I was reading this morning about the human ear. Each ear has a very tiny organ, like a harp, with about 10,000 strings. When a sound is heard, the corresponding string of this little harp vibrates in sympathy, and conveys the impression to the brain!
But these little harps are not always fully developed, are sometimes defective, even malformed, therefore the sounds the ear hears are not accurately conveyed to the brain. So people are spoken of as not having "an ear for music.”
When we relate these thoughts to ourselves spiritually, we can see the similarity. No one, by nature, has an ear which can distinguish the things of God (1 Cor. 2:11). The spiritual ear is the direct gift and planting of God. Psa. 94:9 says, "He [the Lord] that planted the ear," but then we also read in Rev. 3:13, "He that hath an ear, let him hear.”
So if we have the gift of eternal life, we have that "spiritual ear," for only the believer in Christ can hear the things of God. But just as some natural ears are not trained or developed to relay the perfect sound to the brain, so our spiritual ears need developing and care, in order that we may discern the messages which the Lord wants to send us. Otherwise we miss His mind and make mistakes in judgment.
The ear has another important function—to give us balance. There are three fluid-filled canals and two sac-like organs which are the organs of balance, also sending nerve impulses to the brain. Infection in these causes us to lose our balance. Moral or doctrinal sin allowed in the believer's life is spiritual infection and causes him to lose his spiritual balance, that is, his discernment.
The Lord loves us and desires to fill our life and heart with Himself. There is no other true happiness on earth. Even as God has created that marvelous instrument, the human ear, to hear, so He has given us spiritual ears to hear what He desires to convey to us. In listening to His voice, then putting into practice what we have heard, we learn more. But when we "turn a deaf ear," then we not only cease to learn more, we lose what we seemed to have learned before (Luke 8:18).
N. Berry
The things of God knoweth no man,
but the Spirit of God.
Now we have received...
the Spirit which is of God;
that we might know the things
that are freely given to us of God
1 Corinthians 2:11, 12