How can we tell when we hear God's voice (Psalm 95:7)?
"Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers tested me and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work."
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Donna Williams
Supporter
Please allow me to say that the Old Testament was a covenant between the LORD and Abraham his servant. The LORD promised him that through his seed all nations of the earth would be blessed. See Genesis 12:1-3. The seed that the LORD spoke about was ultimately His Son Christ Jesus. See Galatians 3:16. As it pertains to Psalm 95:7, the LORD was speaking to the children of Israel (formerly known as Jacob the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham). It was the children of Israel who wandered in the wilderness for 40 years because of their unbelief. It was the prophet Moses whom God chose to speak to His people and many of them hardened their hearts against God by walking in stubbornness and rebellion. This is the reason why many of them died in the wilderness and did not enter into the promised land known as the land of Canaan. Which leads us to Hebrews chapter 3:7-11 and chapter 4:3, 7, the Apostle Paul echoes what is written in Psalm 95. He is speaking to the Hebrews who have heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ and is admonishing them not to fall into unbelief. The voice that the Holy Spirit is speaking about is Jesus Christ who was sent to declare the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to the house of Israel! So those who believe, Jew and Gentile, which represent all the nations of the earth spoken of in Genesis 12:3, have been blessed by Jesus Christ and have entered the rest of God through faith! I hope that what I have shared has shed some light! May I encourage you to continue to read the Bible and seek the Holy Spirit for the understanding. Jesus said, in John 16:13, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come." Be blessed!
Paula Fether
Supporter
Whatever is claimed to be the voice of God must be in line with scripture. We are to "test the spirits" (1 John 4:1) by the Word. In the context of Ps. 95, the meaning is the message of reconciliation with God; this is how God's "voice" goes out today.
Shirley H
Supporter
Hebrews 11:1: "Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen." This book the Bible is God's gift, a love letter actually. It is alive, it speaks! But if you don't read it, it is silent. Bede, was born in Northumbria. At age 7 he was placed with Benedictine Monks. He is considered to be a most learned man. Revelation 3:20: "See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." Bede comments on this verse, "The Lord stands at the doorway and knocks when he pours into our heart the memory of his will, either through the mouth of a man who is teaching (us) or through his own internal inspiration. When his voice is heard, we open the gate to receive (him) when we willingly present our assent to (his) counsels, whether secret or open, and devote ourselves to accomplishing those things that we recognize are to be done. He comes in order to eat with us and we with him. For He dwells in the hearts of his elect through the grace of his love in order to restore them always to the light of his presence. He lives there so that they may advance more and more to heavenly desires, and so he himself may feed their zeal for heaven, as it were, with a most pleasing banquet." In 1 Kings chapter 19, Elijah had an encounter with God at Horeb. 1 Kings 19:12: "After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper. When Elijah heard it he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood on the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him and said, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?'" Sometimes God whispers. Sometimes as in Psalm 77:18: "The voice of your thunder was in the whirlwind." He thunders! However He chooses to speak to you, you will know his voice. John 10:14. We are assured of that!
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