A couple nights ago, I had a funny flash vision. A bunch of sheep were studiously reading the Torah scrolls as they munched on them. There were multiple things it brought up but what the LORD asked that night – “Do my sheep obey the Laws they read or My commandments they hear?” Then He reminded me of John 10:27 – “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:”
I write a lot about obeying God’s commandments and yes, part of that is obeying the Law of Moses in the Spirit of the Law but I haven’t blatantly written about obeying His VOICE, because for me it’s become a given. Sometimes you don’t see the nose that’s on the end of your face – the thing that’s so obvious to you – yet others are crying out under the bondage of legalism they DON’T see it because their discernment has been cut off by obeying the traditions of men (Is 29:13-14).
Isaiah 29:13-14 – 13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: 14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.
Obeying anything without personal revelation and understanding in your heart simply because someone told you to believe it will end up becoming a burden, a man-made formula, and legalism. Anyone who believes something without understanding will easily change their beliefs like blowing sand. One needs to know WHY they believe anything instead of being a mindless indoctrinated lemming. Is what you believe founded on truth?
A case in point – Christmas. Many celebrate Jesus’ birth as Dec 25th. Yet how many have actually searched the scriptures to see when Jesus was born? Are we even commanded to celebrate that date in the name of Jesus Christ? And when you discover the truth that he WASN’T born at Christmas, nor is Christmas a biblical celebration by any stretch of the imagination, why do you continue to do an indoctrinated behavior / belief when it isn’t Truth? Since I brought it up, Jesus was conceived at Hanukkah and born at Feast of Tabernacles. We know that based on John the Baptist’s birth being 6 months prior to Jesus. John was born roughly on Passover, based on the fact that Zechariah was in the course of Abia (Lk 1:5) who would have been serving in rotation during Sivan 12-18 (June) and it is 285 days to full term. Robert Heidler with Glory of Zion has some great teachings on God’s calendar.
So let’s search the scriptures together and see if we can bring clarity to this topic of obeying God’s commandments in a way that brings freedom instead of suffocating phariseeism.
The first example of hearing God’s voice is found in the Garden of Eden. Notice God didn’t have Adam first read a book about God (which is what the Bible is). He SPOKE TO Adam.
Genesis 2: 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Later, we can infer that God walked with Adam & Eve regularly in the cool of the day. He communed with them. They shared relationship, fellowship, community…until sin caused them to be scared of the voice of the LORD, which made them hide in shame.
Genesis 3:8-9 – 8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. 9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
Jump forward to the Israelites after they just saw the LORD their God make a way of escape via dry ground between two watery walls through the Red Sea, then saw their enemies crushed as the walls of water crashed down. They did not yet have the WRITTEN stone tablets. Notice it says give EAR to His commandments, not eyesight to His commandments.
Exodus 15:26 – And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.
Jump forward to after the tabernacle of the congregation with all its holy furniture had been built. Notice how Moses spoke with God from the off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of the Testimony. Moses didn’t go in there to read the commandments. He went in there to HEAR & SPEAK with God.
Numbers 7:89 – And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spake unto him.
Jump again to after the children of Israel had sent the 12 spies into the Promised Land and 10 decided to believe in and magnify their fears more than their God. Making fear their idol resulted in the spies leading the entire congregation into idolatry of their emotions, which had dire consequences for the entire congregation.
Numbers 14:22-24 – 22 Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have NOT hearkened to my voice; 23 Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: 24 But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.
It’s pretty clear throughout the pattern shown in these scriptures that HEARING God’s voice came first before reading His word, which was held securely inside the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies that only the High Priest had access to one day a year at that time. Now don’t pitch a fit. Reading the Bible daily is a commandment in the Bible (Deut 17:19) and everything we hear must line up with scripture. But let me challenge you. How many Christians today teach their brand-new converts how to HEAR God’s voice as their FIRST step of discipleship? Or do they tell you to read the Bible first (usually the book of John) and pray TO God? His VOICE was valuable enough to record in writing, which is how we ended up with the Law of Moses.
Deut 4:12-16 – 12 And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice. 13 And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone. 14 And the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it. 15 Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: 16 Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure…
Deuteronomy 4:36 – Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire.
The first part of Deut 28 outlines the blessings given for obeying His voice. Note it does NOT say the blessings are for reading and obeying a book. That doesn’t require relationship. It doesn’t involve KNOWING the LORD. However, scripture records that Moses did WRITE down the voice of the LORD.
Deut 28:1-2 – And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.
Exodus 24:3-4,7 – 3 And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the Lord hath said will we do. 4 And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel… 7 And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.
So, what is a danger of obeying the written word without having a relationship that enables you to hear His precious voice? This is where many Christians have gotten snared, assuming God’s commandments don’t apply to them, only to Jews. It is by their very declaration that they have condemned themselves because a true Jew is one whose heart is circumcised and therefore able to hear God’s voice.
Matt 13: 9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. 10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. (**Quoting Isaiah 6:9-10) 16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
Deut 28:15,45 – But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:… Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:
Rom 2:28-29 – 28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
If you are convicted that you need to grow in hearing God’s voice, I would recommend 4 things that worked for me:
1) Learn what the blessings and curses are so you have a barometer for where you are. This was our wake-up call as a family when we realized we were 100% on the cursing side, despite having been raised as pastor’s kids in churches all our lives, and even trained as lay pastors. Are you on the blessings side or the cursing side?
Deut 30:1-2,6-7 – And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee, 2 And shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;… 6 And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. 7 And the Lord thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee.
2) Take a course in learning to hear God’s voice, such as Mark Virkler’s book / course – 4 Keys to Hearing God’s Voice. You’ll be surprised that God has been talking all along but you weren’t listening.
https://www.cwgministries.org/Four-Keys-to-Hearing-Gods-Voice
3) Study out and obey the Law of Moses which exposes what sin is, and the entire Bible for that matter. Don’t rely on a pastor to do it for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the Spirit of the Law woven in the background of the commandments. Being baptized with the Holy Spirit helped me to understand the scriptures BUT it wasn’t until we started APPLYING the Word of the LORD that the blessings started to flow.
4) Be diligent in obeying the Voice of the LORD. Sometimes you will receive instructions in a dream or vision. Or you might be reading a Bible verse, and it will hit you in the gut like a shockwave (a spoken rhema on top of a written logos word). It might be that odd spontaneous thought that you know isn’t your own telling you to do something out of character, but it DOES line up with the character of Christ.
I encourage you to be a Berean and chase after the Voice of the LORD. For those who diligent seek Him WILL find Him!
Hebrews 11:6 – But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Isaiah 55: 6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
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