Sometimes I lie awake at night listening to the cricket's two-note thrum, continuous in its monotony yet beautiful. It sings/plays its part with precision and all earnestness, holding nothing back, doing its small part in praise. He does it unquestioning and without discontent over the fact that he only has two notes to play, no hint of rebellion against its Maker for not having a larger part, just doing its one simple thing with all it's legs can muster...and I find it beautiful in its simplicity.
Well, that's not my main point this morning, but I had to share it. It's hard to believe that we are fast approaching harvest time and the summer is over. May God grant a great harvest of souls for His Kingdom this fall. I finally wrapped up my study on the "sound of GOD" and as promised, I'm now offering it up to you. The "sound" I refer to means: to make a LOUD noise, reverberate, roar, to call aloud, voice, cry out, proclaim, thundering, and fame. I tract this sound from Genesis to Revelation and will list my verses for you but only highlight a few. The verses I'll list at the end of this blog.
Acts 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. (I wonder if the same sound was present when He first breathed lung filling, heart starting, life giving Spirit into Adam...no sound is mentioned there)
Heb 12:18-19 For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore.
Gen 3:8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.-See also Gen 3:10 So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden and was afraid because of my nakedness, and I hid myself." (this is the first time that the sound of God evoked fear.
Ex 19:16-20...there were thunderings and lightenings and a thick cloud on the mountain and the sound of the trumpet was very loud so that all the people who were in the camp trembled...
Duet 18:16b...let me knot hear again the voice of the Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die. (Lest it cost me something, lest I have to surrender and submit to it and be changed by it!)
Job 40:9 Have you and arm like GOD? Or can you thunder with a voice like His?
Rev 14:2 I heard a voice from Heaven, like the voice of many waters and like the voice of loud thunder.
So, there's a few of the verses and here's what I learned. God's voice on earth is associated with fire: Remember the burning bush? The burning torch that passed between the animal pieces Abraham cut as a new covenant was made, the fire on the mountain when He spoke to Israel, the tongues of fire in Acts, the "let there be light!". Other words associated with His voice are thunder and lightening, mighty rushing wind, trumpet sound, blackness, darkness and tempest, earth shaking, roar, power, full of majesty, great multitude, noise of many waters. All of these indicate that His voice is LOUD, clear, unmistakable. I find it interesting that so often we associate His voice with only one verse in 1 King 19:12 "...after the fire a still small voice." This is the only time that God's voice is referred to as quiet, whispering and in fact, the sounds heard just before this: mighty wind, earth shaking, great fire are all associated with the other verses on God's voice.
Jesus as He was on the cross uttered at the last with a LOUD voice - they all say that and from a medical stand-point this would have been impossible at this juncture because of his lack of lung capacity from hanging there. Yet, just as Spirit was breathed in, with a LOUD voice, Spirit was breathed out and there was darkness, the earth shook, and the veil torn in two...I think this too was the SOUND OF GOD.
As I sought God on Monday to give me something more to help me understand all of this He gave me what follows: From Genesis onward, every time God speaks, there is a physical manifestation of it on earth - from creation to the curse, to fire and smoke, Thunder and fire are most often associated with God's voice: physical and audible evidence. His voice speaking changes things. Words are powerful, which is why the Bible repeatedly cautions us to be slow to speak because the spoken word changes things. When we speak, we may not be able to see the physical ramifications of this but in the Spirit something changes or good or ill in us or those around us whenever we speak....So let your words be few and come with awe and trembling. I think of this especially as I talk to my children and how I speak with them. Lord, help me to speak life.
Finally, I noticed that though His voice is associated with fire and thunder on earth, whenever His voice is mentioned in relation to Heaven and His presence there, it is always like the voice of many waters and it is never referred to in that way when referring to His voice on earth....interesting but I have no further great insights into that at present.
I would be delighted to get your feedback, thoughts. additional revelations as your read this or have done your own study.
Many blessings to you...may you hear the voice of GOD and be changed by it.
Luke 21:25, Acts 2:2, Heb 12:18, 19, Gen 3:8,10, Ex 19::16-20, Duet 4:12, 33,36, Duet 5:22, 24, 26, Duet 18:16, 2Sam 22:14, 1King 19:11-12, Job 37:4-5, Job 40:9, Ps 18:13, Ps 29, Ps 46:66, Ps 68:33, Ps 77:18, Ps 104:7, Is 6:8, Is 30:30-31, Is 66:6, Jer 10:13/51:16, Jer 25:30, Eze 1:24, Eze 3:12, Eze 9:1, Eze 10:5, Eze 43:2, Dan 10:6, Heb 12:19,26, Rev 1:10,15, Rev 14:2,
