Scripture: Deuteronomy 5 v 26 - 29: "For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?
27 Go thou near, and hear all that the LORD our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the LORD our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it.
28 And the LORD heard the voice of your words, when ye spake unto me; and the LORD said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken.
29 O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!"
The people these verses were written about were fresh out of Egypt, Hebrews who had been slaves to Pharoah, were now free to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
They had seen Moses and Aaron approach Pharoah to plead for their freedom. Aaron was needed because Moses had a speech impediment, he stuttered. Moses knew he could not convey important messages to Pharoah that way.
The Hebrews had seen all the plagues upon Egypt while they were safe and secure. The Lord God had made a big impression upon them and caused them to trust Moses because He did. They had gone through the Red Sea on foot while the Egyptian army on horses and war chariots had perished. God had shown them great mercy.
The Hebrews had by now received the second set of stone tablets upon which the ten commandments were written by God. They had deep respect and fear for Him now. Real fear because they had messed up the first time, making a golden calf to worship while Moses was with God in Sinai for forty days.
Now they had heard God's voice themselves and were terrified of offending Him again so they instructed Moses to hear all God had to say, come back and tell them and they will obey every word. The Lord God was pleased with this arrangement.
When they finally got to the Promised Land they had to defeat the tribes living there. Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, all had to go so Israel could have the land from the Mediterranean to the River Euphrates. As God had promised. Then 2000 years ago after Jerusalem and the Temple were broken down the seventy Jews left after Masada battle scattered into the world.
1900 Years later following the prophetic words of Jeremiah, Eretz Israel Kibbutzainem! The land of Israel will be restored through kibbutzes. The land will be reclaimed from desert to fertile by building a kibbutz in many places. It's a tiny sliver of the original land of milk and honey, but its home to the survivors of the Holocaust. And the old war against the tribes was on again. It's the voice of God, the fulfilment of Biblical prophecy, a sign that the end is near.
Under the New Covenant we now have only two commandments. We must love the Lord our God with all our hearts, minds and strength, and love our neighbour as ourselves. If we do that we will never sin. Love covers a multitude of sins.
Through Jesus we can hear the voice of God whenever we wish. He wants to have fellowship with us. He wants to speak to us, reveal things warn of danger, guide and love us. He is a Father, a parent, who has been reconciled to us after a long absence.
If we had lost a child through kidnapping and he or she was returned to us, changed, older, maybe emotionally scarred, how would we want to spend every waking moment restoring that child's life. Feeding them, comforting and reassuring them, clothing them and making up for lost time in making new good memories.
Our God does not want to condemn us or hurt us in any way. He wants to secure us and hear from us regularly, keep His eye on us so we don't wander away. He wants us to know the things that are dangerous so we can avoid them. He wants us to be wise about hidden traps and wrong doors.
So talking to Him every day and hearing His voice are the best signs of a healthy relationship. If we go quiet, He sends people to check up on us and help us stay connected. He has me write this blog for those who need a memo, or lifeline, or even a spank now and then.
The blessing for me is hearing His voice so often and hearing from some of you of how it blesses you. Some get offended because sometimes the truth hurts and that pain goes deep. I truly hope that pain does its miracle work in setting you free. Imagine you are out in the woods and are suddenly caught in a trap for an animal.
Your foot is caught and you are stuck. Unless someone comes to check you will die there. You suffer much pain but at the last moment help arrives and you are released. Our Father may be waiting for your call. Waiting to hear, Lord I need Your help, forgive me for ignoring You, I am listening now!
Then a man on a horse arrives to cut you loose and put you on his horse to be taken to safety. That is truly my blessing when I hear of such victories. I can give glory and thanks to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Prayer: Heavenly Father we love to hear Your voice full of love and concern. Forgive us for neglecting to listen. Sometimes we pour out a tale of woe but don't wait to hear Your words of wisdom to fix it. Lord we plan to rectify this state of affairs and improve our relationship right now. In Jesus's name. Amen.
