{"id":1935,"date":"2025-11-23T15:50:30","date_gmt":"2025-11-23T05:50:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/david-watters\/?p=1935"},"modified":"2025-11-23T15:50:32","modified_gmt":"2025-11-23T05:50:32","slug":"when-listening-becomes-a-lever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/david-watters\/2025\/11\/23\/when-listening-becomes-a-lever\/","title":{"rendered":"When Listening Becomes a Lever"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Reading:<\/strong> 2 Samuel 15<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Verse:<\/strong> <em>2 Samuel 15:6<\/em> \u2014 \u201cAbsalom did this with everyone who came to the king for judgment, and so he stole the hearts of all the people of Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Dear Brothers and Sisters,<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s a subtle danger in how we handle the concerns of others. Here in PNG, I\u2019ve noticed a pattern\u2014someone shares a frustration, and their friend responds, \u201cYou\u2019ve really got a strong case\u2026 it\u2019s too bad leadership won\u2019t hear you.\u201d It sounds eerily familiar to Absalom\u2019s words at the city gate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Absalom had a case. He had been wronged. His sister Tamar was violated, and justice was delayed. He killed Amnon, fled, and spent five years in exile\u2014three in banishment, two ignored by his father. He had reason to be bitter. But instead of seeking reconciliation, he positioned himself as the alternative to leadership. He listened, affirmed, and subtly undermined. And eventually, he incited a rebellion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Scripture Insight:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Absalom\u2019s strategy was relational. He got up early, met people where they were, and made them feel heard. But his listening wasn\u2019t restorative\u2014it was divisive. \u201cHe stole the hearts of the people\u201d (v.6), and soon after, declared himself king (v.10).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>David, too, had failed. After Bathsheba, his leadership faltered. He didn\u2019t pursue justice for Tamar, nor did he fully reconcile with Absalom. The breakdown was mutual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This passage raises hard questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Do our people feel unheard?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Are we unintentionally fueling division by how we listen?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Are we taking up others\u2019 cases without pointing them toward healing?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Listening is a powerful relational skill\u2014but it must be paired with wisdom, humility, and a commitment to unity. Otherwise, it becomes a lever for rebellion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Application:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Listen well\u2014but don\u2019t affirm bitterness.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Point people toward reconciliation, not resentment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reflect: Am I helping others feel heard, or helping them divide?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Guard your heart from becoming a judge in someone else\u2019s conflict.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Prayer:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lord, teach me to listen with wisdom. Help me discern when empathy becomes enabling, and when advocacy becomes opposition. Make me a peacemaker, not a divider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Reflection Questions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Who are you listening to right now? Are you helping them move toward healing?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Have you taken up someone else\u2019s case in a way that undermines leadership?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What does healthy, redemptive listening look like in your role?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reading: 2 Samuel 15 Key Verse: 2 Samuel 15:6 \u2014 \u201cAbsalom did this with everyone who came to the king for judgment, and so he stole the hearts of all the people of Israel.\u201d Dear Brothers and Sisters, There\u2019s a subtle danger in how we handle the concerns of others. Here in PNG, I\u2019ve noticed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":172,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[48601],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1935","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-dear-brothers-and-sisters","7":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/david-watters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/david-watters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/david-watters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/david-watters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/172"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/david-watters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1935"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/david-watters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1935\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/david-watters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/david-watters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/david-watters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}