22h • Wisdom
Prerequisite for Prayer
“He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.” Proverbs 28:9
This is one of the strongest warnings in all of Proverbs concerning the relationship between God's Word and prayer. Many people assume that prayer alone is enough to maintain fellowship with God, but Solomon teaches that prayer cannot be separated from obedience. The person who deliberately refuses to listen to God's Word while expecting God to hear his requests has completely misunderstood the nature of his relationship with the Lord. God desires not merely religious activity, but hearts that are willing to hear and obey Him.
The phrase, “turneth away his ear,” describes a deliberate act. This is not speaking of someone who struggles to understand Scripture or a believer who is battling weakness and desires to obey. It refers to one who knowingly rejects God's instruction. The image is that of someone physically turning away so that he does not have to hear. Stephen rebuked Israel with a similar spirit when he said they “do always resist the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 7:51). The issue is not ignorance but willful refusal.
Throughout Scripture, God consistently joins hearing with obeying. Samuel told Saul, “Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice.” (1 Samuel 15:22). Saul continued offering religious acts while refusing God's command. His worship became empty because his heart was rebellious. God has never been impressed by outward forms of religion that are disconnected from obedience.
This explains the sobering statement that “even his prayer shall be abomination.” An abomination is something detestable in God's sight. The problem is not prayer itself, but hypocritical prayer that seeks God's blessings while rejecting His authority. Isaiah described Israel's worship in similar language: “When ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear.” (Isaiah 1:15). Their prayers were abundant, but their lives were filled with injustice and rebellion. God was calling them first to repentance.
David understood the importance of a clean heart before God. He wrote, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” (Psalm 66:18). David does not say that if he committed a sin God would never hear him, for every believer sins. Rather, he speaks of cherishing, embracing, or holding on to sin without repentance. God delights in the prayers of His children, but He will not bless deliberate rebellion cloaked in religious language.
The New Testament continues this principle. James writes, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” (James 4:3). Peter likewise tells husbands that they must dwell with their wives according to knowledge, “that your prayers be not hindered.” (1 Peter 3:7). Even for believers, disobedience affects fellowship with God. Prayer is not a mechanism for getting what we want but a conversation within a relationship built on submission to His will.
This proverb also reminds us that hearing God's Word is more than simply listening to sermons or reading Scripture. Jesus repeatedly said, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Hearing in the biblical sense means receiving the truth with a willing heart. James exhorts believers, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”(James 1:22). A Bible that is read but never obeyed can actually harden the heart if its truth is continually resisted.
Practically, Proverbs 28:9 encourages us to examine whether we are allowing God to speak before we ask Him to act. It is easy to spend much time telling God our desires while giving little attention to His revealed will. Healthy prayer flows from a heart that delights in God's Word. As Jesus said, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” (John 15:7). When His Word fills our hearts, our prayers increasingly reflect His purposes.
At the same time, this verse should not discourage repentant believers from coming to God. Scripture repeatedly declares that the Lord is merciful to those who humble themselves. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart... thou wilt not despise.” (Psalm 51:17). If we have been ignoring His voice, the answer is not to stop praying but to repent, return to His Word, and seek His forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” (1 John 1:9).
Ultimately, this proverb points us to Jesus Christ, who perfectly heard and obeyed His Father's voice. He declared, “I do always those things that please him.” (John 8:29). Because of His perfect obedience, believers now have bold access to God through Him. Yet that grace is never an excuse for ignoring God's commands. Rather, it gives us both the desire and the power to obey. The one who treasures God's Word will find that prayer becomes not a hollow ritual, but a living fellowship with the Father, whose ears are always open to those who humbly walk in His ways.
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Prerequisite for Prayer
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