DID HE HEAR, OR DID HE LISTEN?

psalm 66

¹⁸ If I regard iniquity in my heart, the IAUE will not hear me:

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Just to make sure, I checked a variety of translations for this verse. I believed I knew what it was saying, but I wanted to make sure that all translations were even. There was very little difference.

If I regard iniquity (sin; evil) IAUE will not hear me. The only problem that I have with all translations, is not the word used for 'iniquity', but the word 'hear'. IAUE hears everything, just as he sees everything. However, it is a case of listening. If my kids had been arguing, their explanation of who was right would 'fall on deaf ears'. I would not listen to their defence until they stopped shouting at each other, and sat calmly to explain. Until the anger (iniquity; sin; evil) had passed from them, I would not listen.

IAUE will always hear what is going on, but if we are not pure of heart, will he listen to us?  Why should He grant us a 'hearing', when we are going against His will. When we are acting like the heathen, and raging, why would IAUE take notice?

The amazing thing is that I read the psalms and proverbs yesterday, reading every 30th psalm (6, 36, etc), I read psalm 126, about how the heathen sees IAUE bringing His elect out of captivity, and thought, 'those are the verses on which I need to meditate upon this morning'. (I try to write something everyday, on the verses read, and send it to my husband.  We discuss it later, and find different insights.  I try to listen to the Spirit for guidance as to which verse I should write upon.)  In Psalm 126, the heathen looks at the disciple and wonders at what IAUE does, and sees that although we are occasionally afflicted, He, IAUE, still brings us out of captivity. When does He bring us out? When we do not regard iniquity in our heart.

We must understand that He hears everything, just as He sees everything, but until we stop being selfish and use our own agenda as our defence, He will not listen.