Obstacles to Receiving the Word of God

We begin with the premise that there is a God, and that He has communicated to man, either directly or through messengers (angels), and that this communication has been recorded, even though, by design, only some of these records are now available, and additional records are promised to those who believe His words that have been recorded. The office of these angels is to declare the word of God unto certain individuals chosen of the Lord such as Adam, Enoch, Abraham, Moses, Joseph Smith and others. Through these prophets and others, His words have been recorded for the benefit of the residue of men, who can come to their own knowledge of the truthfulness of His words through the Holy Ghost (Moroni 7:31-32). Belief or non-belief in this premise is irrelevant because belief does not make something true or not true. The question is whether this premise is true or not, not whether we believe it or do not believe it.   

We can read what Christ said about what He taught:  "For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak" (John 12:49-50). This same claim has been made by Adam and all the others who received His words either directly from Him or through His messengers.

Christ also prepared a way for others to remember all the words which He spake during His mortal ministry. He said: "The word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. These things (words) have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you" (John 14:24-26 emphasis added). 

If this premise is true and God has spoken to man; and if these words or many of them have been recorded, why is it that so few people know of His recorded words and of those who do, why so few hearken or give heed unto His words? Let's begin with the first parable spoken by the Savior, keeping in mind that through parables He taught the doctrine of His Father and "spake the word (of God) unto them" (Mark 4:2; 33-34). The Savior's two questions about the parable of the sower: "Know ye not this parable?" and "how then will ye know all parables?" (Mark 4:13), marks the parable of the sower as the foundation to understanding each of the other parables, and to the understanding of why so few know of or why so few hearken unto His words. 

So knowing that he only speaks the words of His father, and that He also uses parables to teach us His Father's words, let's examine the parable of the sower, which is the foundation of all the parables. From it we can come to know just how crucial the word of God is, and how our response to His word determines our fate. It will also tell us some of the obstacles to hearing the word of God, or obstacles to recognizing the word of God when it is spoken to us, and also of the obstacles to hearing and hearkening unto God's words.

Christ begins by saying:

"Behold, a sower went forth to sow; and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: 

some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: and when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 

And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: 

but others fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear" (Matthew 13:3-9).

When Jesus was asked by His disciples why he spoke "unto them in parables?" (Matthew 13:10), He answered: because "they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand" (Matthew 13:13). What is it that we do not see, do not hear and do not understand? Before He answers that question he tells us why we do not see, hear or understand. "For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them" (Matthew 13:15; Acts 28:27). 

Peter is purported to have said the following: "In order, therefore, that there might be a distinction between those who choose good and those who choose evil, God has concealed that which is profitable to men, i.e., the possession of the kingdom of heaven, and has laid it up as a secret treasure, so that no one can easily attain it by his own power or knowledge. Yet He has brought the report of it [sowed the seeds], under various names and opinions, through successive generations, to the hearing of all: so that whosoever should be lovers of good, hearing it, might inquire and discover what is profitable and salutary to them; but that they should ask it, not from themselves, but from Him who has hidden it" (Clement of Rome, Recognitions, Book 3, Chapter 43). In other words the seeds (words of God) have been sown throughout the entire world and from the beginning of time, and only those who desire good, will seek out the treasures of heaven.

What we don't see, hear or understand is His word which is represented by the seed. "Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side" (Matthew 13:19). 

He tells us that the seed is the word, and that it is sown in our hearts. We 'hear' it but don't understand it. And why don't we understand it? Because our hearts are not ready to receive it; our soil has not been prepared. Our hearts are the biggest obstacles to hearing and understanding the word of God when it is sown by the sower, who is Christ. Our hearts are set or are hard, and the seed cannot take root. Also our minds may be so full of dogmas and noxious opinions, that we cannot give place for the word to nourish our minds.

His parables are not just stories used to illustrate a point, but are His word and His doctrine, given to all of us as we are able to hear His word. We may hear the parable, but we may not hear His word, His doctrine or of things to come, and therefore we will not understand the parable. Why? Because we have hardened our heart against the word, do not know His word, have not received His words and do not desire to. He answers the question "Why?" with a question: "Why do ye not understand my speech? Even because you cannot hear my word" (John 8:43 emphasis added).

Christ goes on: "But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet he hath not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended" (Matthew 13:21). 

The phrase "hath not root in himself" refers to the root which grows from the seed of the word of God planted in the heart (Alma 32). When we harden our hearts against the word, the word is not "found in us" (Alma 12:13), or not found in our hearts. It may have been planted but because it did not take root or because we hardened our heart, the seed falls in "stony places" which is another description for hard hearts, or in this case, very little soil. These are they who are offended when the word of God is taught to them, and because His words are not found in their hearts, they reject His words and do not believe them.

"He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful" (Matthew 13:22). Luke says "choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life." 

Several keys words indicate that this third group has hardened their hearts by setting their hearts upon the things of the world, and as a result the word of God which was sown, while heard, is choked and therefore does not bear fruit, again not being received by a receptive heart. Hearts set upon the things of the world cannot bear fruit because there is no place in the heart for the word of God to take root. Choked is a good description of a closed heart or a heart contracted. Hearts set upon the things of the world cannot be good soil for the word of God. This is described by the word 'deceitful' which has two meanings in this context. One, the riches themselves are deceitful because they give us a false sense of security. Second, we deceive ourselves into thinking that we have earned these riches by our industry and become, as Isaiah described, drunk with the wine of self-deception. 

A good example of one who had been deceived by his good fortune was Amulek. Notice the similarities found in the parable of the sower with Amulek's description. After describing his favorable reputation, his large family and many friends, as well as his much riches earned by the hand of his industry, he says: "Nevertheless, after all this (or because of all this), I never have known much of the ways of the Lord, and his mysteries and marvelous power. I said I never had known much of these things; but behold I mistake, for I have seen much of his mysteries and his marvelous power; yea, even in the preservation of the lives of this people. Nevertheless, I did harden my heart for I was called many times and I would not hear; therefore I knew concerning these things (or he knew about them) yet, I would not know, therefore I went on rebelling against God, in the wickedness of my heart..." (Alma 10:4-6 emphasis added). Amulek's experience is exactly what Jesus said about those who hear but who do not hear, and those whose hearts are hardened against the word because of the deceitfulness of riches and cares of the world.

The focus of this parable is the word of God, and what is required before the word of God takes root and bears fruit. "But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty" (Matthew 13:23). The good ground or good soil spoken of here is a receptive heart--soil in which the seed is planted and nourished. (Alma 32).

The heart is not the only receptor of the word of God. The mind is also important and presents a major obstacle to receiving the word of God. Weeds in Palestine could grow up to six feet in height with a major root system which would crowd out the good plants and not allow them to grow. These weeds grow in our minds in the form of opinions, dogmas, watered down teachings, and false doctrines, and the only solution is to cultivate the ground and get rid of the noxious weeds, to allow a place in your mind for the word of God. 

A land (in this case our minds) neglected, necessarily produces thorns and thistles, or in other words a plentiful crop of noxious opinions and dogmas which give no place for the truth of the word of God. The mind needs to be cultivated with the word of God or the word of truth, which is the true and diligent husbandman of the heart. Without this cultivation the mind fills up with false or partially digested truths, which can and will choke the good seed of the word of God. 

Our mind and our hearts should not be separated when it comes to the word of God. We can ask ourselves if we apply our "hearts to understanding" the word of God (Mosiah 12:27)? The chart below summarizes the obstacles identified in the parable of the sower to us hearing and receiving the word of God.

Harden Our Hearts Seed falls by wayside Thorns & noxious weeds Choke the word Cares and pleasures of the world Deceitfulness of riches Persecution and Tribulation No Root--Word not found in us Stoney Places Offended Because of the Word Thin soil Does not bear fruit

Receptive Heart Good ground Desire to believe (exercise particle of faith) Plant the seed in our hearts Seed grows & bears fruit Know word is good Believe the word Word of God found in you

Every response to the seed or the word of God is listed in the parable of the sower. Many read and many hear, but most do not apply their hearts to understanding the word. If we don't hear in His words, His voice of mercy and the need for continually repenting and relying wholly upon His merits, then we are not receiving the word of God in our hearts. 

Why do we resist hearing His word? Is it not because we somehow see ourselves as being sufficient as we are? Do we not believe in our hearts that we are already good enough, that the Savior may indeed have to forgive us of a few things, but his love and generosity will easily take away those things, and we will then be ushered ceremoniously into the blessings of the great beyond? (2 Nephi 28:7-9). Such a belief is what He defines as pride. It is the belief that we are good, though perhaps our deeds are not. This is the belief that the old us does not need to die and become a new creature, but only our garments need to be cleansed. In pride we see ourselves as eternal creatures who may need to be forgiven and lifted up by Jesus Christ, but who do not need to be totally changed by Him! We do not believe that we need that new and pure heart which only He can give us. In fact our response to the parable of the sower is that we are the good ground--no need to go beyond that!

This pride is the basis for us hearing but not understanding. Somehow our wires are crossed and what He has and is communicating to us, is not heard. Because we have lived on a diet other than the word of God, instead of the word growing in our hearts, we take strength unto ourselves and our hearts become corrupted and our minds as uncultivated fields, are full of noxious weeds, opinions and perversions of the word of God.

It is no wonder then that Isaiah describes our (Ephriam's) rote method of learning as being full of vomit and excrement (Isaiah 28:8), meaning that even our vehicles for conveying spiritual food are impure. They abound with partially digested truths, regurgitated for the people to consume, watered down, and which give no nourishment. Isaiah proposes that the Lord's answer to his people's self-deception, is the idea of direct revelation, the purest form of the word of God. Because, he says, we live on a diet of vomit and excrement, we are not ready to receive such pure instruction. We are like babes newly weaned who are yet incapable of digesting solid food. Paul expresses this when he says, "For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe" (Hebrews 5:13).

The Lord is willing to give to us, all that we are capable of receiving. The seed is sown for all, and there are no varying degrees to the quality of the seed. It is the receiver of the seed that lacks the capacity to receive what the Lord has and is willing to give us. Isaiah asks of Ephraim two questions: "Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine?" (Isaiah 28:9).  

This is the reason why Alma 32 is so important because it provides the means for planting His word in our heart, where it can grow and enlighten and take root in us and grow into the tree of life. The word does not need to be watered down or made simple. It is the person who must be willing to exercise just a particle of faith by desiring to believe that the seed is good, and who will therefore plant the seed in his/her heart. The receptive heart in Alma 32 is the good ground spoken of by Jesus in the parable of the sower. Only the word of God thus planted will bear fruit. The blessing is that the word is the husbandman of the heart, not us. We don't nourish the word; the word nourishes us. It is our part to cut off the thorns (dogmas and noxious opinions), however, lest these choke the good seed of the word of God. Or I should say it is our part that we should desire that the thorns be cut off, for when we do and plant the seed, the seed will grow and it will repair a long time's neglect. The analogy to the word of God being a seed is a good one because we can each visualize a seed being planted with the hope that it will grow, and when it does we can say the seed was good. It is the seed that grows and bears fruit, not us. Why do we the Ephraimite Gentiles bring forth wild fruit (Jacob 5)? Because the word of God is not found in us.

All evil springs from ignorance, and ignorance is caused by carelessness and sloth, and is nourished and increased and rooted in our minds and hearts by negligence. And nothing is worse than for one to believe that he knows what he is ignorant of, and to maintain that to be true which is false. Ignorance can only be cut off by means of knowledge of the word of God. 

Oliver Cowdrey described the difference when he said: "Man may deceive his fellow-men, deception may follow deception, and the children of the wicked one may have power to seduce the foolish and untaught, till naught but fiction feeds the many, and the fruit of falsehood carries in its current the giddy to the grave, but one touch with the finger of his love, yes, one ray of glory from the upper world, or one word from the mouth of the Savior, from the bosom of eternity, strikes it all into insignificance, and blots it forever from the mind" (Oliver Cowdrey, Footnote to Joseph History, p. 59 of Pearl of Great Price emphasis added).

This contrast described by Oliver Cowdrey is one that the Lord also uses in describing the difference between the word of God and all other knowledge. We cannot choose unless we are "enticed by the one or the other" (2 Nephi 2:16). The Lord described to Joseph Smith that the "other" is what He describes as the "mainspring of all corruption" (D&C 123:7), which are the creeds of the fathers, that are so strongly riveted "upon the hearts of the children, and (has) filled the world with confusion, and has been growing stronger and stronger...and the whole earth groans under the weight of its iniquity. It is an iron yoke, it is a strong band; they are the very handcuffs and chains, and shackles and fetters of hell" (D&C 123:7-8).

And Alma describes these chains of hell as being the result of hardening our hearts against the word of God, for without the word of God we are "led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell" (Alma 12:11). In other words the word of God and our response to it, is what judges us: "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the words that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day" (John 12:48 emphasis added).