The Harshest Sound in the World

In Matthew 13, after Jesus related the parable of the sower, encouraging the people He taught to truly hear and understand the Word of God, He spoke firmly about the people who would not accept His teaching:
13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.'  16 "But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear...

Jesus used the phrase, "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."  Are we paying attention to what God has to say to us?   Or are we allowing the world to determine what we hear and heed?   What are we allowing into our consciousness - God is speaking to us through His word and the promise of the Scripture is that the Holy Spirit will illumine that word.   I believe Jesus has taught us to be active listeners - not only reading or listening to the teachings of Scripture, but thinking carefully about them and seeking ways we can apply the word of God to our lives.   The word is living and active, but by how we receive it, we determine the level to which His word will grow in us.

James chapter 1 offers some relevant keys to hearing and speaking:
19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.   The short version: Listen carefully; think before you speak; and don't speak in anger.

ABC News reports that scientists studying the brain's reaction to sound have determined the piercing screech of a knife against a glass bottle to be the human ear’s worst nightmare.

A research team at the University of Newcastle examined brain activity in a group of volunteers, who listened to 74 recorded sounds under an MRI machine and ranked each experience.

The 13 subjects found the sound of a fork against glass to be the second most repulsive, while sounds like flowing water were much easier for the brain to bear.

The scans revealed that the unpleasant noises not only increase blood flow in the brain’s auditory cortex, where sound is processed, but also trigger the amygdala, which is a region of the brain that processes emotions.   Study co-author Tim Griffiths said that, “We were able to define a network within the brain that constitutes sound unpleasantness.”

To me, this is yet another piece of evidence of design - just think about the intracacies of the human brain.   God has designed our brains to be the control center of not only our thoughts and emotions, but our physical activity as well.   How we process information and stimuli is all governed by our brains - it's an incredible gift.

Well, how about our response as we process this new information?   I want to offer a couple of points here.   Number one, I think we can be reminded of and cautioned against making harsh sounds - speaking harsh words.   I really do think that perhaps one of the harshest sounds on earth would be hurtful words, spoken in anger, and perhaps related by a close friend or family member.   The Bible teaches us to be quick to listen and slow to speak - and slow to become angry.   We have to guard against harshness in the words that we say.

This study talks about how we process sound.  This can cause us to think about the importance of listening.   I believe that not only what we listen to, but how we listen to what we listen to can be instructive to us.  We can hear a lot of things in our lives - there is plenty of information out there, but the Lord taught us to really listen, to be discerning, to think carefully, to consider, and, as we listen to His Word, to allow the Holy Spirit to teach us and to bring to light, to our understanding, what God would show us moment by moment. 

Take care how you speak, and take heed of what you hear.