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Has God ever spoken verbally?

K

K2CHRIST

Member
When we talk verbally, we are talking sound waves. God did speak verbally. Jesus took on flesh and at that time He, God even the living Word of God, spoke using sound waves, but what about to the prophets in the Old testament or Paul in the New testament?

Well, we know Moses brought the people to the mountain of God to listen to God and God spoke, but an interesting thing happened. The people heard thunder!

Ex 20:18 All the people perceived the thunder and the lighting flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking...

We get a recorded of what God said, but it is not clear the people heard the words of God, only the thunder and lighting flashes., and later we have a record of Moses telling the people that God had not yet given them ears to hear.

Deut 29: 4 Yet to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear.

So if God to that day had not given them ears to hear, then either Moses was lying or in fact they didn't hear the words spoken at the mountain

Yet Moses also gives and explanation about the word being near them. In their mouth and in your heart

Deut 30:14 But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.

And we see this problem with the people of God not hearing with their ears right on thru. the Old and New Testament.

Ps 94:7 .. Today, if you would hear His voice
Ps 106:25 ...they did not listen to the voice of the Lord.

Now that is not Scriptures they were talking about, because the Scriptures were being written. Abram hear His voice, and there was no Scripture then. Moses talked to the people, then made the record. And Jesus, even though He was speaking sound waves told the Pharisees, who had studied the Scriptures, that they did not hear His words.

Jn 8:47 He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them...

Obviously they were hearing the sound waves the Jesus, God the Son, was speaking to them so He meant the spiritual words that we hear inside us.

Jn 6:63... the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

And again we know it is not the printed Word of God, because Jesus also told them they were searching the Scriptures thinking in them they had eternal life but they did not come to Him so that they may have life. Jn 5:39

But then we are also told the His sheep hear His voice (Jn 10:27), along with Jn:47 above that explained He who is of God hears the words of God.

And then we look at Saul on the road and see that he heard the words God spoke to him but not the others with him.

Acts 22:9 And those who were with me saw the light, to be sure, but did not understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me.

Now I once, the first time, heard the voice of the Lord so loud I thought it was audible, but based upon the Scriptures, is probably wasn't. And now I hear Him often talking words to me but I have never had any indications that anyone next to me heard them. They are spiritual words, for sure. In fact, when I get busy and He starts talking to me I usually have a hard time picking up what He said in words. I kind of figure out what He just spoke to me, but often I ask Him to repeat to make sure. Also, I find that I have trouble picking up certain things He speaks to me. Names are hard for me to pick up, because I have trouble believing I can. So when He speaks a name to me I know He was speaking a name but my faith instantly fades and it I don't pick it up. Sometimes I get the first letter or a feel about it.

So hearing words from the Lord is not like picking up sound waves. It is spiritual. Now some Christians have told me they only pick up the Lord like an unction. I understand that, and I don't have a problem with it, but I can give them some advice from experience that helps. I can give a lot of little bits of advice, but perhaps the best is practice. The more you seek His voice and spend time talking to Him the easier it is to hear from Him! And there are a lot of Christian that practice and hear Him a lot better than I do. I really respect them, and I know they turn and listen to the Lord a lot. Which is the right thing to do!

But audible voice? I don't think so.

Once I was at a church where a lady that heard from the Lord a lot better that me attended. I wanted to talk to her to see what advice she would give concerning hearing the Lord better. So I asked the Lord if it would be ok to do that, and instantly I heard Him tell me, 'Yes, Just go up and ask her" So I did.

When I went to talk to her, the first thing she did was put up a hand to me to stop me for a second, then told me to go ahead. It turned out that the Lord was so clear to her that she had to pardon herself with the Lord so that she could hear what I had to say. The Lord's voice was coming through to her louder than my audible voice. That was amazing, because if the Lord is talking to me and a person starts talking to me I loose His voice instantly, because the sound waves from the person is so much louder to me than His voice.

Now if someone tells me reading the Bible is God talking to them, I understand that probably they talk to the Lord so little that even when they read the Bible they can not separate His voice from what they are reading. That is; the Spirit is probably talking to their spirit and is explaining something about the Bible so they have some understanding that God is talking to them, but don't realize that the person of the Spirit is not the writings but the One explaining and giving them revelation about what they are reading.

They are not like the lady at the church that heard the Lord so well. She was not reading the Bible at the time anymore than I was reading the Bible when I ask Him about talking to her. And while that lady heard the Lord so loud that His spiritual voice was louder than my audible (sound wave) voice, she obviously was not under any illusion that she was hearing an audible (sound wave) voice from God.

And why did Paul take the time to mention that those with Him did not understand the voice?

That same Paul, like Moses, explained the word was on your lips and in your heart! We need to let people know clearly that you hear from God inside you, don't we. So we need to listen more ourselves to get a clearly understanding. It is not an audible voice we are telling people about!
 
K2CHRIST said:
Has God ever spoken verbally?
Click to expand...
Yes, but with the written word is there need to today?

I just used these following scripture in another post, but God audibly spoke to Abraham
Gen 18:1 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
Gen 18:2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
Gen 18:3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
Gen 18:13 And the LORD said unto Abraham . . .

Today, can there be other means of communication?
Eph 5:25 . . . Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Eph 5:26 That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, (Must this word be audible?)

Heb 1:2 (God) Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds;
 
K2CHRIST I have a feeling you were that guy in school who wrote 40-page term papers when the teacher required 20. You and we would be well served if you tightened up your posts. :yes
 
K2CHRIST said:
Ps 94:7 .. Today, if you would hear His voice
Ps 106:25 ...they did not listen to the voice of the Lord.
Click to expand...

Most of those verses have zero to do with the hearing of an audible voice. If not all of them.
K2CHRIST said:
But then we are also told the His sheep hear His voice (Jn 10:27), along with Jn:47 above that explained He who is of God hears the words of God.
Click to expand...

This verse too is NOT talking about a voice of any kind. It's a metaphor for the idea that Jesus' sheep follow and do the words Jesus' commanded.
 
I always believed that I AM THAT I AM was audible, but I'm not sure.
Look into it?
Exodus 3:14

Maybe it was just the bush speaking to Charlton Heston?
:helmet
 
wondering said:
I always believed that I AM THAT I AM was audible, but I'm not sure.
Look into it?
Exodus 3:14

Maybe it was just the bush speaking to Charlton Heston?
:helmet
Click to expand...

I don't doubt there were times, places, and people to which God spoke in a voice either that was actually audible (made a sound) or that the "voice" was heard even though it was only heard only in the receiver's head.
 
God speaks to us in many ways Hebrews 1 God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners, 2 hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds; the reading of the word the Holy spirit speaks to our heart
 
Papa Zoom said:
I don't doubt there were times, places, and people to which God spoke in a voice either that was actually audible (made a sound) or that the "voice" was heard even though it was only heard only in the receiver's head.
Click to expand...
There are some saints (Catholic of course,) who claim to have actually heard Jesus speak to them,,,but, you know..
 
Papa Zoom said:
I don't doubt there were times, places, and people to which God spoke in a voice either that was actually audible (made a sound) or that the "voice" was heard even though it was only heard only in the receiver's head.
Click to expand...
Agreed. Jesus’s baptism, his transfiguration, Saul’s Damascus experience, and Peter’s rooftop vision come to mind. Apart from John’s Revelation, they might be the only times in the NT. Regardless if they’re not, it seemed to occur on “special occasions” and not on a regular basis. There certainly is no teaching to expect or seek such things.
 
Eugene said:
Yes, but with the written word is there need to today?

I just used these following scripture in another post, but God audibly spoke to Abraham
Gen 18:1 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
Gen 18:2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
Gen 18:3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
Gen 18:13 And the LORD said unto Abraham . . .

Today, can there be other means of communication?
Eph 5:25 . . . Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Eph 5:26 That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, (Must this word be audible?)

Heb 1:2 (God) Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds;
Click to expand...
Hi Eugene, God spoke audibly To Saul also (Acts 9:1-16)
 
Eugene said:
Yes, but with the written word is there need to today?

I just used these following scripture in another post, but God audibly spoke to Abraham
Gen 18:1 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
Gen 18:2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
Gen 18:3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
Gen 18:13 And the LORD said unto Abraham . . .

Today, can there be other means of communication?
Eph 5:25 . . . Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Eph 5:26 That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, (Must this word be audible?)

Heb 1:2 (God) Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds;
Click to expand...

Interesting response Eugene

Gen 18:1 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
Gen 18:2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
Gen 18:3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
Gen 18:13 And the LORD said unto Abraham . . .

This certainly looks like the Lord showed up in the flesh and had lunch with Abraham. But if so, then that was the first coming of the Lord! Then a future coming, in which we call the second coming, would be the third coming. And then what about Jesus taking on flesh in what we call the first coming, but would have to be the second if He actually showed up on the flesh for Abraham.? He spoke to the Pharisees then and told them they didn't hear His words.

And this gets back to why I started the thread with a question and not a statement. Certainly Jesus talked to people via sound waves when in the flesh. And if He did also for a short period of time talk to Abraham while in the flesh, that is still not the point the thread is getting at, is it?

The point is that we need to hear His voice today, and that voice is not sound waves, but that still small voice, or perhaps that still small voice is loud enough that is does not come across "still small" but rather comes across as something verbal when it is not. That is what happened to Saul on the road, or do we think that is another coming of Jesus Christ?

Anyway, I like the response Eugene. I have wondered if the three men were the Lord and a couple of angels that had taken on flesh, or if it just appeared that they had taken on flesh?? There is something written concerning angels, "are they not all ministering spirits", so they are spirits, and also something written, "God is spirit", so since they are spirits do they just appear as someone in the flesh at times or are they regularly taking on flesh and talking to us. As for me, My Lord speaks to me but I have not seen Him in the flesh. He has sent His Spirit which takes from His (the words of God) and gives (speaks) them to me. And thought I once hear Him speak so loud that I thought is was an audible voice, I don't believe it was. He did not show up to me in the flesh.

Anyway, I liked your post Eugene. How do you actually interpret the verses you posted? What that Jesus Christ in the flesh and two angels who also had taken on flesh? If so, then there is a something about how nobody has come out of heaven except the Son, and that has to be figured in. As for me, I think it was an appearance and not an actually taking on of flesh. If so then the words spoken could also have been spiritual but had the appearance of being verbal. Of course I don't see that as being too important. The important part is whether we are actually listening to Him today, via the Spirit of God whom has spiritual words.
 
Douglas Summers said:
Hi Eugene, God spoke audibly To Saul also (Acts 9:1-16)
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In what you wrote is only says. "hearing a voice,". So we know they picked up something, but if they did not what was said. Acts 22:9 And those who were with me saw the light, to be sure, but did not understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me.

So they didn't understand they voice. How come? How come they were right there with Saul and couldn't understand what was being said. In the same way, those Moses took to the mountain heard thunder, but didn't seem to hear what was being said. They were right there at the mountain, and that should not have been the case, just like those with Saul should have heard what was going on and understood the words spoken.

Now I made it a question, but I believe the answer is what we see today. Many people go to church and the Spirit of God moves and people feel it and know something is going on, and someone has a word. Why not everyone? Is it not obvious that the Spirit of God speaks spiritual words, not sound waves.

The problem I see is that we, being men in the flesh, always think in fleshy terms instead of spiritual terms. So we tend to present a fleshy gospel, instead of a divinely spoken gospel. Thus people tend to think they haven't heard from God and can't. Thus our gospel puts God in some far off place called heaven. That is we preach the word of God far from them, instead on there lips and in their hearts! And that is clearly not the gospel we are supposed to be preaching!!!

Rm 10:8 But what does it say? "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, in your mouth and in your heart" -- that is, the word of faith which we are preaching

So if I preach that God shows up like to Abraham, with two angels in the flesh and speak sound waves, those words are not coming from in your mouth and in your heart. Sound waves come through your physical ears, and thus preaching that is not the word of faith which we are preaching. But that gets preached, never-the-less, and by men who should know better. But will they admit that to themselves. Then they preach the word is on paper and we have to live by the ink on the paper. And if I read that ink on the paper, those sound waves are the word we are preaching, which again is contrary to the very writings they are trying to live by.

So they have said in their hearts the God if far off and not near. They make Him out to be someone that the people can not actually know and hear from daily in their heart. They have become exactly like those being written to, and they are. God wrote to those at the foot of the mountain, because they said, "let God not speak to us".

Ex 20:19 Then they said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us..."

So God said, Ex 23:20,21 "Behold, I am going to send and angel before you,,, Be on guard to obey his voice

And we see the same pattern Jn 14:16 I will ask the Father, and He will you another Helper... that is the Spirit of truth
And Jn 16:13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth
And Jn 6:63 It is the Spirit who give life' the flesh prophets nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life

So was Jesus wrong. Were the words spoken to us sound waves? What is written?
 
K2CHRIST said:
How do you actually interpret the verses you posted? What that Jesus Christ in the flesh
Click to expand...
I personally believe the three men appearing to Abraham Gen 18:1 said to be the LORD in upper case interpreted as Jehovah was our Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
Other scripture in Isa 40:3 show Jesus to be spoken of as Jehovah also.
Isa 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD (Again Jehovah), make straight in the desert a highway for our God. This was John the Baptist announcing the coming of Jesus.
Isa 43:11 I, even I, am the LORD (Jehovah); and beside me there is no saviour.
Isa 43:14 Thus saith the LORD, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel . . .
Isa 43:15 I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King.
 
K2CHRIST said:
Thus our gospel puts God in some far off place called heaven. That is we preach the word of God far from them, instead on there lips and in their hearts! And that is clearly not the gospel we are supposed to be preaching!!!
Click to expand...
What do you suppose we're to be preaching? The great commission? Paul's doctrines? Our own understanding?
 
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