The Voice of Yahweh

presented to our brothers and sisters at Christ Church, January 31 2009

The Voice of Yahweh (Deuteronomy 18:15-20)

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever.” Hebrews 13:7.
If this is true, then He who came to the Prophets as the word of Yahweh and the voice of Yahweh is unchanging. Yet, the reports of Yahweh’s speaking to man appear to differ. We will be exploring verses Deuteronomy 15 and 18 especially and how they apply to Jesus’ contemporaries and what it may mean to us today.

First let us ponder the differing reports of how Yahweh spoke to man, and how man reacted. And as with any good report let us start at the beginning - Genesis. The first recorded time Yahweh speaks to Man in conversation happens in the Garden which He planted in the East especially for Adam and Eve to dwell. The text indicates daily face to face meeting between The Creator and His created was a regular occurance, however, this day, the day of the Fall, something has changed! Yahweh comes to have the evening “sit on the porch” and Adam and Eve are hiding. First Man and First Woman say that they fear the “sound of Thee” verse 10. This is their response to Yahweh’s asking, “Where are you?” verse 9. At this point in History immediately after the Fall, fear has become the response to the Voice of Yahweh. Lets jump quickly to Noah and Abraham. Both of these men are reported in Scripture as ones finding favor with Yahweh and righteous. They hear Yahweh’s voice most likely with some fear. However, their obedience to Yahweh’s interaction with them - their “relationship” today places them in the position of intercessors. They also stand as prophets to their generation warning and instructing according to what they hear Yahweh saying and doing. Their obedience further provides the family line from which Jesus will enter into the Earth to be the Devine intercessor and “The Prophet”. Although Noah is not reported to have a face to face encounter, Abraham does. At this time in history man’s interaction with Creator has become less intimate, yet still somewhat personal. This changes as we jump to post Exodus interaction with the Covenant people, Abraham’s decedents, just delivered from slavery.

These decedents encounter their deliverer - Yahweh - at Sinai. Their perception now is earth shaking - literally, Yahweh’s voice; now sounds like a trumpet increasing in intensity, the visual - smoke and fire like a furnace. What changed? Well, if we take Hebrews as truth, not Yahweh or His voice! Therefore, we have to understand the change of perception lies with the hearer - man, who now has a few thousand years of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil influencing their perception. As Paul says, man has become an enemy Romans 5:10, hostile in our thinking, alienated, and engaged in evil actions, Colossians 1:21. Therefore, deepening sin among Men has caused Yahweh’s voice to be perceived with more adversity and His presence more confronting then comforting. The multitude at the foot of the mountain had been invited to meet with Yahweh the same way as Moses. Exodus 19:5-6 tells us that if they obey His voice and keep His covenant they would be a people like there father’s Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob set apart from the Nations and a Kingdom of Priests. But do to the Earth shaking environment being experienced at the foot of Sinai they turn to Moses as their intercessor, after all he just went up there and lived.
The Hears of Jesus’ Day

In the movies there would be written on the screen after fading to black “a few thousand years into the future” as the scene opens fading up to the First Century, we find two men standing in a river one dripping as He comes out of the water. At that moment the heavens open as the voice of the Father declares that the dripping Man is His son and simultaneously the Holy Spirit in a form like a dove dwells upon Him. The setting here, reveals the Voice of Yahweh’s speaking. Yet, does not reflect Sinai but seems to be more like the Garden, more personal. The Holy Spirit dwelling with the dripping Man - Jesus, reflects prophecies of Isaiah 61 where the Holy Spirit is upon Him - staying, dwelling. Because the Spirit comes upon Him, the presence of Yahweh made manifest through His incarnation is being fully revealed and through the veil of becoming man is able to speak intimately the Voice of Yahweh again to Mankind. Jesus declares, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing”, Luke 4:21. With His reading of that section of the scroll and His statement in the synagogue of Nazareth the intimacy so long missing is about to be restored. By the response of His hometown they understood He meant that He Himself was the fulfillment of that section of Scripture. As the one fulfilling the prophecy of Moses. His claims make Him to be more then the carpenter’s son which they have known Him to be.

The Father in Him

We normally turn to John the Apostle and his Gospel for the “I Am’s” or the “Great Shepherd” illustrations, but this book contains other direct indicators pertaining to who Jesus is. Exploring a different set of statements confirms that Jesus is “The Prophet” Moses informed us about at the foot of Sinai. John 12:49-50 John 14:7-10

He in Us
Now let us move into the last night of Jesus’ incarnation. He begins teaching the twelve something important. note John 15:15 John 17:7-17 Luke 10:16
“The one who listens to you listens to Me, the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me”

Before the event of atonement - His death - He wants those around Him to grasp an important concept,
Therefore since the Son through the Holy Spirit dwells in us and we are His Body then we as Jesus was saying, on His last night now can speak intimately with the Father and have His Voice. Therefore since the Spirit is present, the very words of Yahweh we can speak, 1st Peter 4:11. His actions as written in the Word we can emulate, Romans 6:12-18. We now can chose intimacy with our Creator… We reflect the Torah lived out, Galatians 4:5-6. This is so because Jesus like Moses entered into the slavery, when He did not have to. Jesus like Moses challenged the slave master and delivered those captive. Once delivered, Jesus, like Moses gives us an identity and words by which to live righteous and pleasing before Him. Man when confronted with the raised up and risen Crucified one can either heed the invitation ascending the Mountain of Yahweh or shudder in fear. In the still quiet voice, or as the sound of many waters, Yahweh speaks to our hearts. What is our perception of that voice, what is your perception? And what is your response?