Listen To My Voice!

The large jar of flour itself did not get exhausted, and the small jar of oil itself did not fail, according to Jehovah’s word that he had spoken by means of E·li´jah. And it came about after these things that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick, and his sickness came to be so severe that there was no breath left in him. At this she said to E·li´jah: "What do I have to do with you, O man of the [true] God? You have come to me to bring my error to mind and to put my son to death." But he said to her: "Give me your son." Then he took him from her bosom and carried him up to the roof chamber, where he was dwelling, and laid him upon his own couch. And he began calling to Jehovah and saying: "O Jehovah my God, is it also upon the widow with whom I am residing as an alien that you must bring injury by putting her son to death?" And he proceeded to stretch himself upon the child three times and call to Jehovah and say: "O Jehovah my God, please, cause the soul of this child to come back within him." Finally Jehovah listened to E·li´jah’s voice, so that the soul of the child came back within him and he came to life. E·li´jah now took the child and brought him down from the roof chamber into the house and gave him to his mother; and E·li´jah then said: "See, your son is alive." Upon that the woman said to E·li´jah: "Now, indeed, I do know that you are a man of God and that Jehovah’s word in your mouth is true." 1 Kings 17:16-24

But it said: "Go out, and you must stand on the mountain before Jehovah." And, look! Jehovah was passing by, and a great and strong wind was rending mountains and breaking crags before Jehovah. (Jehovah was not in the wind.) And after the wind there was a quaking. (Jehovah was not in the quaking.) And after the quaking there was a fire. (Jehovah was not in the fire.) And after the fire there was a calm, low voice. 1 Kings 19:11,12

The Bible to describes the Holy Spirit as an it. The wind, water, and fire were the most common. Water was the sign of the spirit that purifies: " I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities, and from all your idols I will cleanse you." Ezekiel 36:25

As a child of God, it is your basic right to communicate with Him. One essential part of that communication is listening. There are many, many ways to hear from Him, and listed below are just some more of them. :

"That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth." Psalm 83:18 KJV

That little voice sometimes we hear in our mind before we express a thought to me seems to say before you utter what's not wholesome my child heed that voice. "The Holy Scriptures Voice", The Breath of God His Holy Spirit". I don't believe that God our King, can't or won't or does not speak to us outside of the scriptures--certainly He does.

Did Adam and Eve heed God's voice?

And Jehovah God proceeded to take the man and settle him in the garden of E´den to cultivate it and to take care of it. And Jehovah God also laid this command upon the man: "From every tree of the garden you may eat to satisfaction. But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad you must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will positively die. "And Jehovah God went on to say: "It is not good for the man to continue by himself. I am going to make a helper for him, as a complement of him."Hence Jehovah God had a deep sleep fall upon the man and, while he was sleeping, he took one of his ribs and then closed up the flesh over its place. And Jehovah God proceeded to build the rib that he had taken from the man into a woman and to bring her to the man. Genesis 2:15-18,2122

To the woman he said: "I shall greatly increase the pain of your pregnancy; in birth pangs you will bring forth children, and your craving will be for your husband, and he will dominate you." And to Adam he said: "Because you listened to your wife’s voice and took to eating from the tree concerning which I gave you this command, ‘You must not eat from it,’ cursed is the ground on your account. In pain you will eat its produce all the days of your life. And thorns and thistles it will grow for you, and you must eat the vegetation of the field. In the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are and to dust you will return." Genesis 3:16-20. Adam and Eve's Consequence for disobeying God, was death, "they were never to grow old nor die", first pattern of not hearing God's voice.

If YOU do look for Jehovah your God from there, you will also certainly find him, because you will inquire for him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in sore straits and all these words have found you out at the close of the days, then you will have to return to Jehovah your God and to listen to his voice. For Jehovah your God is a merciful God. He will not desert you or bring you to ruin or forget the covenant of your forefathers that he swore to them. "Now ask, please, concerning the former days that occurred before you, from the day that God created man on the earth and from one end of the heavens clear to the other end of the heavens, Was any great thing brought about like this or was anything heard like it? Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of the middle of the fire the way you yourself have heard it, and kept on living? De 4:29-33

and your heart may indeed be lifted up and you may indeed forget Jehovah your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slaves; who caused you to walk through the great and fear-inspiring wilderness, with poisonous serpents and scorpions and with thirsty ground that has no water; who brought forth water for you out of the flinty rock; who fed you with manna in the wilderness, which your fathers had not known, in order to humble you and in order to put you to the test so as to do you good in your afterdays; and you do say in your heart, ‘My own power and the full might of my own hand have made this wealth for me.’

And you must remember Jehovah your God, because he is the giver of power to you to make wealth; in order to carry out his covenant that he swore to your forefathers, as at this day. "And it must occur that if you should at all forget Jehovah your God and you should actually walk after other gods and serve them and bow down to them, I do bear witness against YOU today that YOU people will absolutely perish. Like the nations that Jehovah is destroying from before YOU, that is the way YOU will perish, because YOU will not listen to the voice of Jehovah YOUR God. De 8:14-20

Same pattern of Disobedience

As for the sons of Israel, they were mustered and supplied and began to go out to meet them; and the sons of Israel went into camp in front of them like two tiny flocks of goats, while the Syrians, for their part, filled the earth. Then the man of the [true] God approached and said to the king of Israel, yes, he went on to say: "This is what Jehovah has said, ‘For the reason that the Syrians have said: "Jehovah is a God of mountains, and he is not a God of low plains," I shall have to give all this great crowd into your hand, and YOU men will certainly know that I am Jehovah.’"

Israel went striking down the Syrians, a hundred thousand men on foot in one day. And those that were left went fleeing to A´phek, to the city; and the wall came falling down upon twenty-seven thousand men that were left. As for Ben-ha´dad, he fled and finally came into the city into the innermost chamber. So his servants said to him: "Here, now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are kings of loving-kindness. Oh they heard of these kings loving kindness, but did they not hear of God's loving kindness and mercy?

"Your servant Ben-ha´dad has said, ‘Please, let my soul live.’" To this he said: "Is he still alive? He is my brother." So the men themselves took itasan omen and quickly took it as a decision of his own accord, and they went on to say: "Ben-ha´dad is your brother." At that he said: "Come, fetch him." Then Ben-ha´dad went out to him; and he at once had him get up into the chariot. [Ben-ha´dad] now said to him: "The cities that my father took from your father I shall return; and streets you will assign to yourself in Damascus the same as my father assigned in Sa·mar´i·a." And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his friend by the word of Jehovah: "Strike me, please." But the man refused to strike him.

Therefore he said to him: "For the reason that you did not listen to the voice of Jehovah, here you are going away from me, and a lion will certainly strike you down." After that he went away from beside him, and the lion got to find him and strike him down. 1 Ki 20:27-35. Ben-hadad was as covetous as he was proud, and couldn't go away unless he had possessions as well as dominion. He thought it not enough to call it his, unless he had it all in his hands. He was spiteful as he was haughty. He was as unreasonable as he was unjust. These are descriptions of the character and action of Satan when he examines not only our physical homes but also our spiritual tabernacles.

Know you not you are temple of God?

Listen, YOU wise ones, to my words; And YOU who know, give ear to me. For the ear itself makes a test of words, Just as the palate tastes when eating. Although I behold nothing, instruct me yourself; If any unrighteousness I have committed, I shall not do [it] again’? Men of heart themselves will say to me—Even a wise able-bodied man that is listening to me, For on top of his sin he adds revolt; Among us he claps [his hands] and multiplies his sayings against the [true] God!" Job 34:2,3,32,34,37

The maned young lions themselves have had little on hand and gone hungry; But as for those seeking Jehovah, they will not lack anything good. Come, YOU sons, listen to me; The fear of Jehovah is what I shall teach YOU. The meek ones will certainly see [it]; they will rejoice. YOU who are seeking God, let YOUR heart also keep alive. For Jehovah is listening to the poor ones, And he will indeed not despise his very own prisoners. Let heaven and earth Praise him, The seas and everything moving about in them.

For God himself will save Zion And will build the cities of Judah; And they will certainly dwell there and take possession of it. And the offspring of his servants themselves will inherit it, And those loving his name will be the ones to reside in it. But my people has not listened to my voice; And Israel itself has not showed any willingness toward me. And so I let them go in the stubbornness of their heart; They went walking in their own counsels. Ps 34:10,11; 69:32-36; 81:11,12

The proverbs of Sol´o·mon the son of David, the king of Israel, for one to know wisdom and discipline, to discern the sayings of understanding, to receive the discipline that gives insight, righteousness and judgment and uprightness, to give to the inexperienced ones shrewdness, to a young man knowledge and thinking ability. A wise person will listen and take in more instruction, and a man of understanding is the one who acquires skillful direction, to understand a proverb and a puzzling saying, the words of wise persons and their riddles. The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge.

Wisdom and discipline are what mere fools have despised. Listen, my son, to the discipline of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother. For they are a wreath of attractiveness to your head and a fine necklace to your throat. Listen to discipline and become wise, and do not show any neglect. Happy are those listening to me by keeping awake at my doors day by day, by watching at the posts of my entrances. For the one finding me will certainly find life, and gets goodwill from Jehovah. But the one missing me is doing violence to their soul; all those intensely hating me are the ones that do love death." Pr 1:1-9; 8:33-36

Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for Jehovah himself has spoken: "Sons and Daughters I have brought up and raised, but they themselves have revolted against me. A bull well knows its buyer, and the ass the manger of its owner; Israel itself has not known, my own people have not behaved understandingly." Hear the word of Jehovah, YOU dictators of Sod´om. Give ear to the law of our God, YOU people of Go·mor´rah. "Of what benefit to me is the multitude of YOUR sacrifices?" says Jehovah. "I have had enough of whole burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed animals; and in the blood of young bulls and male lambs and he-goats I have taken no delight. YOUR new moons and YOUR festal seasons my soul has hated. To me they have become a burden; I have become tired of bearing [them]. And when YOU spread out YOUR palms, I hide my eyes from YOU.

Even though YOU make many prayers, I am not listening; with bloodshed YOUR very hands have become filled. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the badness of YOUR dealings from in front of my eyes; cease to do bad. Learn to do good; search for justice; set right the oppressor; render judgment for the fatherless boy; plead the cause of the widow." With justice Zion herself will be redeemed, and those returning of her, with righteousness. And the crash of revolters and that of sinful ones will be at the same time, and those leaving Jehovah will come to their finish. Isa 1:2,3,10,11,14-17,27,28

Hey there, all YOU thirsty ones! Come to the water. And the ones that have no money! Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk even without money and without price. Why do YOU people keep paying out money for what is not bread, and why is YOUR toil for what results in no satisfaction? Listen intently to me, and eat what is good, and let YOUR soul find its exquisite delight in fatness itself.

Incline YOUR ear and come to me. Listen, and YOUR soul will keep alive, and I shall readily conclude with YOU people an indefinitely lasting covenant respecting the loving-kindnesses to David that are faithful. Look! As a witness to the Gentile groups I have given him, as a leader and commander to the national groups. Look! A nation that you do not know you will call, and those of a nation who have not known you will run even to you, for the sake of Jehovah your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he will have beautified you. Search for Jehovah, YOU people, while he may be found. Call to him while he proves to be near.

Let the wicked man leave his way, and the harmful man his thoughts; and let him return to Jehovah, who will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will forgive in a large way. "For the thoughts of YOU people are not my thoughts, nor are my ways YOUR ways," is the utterance of Jehovah. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than YOUR ways, and my thoughts than YOUR thoughts. For just as the pouring rain descends, and the snow, from the heavens and does not return to that place, unless it actually saturates the earth and makes it produce and sprout, and seed is actually given to the sower and bread to the eater, so my word that goes forth from my mouth will prove to be. It will not return to me without results, but it will certainly do that in which I have delighted, and it will have certain success in that for which I have sent it. Isa 55:1-11

"‘Therefore, look! days are coming,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘when it will no more be said [to be] To´pheth and the valley of the son of Hin´nom, but the valley of the killing; and they will have to bury in To´pheth without there being enough place. And the dead bodies of this people must become food for the flying creatures of the heavens and for the beasts of the earth, with nobody to make [them] tremble. And I will cause to cease from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of exultation and the voice of rejoicing, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride; for the land will become nothing but a devastated place.’" For I solemnly admonished YOUR forefathers in the day of my bringing them up out of the land of Egypt and down to this day, rising up early and admonishing, saying: "Obey my voice." But they did not listen or incline their ear, but they kept walking each one in the stubbornness of their bad heart; and so I brought upon them all the words of this covenant that I commanded [them] to do, but that they did not do.’" Jer 7:32-34; 11:7,8

For, look! in those days and in that time, when I shall bring back the captive ones of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also collect together all the nations and bring them down to the low plain of Je·hosh´a·phat; and I will put myself on judgment with them there on account of my people and my inheritance Israel. And for my people they kept casting lots; and they would give the male child for a prostitute, and the female child they sold for wine, that they might drink.

THRUST in a sickle, for harvest has grown ripe. Come, descend, for [the] winepress has become full. The press vats actually overflow; for their badness has become abundant. Crowds, crowds are in the low plain of the decision, for the day of Jehovah is near in the low plain of the decision. Sun and moon themselves will certainly become dark, and the very stars will actually withdraw their brightness. And out of Zion Jehovah himself will roar, and out of Jerusalem he will give forth his voice. And heaven and earth certainly will rock; but Jehovah will be a refuge for his people, and a fortress for the sons of Israel. And YOU people will have to know that I am Jehovah YOUR God, residing in Zion my holy mountain. And Jerusalem must become a holy place; and as regards strangers, they will no more pass through her. Joe 3:1-3,13-17

Therefore over YOU [the] heavens kept back [their] dew, and the earth itself kept back its yield. And I kept calling for dryness upon the earth, and upon the mountains, and upon the grain, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon what the ground would bring forth, and upon earthling man, and upon domestic animal, and upon all the toil of [the] hands.’" And Ze·rub´ba·bel the son of She·al´ti·el, and Joshua the son of Je·hoz´a·dak the high priest, and all the remaining ones of the people began to listen to the voice of Jehovah their God, and to the words of Hag´gai the prophet, as Jehovah their God had sent him; and the people began to fear because of Jehovah.

"‘But now, please, set YOUR heart [on this] from this day and forward, before there was the placing of a stone upon a stone in the temple of Jehovah, from when those things happened to be—one came to a heap of twenty [measures], and it proved to be ten; one came to the press vat to draw off fifty [measures] of the wine trough, and it proved to be twenty; I struck YOU people with scorching and with mildew and with hail, even all the work of YOUR hands, and there was no one with YOU [turning] to me,’ is the utterance of Jehovah.

"‘Set YOUR heart, please, [on this] from this day and forward, from the twenty-fourth [day] of the ninth [month], from the day that the foundation of the temple of Jehovah was laid; set YOUR heart [on this]: "‘In that day,’ is the utterance of Jehovah of armies, ‘I shall take you, O Ze·rub´ba·bel the son of She·al´ti·el, my servant,’ is the utterance of Jehovah; ‘and I shall certainly set you as a seal ring, because you are the one whom I have chosen,’ is the utterance of Jehovah of armies." Hag 1:10-12; 2:15-18,23

"Look! I am sending my messenger, and he must clear up a way before me. And suddenly there will come to His temple the [true] Lord, whom YOU people are seeking, and the messenger of the new covenant in whom YOU are delighting. Look! He will certainly come," Jehovah of armies has said.

Jesus' 1st coming, sent by God

"But who will be putting up with the day of his coming, and who will be the one standing when he appears? For he will be like the fire of a refiner and like the lye of laundrymen. And he must sit as a refiner and cleanser of silver and must cleanse the sons of Le´vi; and he must clarify them like gold and like silver, and they will certainly become to Jehovah people presenting a gift offering in righteousness. And the gift offering of Judah and of Jerusalem will actually be gratifying to Jehovah, as in the days of long ago and as in the years of antiquity. YOU have said, ‘It is of no value to serve God. And what profit is there in that we have kept the obligation to him, and that we have walked dejectedly on account of Jehovah of armies.

And at present we are pronouncing presumptuous people happy. Also, the doers of wickedness have been built up. Also, they have tested God out and keep getting away.? "At that time those in fear of Jehovah spoke with one another, each one with his companion, and Jehovah kept paying attention and listening. And a book of remembrance began to be written up before him for those in fear of Jehovah and for those thinking upon his name.

The Book of Life

"And they will certainly become mine," Jehovah of armies has said, "at the day when I am producing a special property. And I will show compassion upon them, just as a man shows compassion upon his son who is serving him. And YOU people will again certainly see [the distinction] between a righteous one and a wicked one, between one serving God and one who has not served him." Mal 3:1-4,14-18