II Timothy 4:3-4
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”
Proper Discernment from God’s Word
Paul’s description of people having “itching ears” is picturesque. The Greek word, knethomai, literally means “to itch, rub, scratch, or tickle.” This figure of speech implies that they have an itch that must be scratched, or as William Barclay puts it, “they have ears which have to be continually titillated with novelties”. Such people open their ears to any teacher who will relieve their particular “itch” regardless of how it measures against the truth.
The solution to this resides in proper discernment based on God’s infallible Word. This judgment must be based on His whole counsel. John writes, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (I John 4:1). Christ commends the Ephesian church for testing the spirits:
I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars. (Revelation 2:2)
Paul says it most simply, “Test all things; hold fast what is good” (I Thessalonians 5:21).
It is our Christian duty to evaluate all aspects of ourselves and the teachings around us. Are they truly of God, or are they itches we want scratched? Have we allowed the world to influence our thinking, or are we on solid biblical footing? Have we held our ground against Satan, or have we given in to his relentless onslaught?
Our effort now should be presenting ourselves “blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (verse 23), for God is not concerned with scratching our itches but in transforming us into the image of His Son.
