It had been quiet for 120 years. Then, in March of 1980, it began making noises. Everyone thought it was interesting. It attracted a lot of media attention. People drove out to see and hear it. T-shirts and other souvenirs were sold. It was lots of fun.

Someone wrote later, "For 2 months, Mt. St. Helens was fun to have around. We told volcano jokes; T-shirt makers had a ball making slogans. On Sunday, May 18th, at 8:32 AM, the fun stopped".

But before the fun stopped, lots of people were listening. Some thought it was an interesting noise. Some came to hear it because they had never heard anything like it before. Others came because it was something to study and to record. Still others came just out of curiosity.

How do you listen to the Bible? Do you hear what God is saying or do you just listen to the voice of your Sunday School teacher or the speaker? Do you think about how well he is speaking or do you think about what he is saying?

Everyone heard Mt. St. Helens, but no one really heard it. Everything thought it sounded interesting. But it really sounded dangerous. Everyone heard the noise. But no one heard the message.

The police set up barriers to keep cars away . But a sheriff later complained that maps were being sold of backcountry roads so people could avoid the road blocks.

God has set up barriers to keep people from perishing in their sins. One of His roadblocks is the Bible which you have. It is a warning not to go further without the Lord Jesus as Savior. Are you ignoring His roadblock, as well?

Robert Landsburg was a 48 year old photographer from Portland Oregon. During April and May he made many trips to the mountain. On May 18th, he wanted just one more picture to round out his collection. He knew that the mountain was making noises. He knew that it meant volcanic activity. But he went one more time. He was four miles away, just west of the mountain, when the blast occurred. It was seventeen days later that they found his body with his film in the knapsack. He had heard but he didn't hear.

Ezekiel spoke to the people of his day. They heard as well, but they did not hear. They thought that his voice was interesting, pleasant, and eloquent. But they did not hear the message of their sin and danger. When you read the Bible do you hear what God is telling you? "Hear and your soul shall live." Isa. 55:3

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