How to Hear the Lord.

How to Hear the Lord

First of all, do you really want to hear G-d? The Bible says in Hebrews 4:12: "For the word of G-d is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." In John 1:1 we read: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with G-d, and the Word was G-d" (John 1:1). In another place, we read: "All Scripture is G-d-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." (2 Timothy 3:16). Reading scripture is wonderful but it will not tell you what exactly G-d wants you to do or say. "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (John 14:26). The second chapter of Acts describes the events that occurred on the day of Pentecost, after Jesus ascended into Heaven. Verse 3 says they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, the Counselor promised by Jesus. This unique aspect of G-d's personality did not come to them as someone they could see and touch, but rather He came to live inside them. That same Holy Spirit is available to teach you all things ( I John 2:27) and will personally direct and guide you so that you shall abide in Him.

G-d wants us to listen to his voice - he created us for that very purpose. The real question are you willing to listen and obey Him? We already know that He is willing to talk to you. In the book of Revelation, we read: "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20).

In Genesis as soon as G-d made man and woman He began to talk with them. Right after that the serpent began to talk to the woman.

In Exodus 20:1-17 the Ten Commandments, or the Ten Words as they are called in the Hebrew Old Testament (Ex 34:28) are given to Israel . When G-d first appeared to Moses in chapter three it was by means of a burning bush on Mount Horeb (which is another name for Mount Sinai). As Moses approached the burning bush G-d told him not to come any closer, but to take off his shoes for he was on holy ground. G-d met with Moses, called Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery, and revealed that G-d’s Name is Yahweh. Among the signs that Yahweh gave Moses was that one day the Israelites would worship Yahweh on this very mountain. Just a few chapters later and we find that instead of meeting with just Moses - Yahweh is going to meet with the whole people of Israel. Instead of just a burning bush the whole mountain is on fire. We read in Ex. 19:16-17: "Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with G-d, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire." In Exodus19:19 we read: "Then Moses [with the people at the base of the mountain] spoke and the voice of G-d answered him. (20:1) And G-d spoke all these words." G-d spoke the Ten Commandments to all the people. G-d met with Israel on Mt. Sinai, not just Moses. In the Garden G-d used to walk with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day. But with their sin Adam and Eve hid from G-d. Part of the consequences of their sin and lack of repentance was their expulsion from the Garden. Humanity and G-d no longer walked and talked together. From Genesis 3 to this point we do not find G-d meeting and talking only with individuals. G-d still walked and talked with Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and most recently Moses, but nowhere had G-d spoken to all of the chosen people until now. Why did G-d want to talk to His chosen people? In Exodus 19:4-6, Yahweh wanted all of His chosen people to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. (See also I Peter 2:9) How did His people respond to G-d's move to speak to them and use them? The people "stayed at a distance and said to Moses, 'Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have G-d speak to us or we will die.'" G-d comes seeking intimacy and His chosen people simply turn away from G-d in fear and want only silence and distance. Now the chosen people will truly all die in the wilderness.

I love what happens just a week later - we read : “And if the slave declares, "I love my master, my wife and my children; I do not want to go free,” his master must bring him to the courts. And he must bring the slave next to the door (Revelation 3:20) or doorpost, and his master must pierce his ear with an awl, and the slave shall then serve his master forever.(Shemot 21:1-6) ” (This is text is Exodus 21:1-6 and can also be found in Deuteronomy 15: 16-17.) Slavery? Masters? Is this the reason the Jews just left their slave masters in Egypt, to create their own system of slavery? Just one week after, in the portion of Yitro, the Jewish people received the Torah, and began their journey to fulfill a dream, and create an ethical society on the way to a better world. Three thousand years before the American declaration of independence, in a world steeped in paganism and the belief that might makes right, the Jewish people came onto the world scene with the belief that all men are created equal. This is why the Torah we received at Sinai begins with the creation of the world, and the creation of human beings, all of whom are created in the image of G-d. So what went wrong? How can the Torah now be telling us about Jewish slaves?

It is important to note that this is not a small, obscure set of details, hidden somewhere at the end of the Torah; this is the beginning of the very first portion we read after Sinai. In fact, the commentaries make a point of explaining that these laws are a direct continuation of Sinai. In the verse: “And these are the judgments....”, Rashi quotes the Midrash which explains that the word “And” comes to include that which precedes it, to teach us that just as the commandments that preceded these came from Sinai, so too these judgments are a direct continuation of Sinai and are a part of the law given by G-d. Having just experienced Sinai, received the Torah, and heard the Ten Commandments, the Torah begins to delineate the mitzvoth we Jews were given at Sinai. The Torah chooses to begin with this very strange set of rules, all about human slavery. Why? How can the same system that speaks of ‘loving one’s fellow as much as oneself’, and ‘loving the stranger’ allow one human being to enslave another?

Perhaps a closer look at some of the details of these verses will help us understand what lies at the root of this challenging set of laws. A Jewish slave, it seems, remains a slave for only six years. However, when he is set free the question arises as to what he takes with him. Quite simply, he can only take out with him, says the Torah, what he had when he came in. This alone would be challenging enough; after all, shouldn’t the master be responsible to set him free with some allowance or stipend, so he at least has some head start on life? But it gets worse! If this fellow marries a woman who is a fellow slave, she doesn’t go with him when he leaves; she is the property of her master, and remains enslaved! And as if that isn’t difficult enough, the question then becomes what to do in the event the slave, as a result of this seemingly cruel law, decides he prefers a life of slavery to a life of loneliness (John 6:68), and wants to stay? The Master is then obligated to take the slave to court and subject him to a ceremony, which is nothing short of bizarre! And all of the commentaries here seem to agree, that this ear- piercing ceremony (itself a piece of this puzzle we need to understand) is actually some form of punishment... for the slave! What kind of slave with his ear pierced then declares: "I love my master, my wife and my children”? The Talmud tells us: “Kanah’ Eved Kanah Rav”; “He who acquires a slave, has really acquired a master.” If one has a Jewish slave, and there is only one pillow in the house, he must give it to the slave. If there is only enough food for one meal, he must give it to the slave. And if there is only one bed in the house, the master must sleep on the floor! This is certainly not the kind of slavery we are accustomed to reading about. In fact, if the master hits his slave, and injures him in any way, the slave immediately goes free! (See 21:26) But who would choose to be a slave rather than free? (John 8:36)

In Romans 1:1-6 we read: "Paul, a bond-servant (slave) of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of G-d, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of G-d with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name's sake, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;" - In this passage, we see Paul in the first three words considered himself to be a slave of Jesus Christ. The NASB, quoted here, softens the word to “bond-servant.” But the word used here (δουλος) is more correctly translated as slave. Paul did not think of himself as possessing any independence. There was no sense of self-ownership. He was owned by the Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore had no rights to anything that the Lord himself did not grant him — and he was even willing to yield those rights, if doing so would enable better service to his Master. Paul heard, obeyed and only followed (John 10:27) the resurrected Jesus Christ.

If you really want to hear the Lord remember that when you do hear Him - you can no longer pretend that you did not know what you are to do. When Moses disobeyed the Lord and struck the rock twice instead of once Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. Remember in Luke 22: 42 we read about Jesus agony in the Garden of Gethsemane ("oil-press") where even Jesus asked: " Father, if thou be willing remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will but thine be done." Consider Luke 22:31-32 where we read: "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." Now if you really are not afraid of dying to self - ask the Lord to speak to you clearly. The voice you hear will agree that Jesus came in the flesh, that Jesus gets the glory and that you do not get any glory - if the voice does not agree - you are not talking to G-d. If you initially are still in doubt remember that 2 Corinthians 13:1 tells you: "In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established". As time passes you will truly know His voice.

But, if you want to turn away in fear dear one - please do not say the Lord's Prayer. We read in Matthew 6:9-13: "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. Because if you say the Lord's Prayer you have already agreed that His will be done (like Jesus did in Gethsemane) and you have asked him to forgive you just as you forgive all those who have harmed you. Do you really want Father to do this for you?

In 1 Peter 2:9 we read our reward for hearing G-d: "But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you (you have to hear) out of darkness into his marvellous light:"

Caution: When you ask to hear the Lord - remember one thing. Once you know that you are hearing G-d, you can not disobey Him. Adam only disobeyed once and was thrown out the garden of Eden. Moses only disobeyed once and was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. Noah tried to disobey Him but the Lord made Noah obey in a very frightful way. Hashem will not ask you to do something that He knows you will not do - if you are having any problems with obeying Him ask Him to confirm His word and to strengthen you - as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane.