Heb. 1:1-3; 4:11-13, Who Heard God’s Voice?

Heb. 1:1-3 says that God has spoken.  The “word of God” is how we hear what God has spoken.  And the “word of God” will reveal the unbelief in our hearts, no matter how deep it resides within us.  Let us take a few minutes to remind ourselves of those in Genesis who heard God’s voice, and to reminisce as to whether or not they believed that word.

·       Gen. 2:16-17: Adam heard God say he could enjoy the fruit of every tree but one.  He did not trust God’s word but chose to find satisfaction for his soul in his own way, by eating from that tree.

·       Gen. 3:15: Adam and Eve heard God say that a “seed of the woman,” a human, would someday resolve the mess brought on by their sin.  They believed God, as seen by their “expectation” that perhaps Cain, and then Seth was that “Man” (Gen. 4:1,25).

·       Gen. 4:7: God told Cain that he must master his sin.  Cain chose his own way, killing his brother. 

·       Gen. 6:13-14: God told Noah to build an ark for the salvation of himself and his family.  He trusted God’s word, even through the one hundred years it took to complete the project; and even though he had never experienced an event like the flood. 

·       12:1-3: Abram heard God tell him to leave his homeland, Ur of the Chaldees, and go to a land He would give to him.  Abram believed God and obeyed.

·       15:5-6: God told Abram that he would have a son, in spite of his age and the age of his wife.  Abraham believed God and it was credited Him for righteousness. 

·       16:9-10: Hagar heard God say that she must return to Sarai, her mistress.  Sarai had persecuted Hagar after the birth of Isaac.  Nevertheless, Hagar returned to Sarai, showing her faith in God’s word.

·       28:15: Jacob heard God promise to take care of him, even while he was away from home and the land of promise.  It was somewhat of a “mixed bag” with Jacob.  At times he went his own way, scheming how to bring God’s promised blessing on himself.  But Jacob grew in faith as time went on.

·       35:5-7,9: Joseph heard God say in dreams that his family would bow down to him.  We believe there are indications he believed God and was encouraged in the trials of his life as a young man.

·       At the same time, Joseph’s brothers also heard God through Joseph when he shared the dreams in which God had spoken.  For the most part the brothers ridiculed such an idea and sought first to kill Joseph and then to just get rid of him from the family.  Even after the plan unfolded, and after the death of their father Jacob, the brothers struggled in their faith (Gen. 50:15-21).

In every situation the word that God had spoken revealed the hearts of those involved.  Jesus, who is the essence of the gospel, God’s word today, is the means by which “the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Lk. 2:34-35).  Everything Jesus did and said revealed the faith or lack of faith in the hearts of everyone who saw his works and heard his words.  Jesus, who did not come to judge but to save the world, will be the judge before whom all will stand.  His word will judge men in the last day (John 12:44-50).