You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversation, a 2007 book by Deborah Tannen, was a bestseller for several weeks as it described how women and men often talk at each other rather than with each other because of the natural gender differences. Rather than just making fun of the differences the book tries to explain them in a way that leads to better communication. “Men Are Like Waffles--Women Are Like Spaghetti” came out about the same time with the same message. Both followed in the footsteps of the 1992 book “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus”.

Knowing that communication between men and women is difficult, but not impossible, should help us understand that communication with the God of heaven is difficult – but not impossible. Since men and women are human beings the communication gap is two sided in that we’re not always clear in what we say or in how we listen. Since God is the perfect communicator the gap is one sided – we don’t listen and understand.

Just one illustration today. When God told Jeroboam that he would receive ten tribes of Israel the promise was very clear: “If you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight by observing My statutes and My commandments…I will be with you and build you an enduring house as I built for David and I will give Israel to you.” (1 Kings 11:38).

How well did Jeroboam listen? Like the rest of us, not very well. Almost immediately after the nation divided and ten of the twelve tribes of Israel made him king, Jeroboam decided he couldn’t trust God. He was worried about the people going to Jerusalem to worship thinking it would draw the people to reunite under Rehoboam. So he talked to human counselors instead of God and set up two places of worship in Israel with golden calves. His actions were pathetically self-centered as “he” set up the calves and “he” designed the worship locations and times. (1 Kings 12:26-33).

Listen to verse 33 in particular. “Then he went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised in his own heart; and he instituted a feast for the sons of Israel and went up to the altar to burn incense.” Notice where all that came from – Jeroboam’s heart. I wonder if he thought about God’s promise and decided “You just don’t understand.”

But let’s not be too harsh on old Jeroboam. As we look around at what passes for worship today ask, “Is this what God said to do, or did it come from the heart of man?” Thinking “God will understand” we still don’t listen. The problem is, He understands all right, and isn’t pleased. Remember, God rejects us when we reject Him.