And the disciples came, and said unto him, why speaks thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which says, by hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. Matthew 13: 10 – 15.
Sound spiritual understanding is a wellspring (source) of life when there is a readiness of heart to learn and willingness to apply the knowledge of the word (Proverbs 16:22) but if the heart is hardened, there is a certain degree of unwillingness and inattentiveness to learn with receptivity to understand or make use of the acquiring skill of knowledge because the ears are blocked. Note: anything that comes into a hardened, objectionable and arrogant heart cannot be reprocessed to instruct and engineer an obedient ear. Practical knowledge of Christ is the distinctive impression and determinant factor of spiritual progress and growth to those who hear, keep and makes use of it. Many listen to the word of God, but they do nothing about it because they are not ready and open minded to it – not ready to accept the challenges of a new and changed life, however that faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17) but they heard the word of God, yet it is not mixed with faith in them, so hearing they hear not, having ears, and seeing they see not, having eyes. It is an unfortunate situation and condition a man can be on earth, to sit under the ministration of life giving word preached by the Holy Ghost sent from heaven, (1 Peter 1:12) and yet, he is spiritually irresponsive and intellectually ineffectual, unheeding and unmindful to that which was spoken by the Lord. This is the greatest sin and the judgment that can be that such shall not enter into God’s rest. John 12:48. Note: careful attention, seriousness and mindfulness is compulsory and indispensable in our spiritual life, to prevent those things we have heard to clear out, if not, we likely have a good chance of being a dull hearer and slow learner, dead in spiritual growth and acting in uncertainty or hesistance or lack of confidence in spiritual darkness, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Hebrews 2:1. 2 Peter 1:5- 9. It is the exposure of man’s wilfulness to sin, the visible clue of spiritual short-sightedness and stubbornness…..this people’s heart is waxed gross: it is fattened in sensuality and folly of sin and self…..and he said, go, and tell this people, hear you indeed, but understand not; and see you indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Isaiah 6: 9-10. Dull hearers are resolved to be ignorant and shut both their learning senses. They could not receive firther guidance and instruction because their heart is divided and faulty before God. Hosea 10:2. When the heart is thus divided, the ears changes and develop into boring mode (dullness) and the small still voice (whisper) of the Holy Spirit is interred – wherefore as the Holy Ghost says, today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, they do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest. Hebrews 3:7-11.
They Israelis in the wilderness were slow in spiritual perception or sensibility because they were like the seed sown by the way side, instantly the fowls of the air came and devour it up. Satan comes at once and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts as they made light of it and despised it. They loved the sweetness of the word but are not characterised by energetic movement as to the most important part of it – the practical aspect of the written or spoken word, the do not carry on to enter into God’s rest, for happy are ye when you know these things, and blessed are ye when you do them. John 13:17.
Thus a dull hearer and learner’s act defiantly so as to delay his submission and obedience, perhaps to gain an advantage for his indulgences with all the reasons in heaven and on earth for his slothful spirit in favour of his insubordination or non compliance to the word of which the Lord does not buy to nor approve (then said he unto him, a certain man made a great supper, and bade many: and sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came, and showed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, that none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper. Luke 14:16-24) with such playful and self–deceived worshipper and hearer. From him that has not, that has no desire of grace, that makes no right use of the light, gift and graces he has, has no root, no solid principle; that has but uses not what he has; from him shall be taken away that he has or seems to have. They are voluntarily ignorant who persistently seek to have their ways to undervalue God’s ways. It is a gross iniquity of self-deception, when we claimed to give our heart to Christ, but he is not in all respects dwelling in it by faith, our heart is not right with God, and we are not steadfast in his covenant. The Israelis chose not to understand, God suitably and accordingly pronounced these words against them that by hearing you shall hear, and shall not understand: and in seeing you shall see, but shall not perceive. Matthew 13: 14. Note: when we pay little or no attention to what we heard in disregard to the word of God, we stood the risk of losing the effect of the quickening power of the information and light presently and previously given by the Spirit of God….Pay attention to what you’re hearing! You will be evaluated by the same standard with which you do your evaluating, and still more will be given to you, because whoever has something, will have more given to him. But whoever has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. What you do with what you’ve previously heard, determined whether you deserve to be given more understanding and lights from the scriptures. As we fit to be seen before God in reverence to, or contempt of his word, so shall he deal with us as a diligent and faithful servant to his Master, or as an unfaithful servant before his Lord – to the upright, thou shall show thyself upright and to the forward (turning back to one’s own ways; difficult to deal with: stubbornly disobedient or contrary) thou (God) will show thyself forward. For thou will save the afflicted people but will bring down high looks. Psalms 18: 26 – 27. Mark 4: 24-25. None can make the right assessment of the loss, pain and regrets to suffer and carry when your life depends on one most important thing that demands the trait of being observant and paying attention to resist every inward or outward distraction, but a slow learner and dull hearer is a wishful thinker and would not sacrifice all that it takes to engage in the one thing that is needful – if thou shall hearken diligently to the voice of the Lord thy God. Deuteronomy 28:1. Though he ought to walk in the spirit, but the dull hearer willingly walk in the flesh to pre-​occupy and engages himself with the sensual, mental and carnal thoughts, interests and ways of life, contrary to God’s delight and pleasure. Romans 8:8. The things and ways of this world are his most important concerns – worldly amusements, perceptions, mentality, honour, and pleasure. He refuses to swift to the sound mind power of the Spirit of God to think fast and to analyse the word of God, to look over carefully on the word taught, preached and heard, like the noble Berean Christians….these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable (dignitaries) women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few. Acts 17:11-12. Let our pains be, and our strength exert for the pursuit of life adventure on the best goal, to labour diligently in careful observation of the word of God, actualizing its principles and applying its precept into our lives. It is our preservation to it and the pledge and earnest of it that is of eternal blessings and inheritance to us….thy words were found, and I did eat them: and thy word was unto me the joy of and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts. Jeremiah 15: 16.
In the kingdom rules and regulations, the spiritually hungry are filled increasingly, and those who are having and expressing an inclination to want something (thirsty) significantly receive the increasing supply of amount of the rivers of the living water flowing out of their belly. Whatever spiritual food (doctrine on godliness and holiness, instruction in righteousness, correction and reproof. 2 Timothy 3:16-17) is given to the hungry man is sweet (the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward. Psalms 19: 9-11) and to him, the bitter truth is sweet — the strong meat and the undiluted word of God are his pleasure and enjoyment — the word of righteousness is sweet to him, and in the word of life, he found his strength and there is no such utterance from him as this is an hard saying, who can bear it. John 6:60. The hungry man has ears to hear, and has prepared his spiritual audition to hear increasingly in obedience with desire that the word should be more spoken (Acts 13: 42) uninterrupted. They are such that cry after knowledge, and lift up their voices for understanding (Proverbs 2:3) and are not like the dull hearers, of whom the Apostle wrote, 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 every one that uses milk is unskilful 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. Hebrews 5: 11-14.