The first question that the Tempter asked a human being was “Indeed, has God said?” So the question whether God has said anything on any subject is important. I will discuss here briefly of how God speaks. I believe He still speaks today.
We need to know that God still speaks today, even though many people do not think so. There will always be doubters in this world. In the normal course of events, a question on whether someone has spoken can be answered quite easily by a “yes” or a “no.” But if the question starts with “Indeed, has God said”, it means someone is really not sure that God has spoken.
Doubt can be difficult to overcome if it touches on multiple levels of our uncertainties. The person asking the question may be hinting: “Why would such an important person bother to inform you of this?” In that case the focus is on your insignificance. Or it may mean “Are you sure you heard it right?” In that case the question is on the accuracy of the words you have heard. Or it can imply “Even if you hear every word correctly, you cannot be sure that is really what the other person wants you to do.” In that case, the intelligence of the listener is in question. Therefore, adding the word “indeed” does not add certainty; it adds plenty of uncertainty.
It is always difficult to convince a third party that we have heard the correct message. The only way to be absolutely sure is to repeat the message back to the sender of the message to confirm the intention of the speaker. And that confirmation needs to be done in the presence of the third party. However, that kind of arrangement is not always possible. Indeed, the Tempter would not have asked Eve that question in God’s presence.
Even though God had spoken clearly, Eve had her doubts. She was already having doubts before the Tempter asked the question. So when the Tempter appeared to be empathetic, she was more than happy to expound on what she thought God must have said. Eve was not the only person in the world who would do that. We all tend to hear only what we want to hear. Then we turn around and say that is what God has said. If God says we cannot do something, we will say to ourselves, “It cannot be so serious.” If He says we need to do something, we will say to ourselves, “He does not mean it.” It is hard enough to hear God’s message without our own interfering thoughts. If we live our lives focused only on our own interests instead of God’s interests, then it would be almost impossible to hear God’s message at all.
For the person who is sure that he has heard correctly, there is a simple way to deal with doubters. Had Eve detected the insincerity in the Tempter’s voice, she could have answered this way: “Are you asking me because you want to follow God?”
We have a similar situation in the New Testament. The man who was born blind did not see Jesus when he was healed. But he knew what he had heard: “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.” He washed there and he gained his sight. The neighbors, however, were not so sure: some would say “yes, that is him”; others would say, “No, he just looks like him.” By the time the Pharisees got involved, no one cared about what the guy heard or what happened to his eyes. Even his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” Although it was clear what had happened, the people had their own agenda. They were more convinced of the righteousness of their own law than the fact that God had done a miracle on a Sabbath. So they pressured the man to change his answer. But as they continued, he asked, “I told you already and you did not listen; why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?”
(John 9:27) Therefore, when others tell you that you cannot possibly have heard from God, the best way to handle it is not to agree with them, but to ask them if they want to follow God like you do.
Even though God continues to speak today, many Christians are not sure. There are many reasons for their doubt. One reason is that Christians are surrounded by non-Christians. Non-Christians conduct their lives never having to ask if God speaks. They do not even think He exists.
Another reason for doubt comes from the opposite end, from well-meaning religious folks who proclaim that God talks to them every day. While God has given everyone a brain, some folks believe that it is more spiritual to ask God for answers to whatever life’s problems may be. They think that if God were to give them the answer directly, the chances of success will be 100%. So they go on praying for every activity of the day, asking God what He wants them to do.
When folks ask God what they should do on everything, it does not glorify God. They are treating God like a consultant. Moreover, the questions they ask are often personal issues which everyone faces. They want to know what college to attend or which girl to date. Despite all the display of religiosity, eventually they will end up going to the college that would admit them, or go out with the girl who would agree to go out with them. Why would the Master of the universe bother to speak on subjects of this nature? He is not their servant, is He?
Despite all the confusion today, God does continue to speak. When He speaks, you will hear it. Let me use just two examples from the Bible to show how He speaks. The first example is Adam and Eve. There is no question that Adam and Eve could understand God. Since God walked in the Garden, there was also no question that the Creator was willing to stoop down to the level of human beings to communicate with them.
One may think that it is unusual or unlikely that the Creator of the universe would come and that human beings would not be frightened to death when they see Him. But the fact is God did appear to mankind and they were not afraid. When God came in the person of Jesus, He walked among men. No one questioned how it was possible that God would be talking to people publicly and directly, day in and day out for at least three years. In fact some were so sure that Jesus could not be God that they took up the task of killing Him to preserve their mistaken notion of godliness. The high priest standing in judgment of Jesus tore his own robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses?” (Matthew 26:65) He never thought that he was accusing God of blasphemy.
However, encounters like the examples above are unique experiences. One cannot expect God to be speaking every day to every person like He spoke to Adam and Eve or His disciples. Why? The lesson He revealed in His dealings with Adam and Eve had already taken place. We really should not force God to say it again to us. And if we insist that we go over the same lesson again, the same result will probably take place. If we do not learn from God on what He has already said, we will probably not learn from Him when He says it again.
Another example of how God speaks is the experience of Nebuchadnezzar. Here we see a heathen king who just conquered Egypt and Jerusalem. He had no interest or reason to advance the kingdom of God. But God would give him a dream, one so horrifying that he must have an answer. The king’s dream opened the way for Daniel to explain what God had said.
One reason why God would speak to Nebuchadnezzar (even by using a dream) is because Nebuchadnezzar is a king. God spoke to this “non-believer” so that an important prophecy would be preserved. Even people living in the 21st century know that the dream had to have happened and that Daniel existed because God used this king. After Nebuchadnezzar recovered from his sickness, he was so grateful that he proclaimed with a decree to the whole world about his encounter with God, and what Daniel had done for him. Therefore, when God wants to send a message, He does not have to depend on the believers, He can talk directly to a “non-believer.” When God speaks, even the ungodly will hear.
When God speaks, the purpose is to inform human beings of things that they are not aware of or have not been paying attention to. Therefore, it is important that we listen well. If we do not listen, there will be consequences. And the consequences will show that God had spoken.
In the case of Adam and Eve, they disobeyed God and the result was their separation from God. In the case of Nebuchadnezzar, the end result makes people realize that a miracle must have happened: Daniel could not possibly know what kind of a dream Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed unless he had supernatural help. Daniel not only told Nebuchadnezzar the dream, he provided the proper interpretation.
Many critics of Christianity do not believe that God have spoken. They say that prophecies like Nebuchadnezzar’s dream are the result of restless minds and that all prophecies are made up after the fact and inserted into the Bible to fool religious folks. To such critics, the dream of Nebuchadnezzar offers a solid rebuke. The book of Daniel was well known at the time of Jesus, who quoted Daniel as “Daniel the prophet” (Matthew 24:15). There is no question that the book of Daniel was completed long before Jesus’ time. Daniel the prophet prophesied the fall of Rome. That prophecy was fulfilled only after the work of Christ on the cross was completed, the Stone that would demolish all four empires including the Roman Empire. That proved that God had spoken long before the prophesied event took place. The record was in the public domain before the prophecy was fulfilled in history. There is no room
for doubt whether God had spoken: the facts of history proved it.
In summary, God speaks. Sometimes He speaks to individuals so that the person would know what to do for the sake of the gospel. Sometimes He speaks to a nation so that the whole nation may repent. Whatever the content, if we happen to be there when He speaks we need to listen carefully. Even Old Testament prophets do not get to hear His voice every day.
There will always be people who say, “Indeed, has God said this to you?” To that we should firmly reply, “Yes, the Lord has spoken” and then go ahead to inform the world what the Lord expects from them.
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