The Voice of God

I believe the one unvarying requirement, which never changed from dispensation to dispensation, was the requirement to hear God’s voice. I believe that was what always marked out those who belonged to God and made them different from all other people. It was that they had learned to hear God’s voice.

“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.”

What is the primary requirement? “If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God.” The Hebrew says, “If you will listen, listening.”

I interpret that to mean that we have to listen to God’s voice with both our ears, the right and the left. That is to listen, listening. God said to Israel, “If you’ll do that, you’ll never be sick. I’ll keep you healthy. I’ll be your doctor. I’ll accept responsibility for your physical well-being.”

Now, there was a time in my life when I was sick in hospital, and doctors couldn’t heal me. And at that time, I had to seek God for how I could receive healing from Him. And as I studied the scriptures in that context, I discovered that almost every place where God speaks about being healed, the emphasis is on what we listen to, just as it is here. “If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, I will put none of these diseases upon thee.”

I believe that’s true today. I believe that those of us who learn to listen to God with both ears, to listen to God’s voice and obey Him, can lead a life that’s free from sickness and many other plagues and problems. You’ll be a unique people, different from all other people, living on a higher level, living in an area of provision and blessing unknown to other people. But the primary requirement is, “If ye will obey my voice.”

Now, I want to move on to the fifth book of the Pentateuch, the book of Deuteronomy. And I want to read a few verses from the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy. These words were spoken by Moses to Israel just before they entered their inheritance in the land of Canaan. They were a kind of recapitulation of God’s requirements. And again, one of the things that’s most strongly emphasized is hearing God’s voice.

This chapter sets forth two different things that could come upon Israel. The first are the blessings for obedience. The second are the curses for disobedience. And in each case, whether it’s to be a blessing, or whether it’s to be a curse, it’s determined by whether they do or do not hear God’s voice. Listen to the first two verses:

“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:”

Notice, it begins and ends with listening diligently to the voice of the Lord. And the result of listening diligently to God’s voice is, “All these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee.”

Now, let’s look at the opposite side of the picture, a little further on in the same chapter, chapter 28, verse 15:

“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:”

Isn’t that very clear?

How foolish if we neglect! If we hearken diligently to the voice of the Lord, all these blessings. But if we do not hearken to the voice of the Lord, all these curses. See, that is the continuing requirement of God from His people in all ages, all dispensations. Basically, it’s very simple. “If you want to be my people, if you want to enjoy my blessings, hearken diligently to my voice. Listen with both your ears to my voice. But if you fail to listen, if you will not listen to me, then it will not be blessings, but it will be curses.”

Particularly in the matter of healing, “If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.”

But also, beyond healing, to all other provisions and blessings of God, the key is, “If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God.”