Tolstoy’s Three Questions – Reflections (3)

 

The king’s second question was, “Who are the right people to listen to, and who should he avoid?” The hermit’s answer was, “The most necessary man is he with whom you are, for no man knows whether he will ever have dealings with anyone else.”

 

It doesn’t appear that the hermit answers the king’s question. What do you think? Is the king asking, “As I live my life, who should I listen to, pay attention to, receive counsel from, and who should I avoid?” Or is he asking, “In a given moment who should I listen to?”

 

The hermit seems to be saying, “The most necessary man to listen to is he with whom you are.” Again, what do you think? Is the hermit answering the king’s question?

 

Let’s look at it both ways, for both ways are important.

Who should we be listening to as a way of life? The answer is a threefold cord, the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, and trusted and wise men and women. To be sure we can learn from many types of people, and we ought to always be learning, but in terms of listening, that is something else. When we listen we receive, we allow into our souls what we are hearing as we allow food into our bodies – at least in our present context. (There are different levels of listening.)

 

While we must not separate the Holy Spirit from the Word of God, because we are human we will first consider one and then the Other – but let us keep in mind that they are a unity, just as Jesus Christ and the Word are One – divine mysteries!

 

“Your testimonies also are my delight; they are my counselors” (Psalm 119:24). The NASB marginal reading for “my” is, “the men of my counsel.” In other words, the author of Psalm 119 has formed a relationship with God’s Word, or we might say that he has been formed into that relationship by the Holy Spirit. The testimonies of the Lord are personal to the man who wrote Psalm 119, so personal that they speak to him and he listens to them.

 

Looking at Scripture this way, we can say that the woman or man who meditates on Scripture and learns the Word of God has a council of sixty-six members who can always be trusted, who will always point her or him to Jesus Christ.

 

Paul writes to Timothy that Scripture is able to “give us wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus,” and that in Scripture we may find “teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness” (see 2 Tim. 3:14 – 17).

 

No matter who or what else may be speaking to us at any given time, we want to hear Scripture, we want our hearts to be tuned to the Word of God. All of life ought to be heard and seen and responded to through the Word of God, through Jesus Christ. Only in Jesus can we see and hear things are they really are.  

 

It is one thing to look at music on a page, it is another thing to play the music. Too many professing Christians carry the Book of divine music but have never played the sixty-six scores they carry. We could also say that God has given us sixty-six instruments to play, some small like the piccolo, others large and weighty; are we learning to play them? Whether it is Obadiah or Isaiah, the Holy Spirit will teach us to play both the instrument and the music.

 

Looking at it another way, in the Bible I have sixty-six friends, trusted counsellors, who all speak to me of our Great Friend, our Lord Jesus Christ, our Friend who demonstrated His “no greater love” by laying down His life for us (John 15:12-13).

 

All of the foregoing is why I believe it is essential to begin each day with the Bible, in the counsel of our dear Lord Jesus. The world throws too much at us. A little thought for the day or a devotional is not enough, deep engagement with Jesus Christ is what we must seek. Yes, devotionals can be helpful, but in and of themselves they are no substitute for a deep and abiding relationship with the Word of God. We will either be formed by the world, including the religious world, or by Jesus Christ and His Word. Which will it be?

 

Who, or what, are we listening to today?

 

For many of us the answer is a particular news outlet, a political leader, an economic leader or economic indicators, entertainment or sports stars (as much as we might deny this), or even religious headliners. This is just as true of professing Christians as of the world. To know the truth of this just listen to what we talk about, we do not speak of Jesus and His Word, we speak of other things, other people, but seldom of Jesus.

 

Perhaps there will be two types of people who arrive at the New Jerusalem, those who have to learn how to see Jesus and listen to Him for the first time, and those for whom the conversation will simply continue.

 

Which of these two people am I?

 

What about our congregations?

 

What about you?