One of the age-old patterns of life – transcending culture and geography – is the way old people

and young people argue about whose generation had it hardest. We’ve all heard the classic tale

of grandparents walking to school through several feet of snow -- uphill both ways. The younger

generation counters with complaints about pandemics, quarantines and inflation. At almost 50, I

find myself gravitating toward that curmudgeon group talking about life before mandatory car

seats, bike helmets, and seat belts.

But I think we can all agree that the number of voices bombarding this younger generation

eclipses anything previous generations ever experienced.

Smart phones, iPads, streaming internet and other technologies send a constant flow of

messages that must be reckoned with – a multitude of voices often offering contradictory

information or “alternative facts” – which if simply assumed to be truth will lead to unbiblical

beliefs, unbiblical desires and unbiblical behaviors.

While technology and artificial intelligence appear overly complex, the central issue is as simple

as what we find in 1 Samuel 24:9-10. In any given moment, we are either giving our ears to the

voice of God or we are giving our ears to the voice of men. David asks Saul…

“Why do you listen when men say, ‘David is bent on harming you’?” (1 Samuel 24:9)

One of the ongoing themes throughout the conflict between David and Saul is that Saul is

constantly listening to the voice of man (whether that’s his own flesh or the men in his camp)

and David is constantly listening to the voice of God. So why does Saul listen to the voice of

these men who are giving him inaccurate information about David? Perhaps because this is

what Saul wants to hear! To justify his horrific actions towards David, Saul would need to make

it appear to others (and himself) that David was trying to harm him. Therefore, Saul has most

likely surrounded himself with men who will tell him what he wants to hear – even if the

information is garbage. David, on the other hand, refuses to listen to his men when their words

contradict what God has made clear:

“Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lay my hand on my lord,

because he is the Lord’s anointed.” (1 Samuel 24:10)

So, whose voice will you listen to today? Will you surround yourself with people who simply tell

you what you want to hear, or will you find faithful friends who speak the truth in love, even

when it’s difficult to hear? Do you know God’s Word well enough to know when people are

giving you bad information?

By Jimmy Carter