20250424 [새벽묵상] 듣고 싶은 말만 듣는 사람들 | People Who Only Hear What They Want to Hear (민/Num 14:39~45)

14:39 모세가 이 말로 이스라엘 모든 자손에게 알리매 백성이 크게 슬퍼하여

14:40 아침에 일찍이 일어나 산꼭대기로 올라가며 이르되 보소서 우리가 여기 있나이다 우리가 여호와께서 허락하신 곳으로 올라가리니 우리가 범죄하였음이니이다

39 When Moses reported this to all the Israelites, they mourned bitterly. 40 Early the next morning they set out for the highest point in the hill country, saying, “Now we are ready to go up to the land the Lord promised. Surely we have sinned!”

14:41 모세가 이르되 너희가 어찌하여 이제 여호와의 명령을 범하느냐 이 일이 형통하지 못하리라

14:42 여호와께서 너희 중에 계시지 아니하니 올라가지 말라 너희의 대적 앞에서 패할까 하노라

14:43 아말렉인과 가나안인이 너희 앞에 있으니 너희가 그 칼에 망하리라 너희가 여호와를 배반하였으니 여호와께서 너희와 함께 하지 아니하시리라 하나

41 But Moses said, “Why are you disobeying the Lord’s command? This will not succeed! 42 Do not go up, because the Lord is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies, 43 for the Amalekites and the Canaanites will face you there. Because you have turned away from the Lord, he will not be with you and you will fall by the sword.”

14:44 그들이 그래도 산꼭대기로 올라갔고 여호와의 언약궤와 모세는 진영을 떠나지 아니하였더라

14:45 아말렉인과 산간지대에 거주하는 가나안인이 내려와 그들을 무찌르고 호르마까지 이르렀더라

44 Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the highest point in the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord’s covenant moved from the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah.

                우리 말에 쇠귀에 경읽기라는 말이 있습니다. 소 앞에서 아무리 좋은 말을 하여도 소가 알아듣지 못하듯이 아무리 좋은 말을 하면서 가르치려고 하여도 그 뜻을 제대로 헤아리지 못하는 사람을 두고 하는 말이지요. 제가 예전에 섬기던 교회에 이런 분이 계셨습니다. 그분은 주변에서 아무리 좋은 말로 타일러도 자신이 듣고 싶은 말만 들으시는 분이었죠. 심지어 좋은 의도로 이분에게 말씀을 드리면 오히려 자신을 공격하는 말로 알아듣고 화를 내는 분이었습니다. 이분은 자신의 생각만이 옳고 다른 사람의 말은 들으려 하지 않았습니다. 주변 상황은 전혀 그렇지 않은데도 자기가 보고싶은 대로만 보고 자기가 듣고 싶은대로만 듣는 그런 분이셨죠. 이 분에 대해서 사람들이 잘 모를 때 우연히 이분이 여성회장이 되어서 1년동안 교회 전체가 너무 힘이 들었던 기억이 납니다. 오늘 이스라엘 백성들도 마찬가지입니다. 이들은 하나님이 약속하신 땅을 눈 앞에 두고 하나님께 반역하였습니다. 그 결과로 이들은 하나님으로부터 약속의 땅에 들어가지 못하고 광야에서 죽을 것이며 그들의 자식들은 그들이 모두 죽을 때 까지 40년을 광야에서 방황할 것이라는 선고를 받습니다. 그리고 그들의 눈앞에서 정탐꾼 열명이 하나님의 심판을 받아 죽습니다. 하나님께서 이 일을 하시기로 정하신 것입니다. 그러나 이스라엘 백성들은 하나님의 말씀 중에 자신들이 듣고 싶은 말만 듣습니다. 하나님께서 그들에게 내리신 선고는 듣지 않고 자신들이 원했던 약속의 땅으로 나아가겠다고 합니다. 모세가 이들을 몇번이나 말리지만 그들은 그 말을 듣지 않습니다. 자신들이 듣고 싶은 말만 듣는 것입니다. 오늘은 이러한 이스라엘 백성들의 모습을 통해 듣고 싶은 말만 듣는 사람들이라는 제목으로 말씀을 전하기 원합니다.

Brothers and sisters, there's an old saying in Korean that's like talking to a brick wall, saying reading a book to a cow. It's the idea that no matter how many wise and good things you say to someone, they just don't get it, just like a cow doesn't understand you no matter how nicely you talk to it. It's for folks who just can't seem to grasp what's being said, no matter how clear you try to be.

Now, I remember someone like that from a church I served before. You could try and reason with this person, try to guide them with the best intentions, but they only heard what they wanted to hear. In fact, if you offered them advice, even with the purest heart, they'd twist it around and hear it as a personal attack, getting angry. See, this person was convinced their way of thinking was the only right way, and they just weren't open to hearing anyone else out. The situation around them could be screaming the truth, but they'd filter it, only seeing what they wanted to see and hearing what they wanted to hear. I remember back when folks didn't know this about her; she somehow ended up as the women's ministry leader, and for a whole year, the entire church just struggled because of it.

Well, my friends, the Israelites in our Scripture today are acting the very same way. Here they are, standing right on the doorstep of the land God promised them, and what do they do? They rebel against God! And because of that, God declares that they won't enter that promised land. Instead, they will die right there in the wilderness, and their children will wander in that wilderness for forty years until every single one of them is gone. And right before their very eyes, ten of the spies who brought the bad report are struck down by God's judgment. This was God's decided plan.

But here's the thing: the Israelites are only hearing what they want to hear from God's message. They completely ignore the judgment God has pronounced on them. Instead, they declare they're going to march right into the promised land, the land they wanted. Moses, bless his heart, tries to stop them, not just once, but multiple times! But they refuse to listen to him. They are only hearing what they want to hear.

So today, looking at these Israelites, I want to share a message with you titled: "People Who Only Hear What They Want to Hear."

                듣고 싶은 말만 듣는 사람들 그 첫번째, 상황을 왜곡하여 듣습니다. 39절에서 모세가 이들에게 하나님께서 이들에게 내리신 선고를 전하였더니 백성이 크게 슬퍼합니다. 그리고 40절을 보니 이들이 이렇게 고백합니다. “우리가 범죄하였음이니이다.” 얼핏 보면 이들이 진정으로 회개한 듯이 보입니다. 그러나 그들이 하는 말과 행동을 보면 그들은 전혀 회개하지 않았습니다. 40절에 이들이 아침에 일찍이 일어나 산꼭대기로 올라가며 라고 하는데 이 산꼭대기란 가나안 땅을 말하는 것입니다. 분명히 하나님께서는 이들에게 25절에서 “내일 돌이켜 홍해 길을 따라 광야로 돌아가라”라고 말씀하셨습니다. 그런데 이들은 아침 일찍이 일어나 가나안 땅을 향하고 있는 것입니다. 그러면서 뭐라고 합니까? “보소서 우리가 여기 있나이다 우리가 여호와께서 허락하신 곳으로 올라가리니 우리가 범죄하였음이니이다.” 이들이 말하고 있는 것은 이것입니다. 하나님 보십시오 우리가 하나님께 순종합니다. 우리가 범죄하였으니 죄를 뉘우치고 하나님께서 말씀하신대로 우리가 이 곳에 서서 하나님께서 허락하신 땅으로 진격하겠습니다. 이제 우리 준비 다 되었습니다. 이들은 지금 하나님이 하신 말씀을 전혀 듣고 있지 않지요. 하나님께서는 이들에게 분명히 가나안 땅을 금지하시고 광야만을 허락하셨습니다. 그러나 그들은 상황을 왜곡하여 마치 하나님께서 이들에게 아직도 가나안 땅을 허락하셨다고 자신들이 믿고 싶은대로 믿고 있는 것입니다. 내일 광야로 돌아가라는 하나님의 명령을 듣고도 가나안 땅으로 올라가는 것 자체가 이미 또 불순종의 죄를 범하고 있는 것입니다. 그러나 이들은 상황을 왜곡해서 인지하여 마치 가나안 땅으로 올라가는 것이 이들의 회개인 양 말하고 있는 것입니다. 이것은 회개가 아니지요. 그저 이미 결정된 하나님의 계획을 바꿔 보려는 눈속임에 불과할 뿐입니다. 광야에서 죽는 것은 싫은 거에요. 자신들이 싫은 것은 아무리 하나님의 선고여도 듣고 싶지 않은 거에요. 자신들이 범죄한 죄의 결과인데 그 결과는 나몰라라 하고 싶은 거에요. 그 결과로 그들은 자신들 마음대로 상황을 왜곡하여 듣습니다.

The first mark of people who only hear what they want to hear is this: They distort the situation to fit their narrative.

Look at verse 39. Moses tells them the verdict God has given, and the people mourn bitterly. And in verse 40, we see their confession. They say, "We have sinned." On the surface, it might look like genuine repentance, doesn't it? But when you look at their words and their actions, it's clear they haven't repented at all.

Verse 40 says, "Early the next morning they set out for the highest parts of the hill country." That "highest parts of the hill country" – that's talking about the land of Canaan! But just listen! Back in verse 25, God clearly told them, "Tomorrow turn back and set out into the desert by the route to the Red Sea."

Yet, here they are, early the next morning, heading straight for Canaan. And what are they saying? "We are here; we will go up to the place the Lord promised. We have sinned." This is what they're really saying: "Look, God, we are obeying you. We messed up, yes, we admit we sinned. But now we're repenting, and just like you said, we're standing here, ready to march into the land you promised us. We are ready now!"

Can you hear it? They are completely ignoring what God actually said. God had clearly forbidden them from entering Canaan and told them to go into the wilderness. But they're twisting the situation, convincing themselves that God still wants them to go into Canaan. They're believing what they want to believe. Just the act of going up towards Canaan after God told them to go back to the wilderness is another act of disobedience! But they're distorting it, making it sound like going into Canaan is their act of repentance. That's not repentance, folks. It's just a smoke screen, a desperate attempt to change God's plan that's already set. They don't want to die in the wilderness! No matter what God says, if they don't like it, they don't want to hear it. They sinned, and this is the consequence of their sin, but they want to pretend those consequences don't exist. And as a result, they distort the situation, hearing only what they want to hear.

                듣고 싶은 말만 듣는 사람들 그 두번째, 아무리 말을 해도 듣지 않습니다. 잠언 23:9에 이런 말씀이 있습니다. “미련한 자의 귀에 말하지 말지니 이는 그가 네 지혜로운 말을 업신여길 것임이니라” 차라리 말을 하지 않는 것이 나을 정도로 그들은 지혜로운 말도 듣지 않습니다. 이스라엘 백성들이 한데 모여 가나안 땅으로 올라가려고 하자 모세가 이들을 막습니다. 한번도 아니고 두번도 아니고 세번이나 모세는 이들에게 그들의 계획은 실패할 것이라고 말을 하지만 그들은 듣지 않습니다. 41절, “이 일이 형통하지 못하리라.” 42절, “너희의 대적앞에서 패할까 하노라.” 43절, “너희가 그 칼에 망하리라.” 모세가 이들에게 이 말을 해주는 이유는 무엇일까요? 이들을 살리기 위해서 입니다. 이 말만 들었으면 이들은 죽지않았을 모세의 지혜로운 말인데도 불구하고 이들은 이 말을 듣지 않습니다. 모세가 얼마나 이들을 설득하려 노력하였는지 41절부터 함께 보시겠습니다. 모세의 첫번째 경고입니다. “너희가 어찌하여 여호와의 명령을 범하느냐” 모세는 이들이 하고 있는 행동이 회개가 아니라 하나님께 범죄하는 것임을 깨닫게 해줍니다. 너희가 지금 하고 있는 것이 너희들의 생각과는 달리 하나님의 명령을 또 어기고 있는 것이다. 그러므로 이 일은 성공할 수 없다. 이들의 행위가 실제로는 무엇인지 알려주고 완곡하고 부드럽게 이 일은 성공할 수 없다고 말해주고 있습니다. 42절은 두번째 경고입니다. 톤이 조금 바뀌지요. 이들이 절대로 이길 수 없는 이유가 무엇인지 말해줍니다. “여호와께서 너희 중에 계시지 아니하니 올라가지 말라.” 이제는 명령이지요. 왕이신 하나님께서 이 싸움을 승인하지 않으셨다. 하나님께서 허락하지 않으셨기에 모세 또한 이들의 지도자로서 이들에게 올라가지 말라고 명령하는 것입니다. 이번에는 뭐라고 합니까? “너희의 대적 앞에서 패할까 하노라” 앞에서 “이 일이 형통하지 못하리라”라는 말에서 이제는 직접적으로 “너희들이 패할까 하노라” 라고 강도 높여 말을 하는 것입니다. 43절은 마지막 세번째 경고입니다. 이제는 매우 강한 어조로 말합니다. 또한 전략적으로 이들의 두려움을 일으킵니다. 이들이 두려워하던 “아말렉인과 가나안인이 너희 앞에 있으니 너희가 그 칼에 망하리라” 이 말은 이들이 두려움에 빠져 하나님을 원망하던 14:2 “어찌하여 여호와가 우리를 그 땅으로 인도하여 칼에 쓰러지게 하려 하는가” 말과 동일한 어조입니다. 이들의 두려움을 일으켜 나아가지 못하도록 한 것입니다. 그 뿐만이 아닙니다. 이들이 하나님께 범죄하였던 것을 상기시킵니다. “너희가 여호와를 배반하였으니 여호와께서 너희와 함께하지 아니하시리라” 무슨 말입니까? 너희가 하나님을 그렇게 배반하고도 하나님께서 너희와 함께하실 것 같으냐 당장 그만두어라 라는 말이지요. 이렇게 세번이나 모세는 온 힘을 다해 이스라엘 백성들에게 경고하였지만 이들은 모세의 말을 듣지 않습니다. 44절, “그들이 그래도 산꼭대기로 올라갔고 여호와의 언약궤와 모세는 진영을 떠나지 아니하였더라” 그들이 그래도 올라갔다고 합니다. 아무리 말을 해도 듣지 않는 것입니다.

The second mark of people who only hear what they want to hear: No matter what you say, they just won't listen.

Proverbs 23:9 (NIV) tells us, "Do not speak to fools, for they will scorn your prudent words." Sometimes, it's better not to say anything at all, because they'll just disregard wise counsel.

As the Israelites gathered, determined to go up to Canaan, Moses stepped in to stop them. And he didn't just warn them once or twice; he warned them three times that their plan would fail! But they wouldn't listen.

In verse 41, he says, "This will not be successful!" In verse 42, "You will be struck down by your enemies." And in verse 43, "You will fall by the sword."

Why was Moses telling them this? To save their lives! These were wise words from Moses, words that would have kept them from dying, but they wouldn't listen to him.

Let's look together at verses 41 and following to see how hard Moses tried to convince them. Here's Moses' first warning: "Why are you disobeying the Lord's command?" Moses is trying to make them see that their actions aren't repentance; they're still sinning against God. He's telling them, "What you're doing right now, contrary to what you might think, is another act of defying God's command. Therefore, this plan of yours cannot succeed." He's gently, softly, telling them what their actions really are and that it won't end well.

Verse 42 is the second warning. The tone shifts a bit, doesn't it? He tells them exactly why they can't possibly win. "Do not go up, because the Lord is not with you." Now it's a command! God, their King, has not sanctioned this battle. Because God hasn't allowed it, Moses, as their leader, commands them not to go up. And this time, what does he say? "You will be struck down by your enemies." He escalates the intensity, moving from "This will not be successful" to a direct warning: "You will be struck down."

Verse 43 is the third and final warning. Now, the tone is very strong. He strategically brings up their fears. The Amalekites and Canaanites, the very people they were afraid of, "will face you there, and you will fall by the sword." This echoes the same fearful tone they used when they complained to God in Numbers 14:2 (NIV), "Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword?" He's trying to stir up their fear to stop them from going forward.

But that's not all. He reminds them of their sin against God. "Because you have turned away from the Lord, he will not be with you." What's he saying here? He's saying, "After you have so betrayed God, do you really think He will be with you? Stop this right now!"

So, three times, Moses poured out his heart, warning the Israelites with all his might. But they wouldn't listen to Moses.

Verse 44 says, "Nevertheless, they went up to the highest parts of the hill country, though neither the ark of the Lord's covenant nor Moses left the camp." It says, "Nevertheless, they went up." No matter what was said, they just wouldn't listen.

                말씀을 맺습니다. 오늘의 말씀은 우리에게 이스라엘 백성들의 모습을 통하여 듣고 싶은 말만 듣는 사람들에 대한 이야기를 전하고 있습니다. 그들은 상황을 왜곡하여 듣고 자신들을 살리는 지혜로운 말은 듣지 않았습니다. 그 결과 그들은 가장 중요한 것. 바로 자신의 뜻을 돌이켜 하나님의 뜻을 이루는 것을 놓치고 말았습니다. 결국 하나님께서는 그들과 함께하지 않으셨고 그들은 ‘파멸’ 이라는 뜻을 지닌 호르마까지 도망 할 수 밖에 없었습니다.  때로 우리는 하나님의 말씀을 귀기울여 들으려고 노력하면서도 우리가 듣고 싶은 말씀만을 들으려 하지는 않는지 점검해야 할 필요가 있습니다. 오늘 말씀의 이스라엘 백성들처럼 듣고 싶은 말만을 듣는 사람들이 되는 것이 아닌, 하나님의 말씀을 온전히 듣고 늘 하나님과 함께하시는 여러분 되시기를 주님의 이름으로 축원합니다. 기도하시겠습니다.

Let me bring this to a close. Today's message, through the example of the Israelites, has shown us what it looks like when people only hear what they want to hear. They distorted the situation, and they refused to listen to the wise words that would have saved them. And as a result, they missed the most important thing. They missed the chance to turn from their own will and live according to God's will.

Ultimately, God was not with them, and they were forced to flee all the way to Hormah, a name that actually means "destruction."

Sometimes, even when we try to listen carefully to God's Word, we need to check our hearts. Are we only hearing what we want to hear? My prayer for you today is that you would not be like the Israelites in this passage, only hearing what you want to hear. Instead, I pray that you would hear God's Word fully and completely, and that you would always walk in His presence. May the Lord bless you in the name of Jesus.

Let us pray.