Give No Ear: A Practical Advice
Ecclesiastes 7
KJV
20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
21+ Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee:
The writer of these words, Solomon to me was a pragmatist and it is this that draws me closer to him! He tells it as it is and calls a spade a spade.
How I wish I could leave behind my diaries to be read by all just like he has done with his titled Ecclesiastics! I’ve been working on mine for many years now! Hmmm! Enyè easy!
From the two verses above he confirms what is true but often inadmissible by many. There is no perfect man on earth, we are all “ striving” and “learning” to be! Each one is at one stage higher or lower than the other! This is a fact of life!
Ecclesiastes 7:20
NIV
[20] Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.
You’ve heard it said, “Whatever you do people will talk about you !” Have you asked why? This happens because those who are at your level of maturity understand and appreciate you whereas those below will condemn and speak evil of you! It is as simple as this
It is so because their level of understanding, knowledge and experience is lower than yours. If they wear the shoes you wore, stand where you stood, hear what you heard, and see what you saw and know what you knew ; they’ll appreciate and make informed comments.
But quite often this is not the case It is for this reason that Solomon advised;
Ecclesiastes 7:21
NIV
[21] **Do not pay attention to every word people say**, or you may hear your servant cursing you---
It is not “every word, “ they say which is relevant some may others may not. Take the relevant and throw the irrelevant into the trash basket! In other words, do not take them to heart.
This calls for discernment, the ability to discern what is and what is not, and here lies the difficulty!
To the immature and unwise everything said ( words) is relevant. So he ends up hearing his servant cursing him which makes him go mad!
If only we could apply the “Solomonic” formula and advice to tell the relevant from the irrelevant it would help us know who to listen to or not. It is not everything said by everybody that matters.
Some things said by some matters.
If you want to know where this approach is more pronounced and applicable then it is the political arena. Whatever a ruling government says or does the opposition will say the contrary. Some of the “ contrary “ statements, suggestions etc will make sense others non-sense!
Beloved do not give ear to everything said about you, you know yourself better than they do. Listen to some, ignore others. Move on with your life, always remember people’s level of maturity informs what they see and what they say!
You owe no one an explanation except God! He will judge you according to what He knows about you He will not call any to tell Him anything about you.
2 Corinthians 5
KJV
10+ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
Romans 14
KJV
10+ But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
My take.
John Franklin Tamakloe