When Power Stops Listening

Scripture“They have mouths, but do not speak;eyes, but do not see;ears, but do not hear.”— Psalm 115:5–6

The Bible’s critique of idolatry reveals something deeper than we often notice.

Idols are not condemned merely because they are false gods. They are condemned because they cannot listen.

They have mouths, but do not speak.They have eyes, but do not see.They have ears, but do not hear.

They are unresponsive.

An idol cannot be interrupted. It cannot be corrected. It cannot respond to suffering or injustice. No matter what happens around it, it remains unchanged.

Residents speak at a public meeting about decisions affecting their neighborhood, sharing concerns shaped by years of experience. The officials thank them—and proceed unchanged. The process heard their voices, but did not listen.

This is what unresponsiveness looks like in practice.

And Scripture adds a sobering warning:Those who make them become like them.

To stop listening is to become idol-like.

This insight is not just about ancient statues. It is about the human tendency to become closed—to truth, to correction, and to the needs of others.

Throughout the biblical narrative, this pattern appears again and again. Pharaoh hears the cries of suffering but refuses to respond. Rehoboam rejects wise counsel and listens only to voices that affirm his power. Prophets speak, warn, and plead—but leaders who have stopped listening cannot hear them.

The problem is not a lack of information. It is a refusal to listen.

And that refusal is rarely sudden.

It begins subtly. A leader listens—but only selectively. Then they begin to filter out uncomfortable voices. Then they dismiss criticism as misguided or disloyal. Eventually, they stop hearing anything that challenges them at all.

Over time, power becomes insulated from truth.

When this happens, injustice grows—not always because people intend harm, but because they have become unresponsive to it.

This is why idolatry is such a powerful biblical metaphor. Idols do not oppress by action alone. They oppress by indifference. They cannot hear suffering, so suffering continues unchecked.

And the danger is not limited to kings or institutions.

Any of us can become like this.

We can stop listening to people who challenge us.We can dismiss perspectives that make us uncomfortable.We can become so certain of our own rightness that we no longer remain open to correction.

When that happens, something in us hardens.

We may still speak.We may still see.But we are no longer truly listening.

This is not only a problem “out there.” It can take root within communities of faith as well.

A congregation prays for justice, yet dismisses the voices of those who name uncomfortable truths within the community. The words of faith are spoken clearly. But the practice of listening is absent.

This is why the practice of sh’ma stands as the antidote.

Sh’ma is not passive hearing. It is active, responsive listening—listening that leads to awareness, humility, and change.

It is the opposite of idolatry.

Where idolatry closes the ear, sh’ma opens it.Where idolatry resists interruption, sh’ma welcomes it.Where idolatry becomes fixed and unresponsive, sh’ma remains alive and attentive.

Listening keeps power humble.Listening keeps communities honest.Listening keeps faith alive.

A leader who listens can still change course.A community that listens can still correct injustice.A person who listens can still grow.

But when listening stops, something more than communication breaks down. The connection to truth itself begins to weaken.

Unresponsive power—whether in a nation, an institution, a congregation, or a single human heart—is the essence of idolatry.

The question, then, is not simply whether we reject idols in theory.

It is whether we are becoming like them in practice.

Are we still interruptible?Are we still teachable?Are we still willing to hear what we would rather ignore?

To practice sh’ma is to resist the slow drift toward hardness. It is to remain open—to God, to conscience, and to the voices of those most affected by our choices.

It is to choose responsiveness over rigidity, humility over certainty, and listening over control.

Because the moment we stop listening, we begin to resemble the very idols Scripture warns us about.

Are there places where power or certainty might be closing my ears?What voices might God be inviting me to hear more carefully?Where might I be resisting interruption or correction?

God who hears the cries of the world,guard us from becoming deaf to truth.Keep our hearts open to correctionand our ears attentive to suffering.Teach us to listen with humilityso that our lives may reflect Your justice and compassion.Amen.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)