“And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw . . .one like unto the Son of man, . . . His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.”
(Revelation 1:12-15)
Some years ago (before vaccine passports!) my family and I were able to take a trip to Mexico for our vacation. We saw and experienced many things for the first time on that trip and we came back with many happy memories. One experience in particular stands out to me. One night I stood at the ocean’s edge after the sun had gone down completely. All was darkness except for the first few feet into the water, after that it was complete blackness. Though I couldn’t see much of the ocean, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore filled my ears. The sound indicated that I was on the very fringe of something positively immense. Instantly, today’s verse passage came to mind. In some way, I thought, this sounds like the voice of God! From there my mind raced in all directions (as it is prone to do!). I thought about the phrase, “the voice of the LORD,” which occurs some 50 times in the Bible, and how His voice is presented as being synonymous with His speech. The ramifications of this are very significant. The necessary pre-condition for speech is mind. If ultimate reality (God) is One Who speaks and has a voice, then we know that the world He created is not a chaos but a cosmos; it is an ordered creation that was brought into being with a plan and a purpose. Nothing—and no one—is without significance. This is evidenced by the fact that the voice of the Lord came to holy men of old whom God chose to put His word down in writing. This was done to bless us, His image-bearers (2 Peter 1:19-21; Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). God’s written revelation informs us concerning the awesome power that resides in the voice of God. “The voice of the LORD is powerful;” wrote the psalmist, “the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. . . The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire. The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.” (Psalm 29:4-5, 7-8). The power, creative and destructive, that resides in the voice of the LORD is truly beyond imagination. Not only that, but God’s voice expresses unsearchable wisdom (Job 28; Colossians 2:3), unmatched authority (Psalm 47:2), and moral perfection (1 John 1:5). How wonderful it is that God’s voice became incarnate (John 1:1,14) and entered the world on a rescue mission to save guilty sinners (John 3:16-17). When He spoke, He did so in kindness, tenderness, and grace (John 8:11). Let us listen for and heed the awesome voice of our Lord today (Hebrews 3:7-8) for He is worthy, and it will be to our blessing also (Hebrews 12:25-29).
God bless you, my dear friends,
Pastor John
English