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shut up and listen up

Deuteronomy 27:9-10 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 27:9 Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel, and this is what they said: “Be silent, Israel, and listen! This day you have become the people of Yahveh your God.
Deuteronomy 27:10 Obey Yahveh your God and follow his commands and prescriptions I am giving you today.”

shut up and listen up

Every now and then, someone close to me has something to say to me. I may not want to, but on those days I need to shut up and listen up. I don’t need to respond, to converse, to give excuses, or reason out and explain everything. I need to hear what my friend or spouse or child is saying. I need to understand their point of view. Because even though I spend lots of time studying the Bible, sometimes God speaks to me loudest through them. I may not like what they say. It usually makes me feel uncomfortable to hear it. But it is what I need to hear.

This passage records a day like that for the nation of Israel. Moses and the priests had to get the attention of their nation that day and point them in the right direction. The fact that Yahveh was their God implied that they had a responsibility to obey him and follow his commands.

Lord, make us people who know when to shut up and listen up.