God's Own Plea

Psalms 81:13 KJV

Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!

Though this verse could not be considered a prayer from God, it is certainly a plea. It expresses the heart of God toward mankind, His earnest request to us. Directed to Israel, I believe it is intended toward all mankind, as Israel serves as a representative nation for God's intended purpose for all mankind; that is to redeem and save.

There are two elements wrapped into this request:

That they would hearken to God's Word

The word hearken means to hear intelligently or carefully. There are plenty of people who regularly hear some part of God's Word.

• It is displayed on signs, reader boards and plaques all across our country
• There are churches of one denomination or another broadcasting their message on radio, television and the internet
• Social media sites are filled with religious broadcasting
• It is available both in written and audio versions on smart phone apps

The trouble today is not with lack of opportunity to hear but with the manner in which most Americans hear the Word of God.

• It is generally heard casually, sometimes
• It is heard as almost a form of entertainment, not infrequently
• It is heard but unintelligently in that, while it is present, we are not paying attention to it

That they would walk in God's ways

Once hearing the Word of God with enough intelligence to understand the message, the next thing God pleads for us to do is that we would obey the message. The most earnest students of God's Word are as failingly human as most common of criminals and, thus, fail to heed what he or she knows the Word to teach.

God's plea has purpose behind it because He longs to bless those who will answer this plea. Had Israel hearkened and walked as God instructed, they would have experienced the fullest of God's blessing. As it was they refused, for the most part, to obey. They received, as a consequence, only a portion of that blessing God intended.

We cannot deny that we have been a blessed people. But our blessings have been limited in so many respects because we, at best, only hear casually what God has said and only walk half heartedly in His ways.