give us a responsive heart that wants to listen and obey.