I will hear what God the Lord will speak, for He will speak peace to His people and to His saints. (Psalm 85:8)
When Israel awoke in the morning on the third day after arriving at Mount Sinai, the Bible says that the mountain was engulfed in a thick dark cloud. The ground quaked, there were lightnings and the sound of shofars; it must have been an awesome scene to behold. With this dramatic backdrop, the Almighty began to speak His commandments, in an audible voice, to the people gathered below. Tradition says that His Voice appeared to them as flames of fire that divided into the seventy different languages spoken by the nations.
But before the Lord could finish speaking all of the commands, the people went to Moses pleading with him to have God cease from speaking; they wanted to hear the rest from Moses. The Bible tells us that they feared death if God continued to speak; the writer of Hebrews said it was because “they could not endure what was commanded” (Hebrews 12:20). They thought they would live if God stopped speaking when, in reality, the opposite was true. In other words, when God stops speaking into our lives we will die because, as it is written, “man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3).
With this understanding, we can detect a hint in the words of the psalmist who says, “I will hear what God the Lord will speak.” Rather than being like those at Sinai who refused Him who spoke, we should be people who enthusiastically desire to hear God speak to us, whether it be to encourage or correct us. No one likes the sting of chastening, and let’s face it, most of us don’t like being told what to do. But the words of God are life and are intended to bring wholeness and prosperity for our souls. And so to those who strive to live a set apart life, the saints, His words bring shalom — peace.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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