WHICH VOICE?

“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light” (Gen. 1:3).

The first recorded voice in the Scriptures is that of God speaking light into existence. God would go on to create using His voice, and thus words, imparting the blessing of speech to human beings (Gen. 1:23-24). Sadly, there was another voice which had in mind the downfall of man. This voice belonged to the Devil, Satan, that old serpent (cf. Rev. 12:9, 20:2), that tempted Eve in the garden (Gen. 3:1-7). Adam, instead of listening to God, listened to the voice of his wife, and thus sinned (Gen. 3:11-12, 17). Eve, instead of listening to God, listened to the voice of Satan, and thus sinned (Gen. 3:13). Thankfully, God already had a plan and that was to send Christ to destroy the works of the devil (Gen. 3:15; cf. 1 John. 3:8; Heb. 2:14).

In preparation for the Christ, there was a man sent from God to bear witness of Him, and his name was John (John 1:6-8). John declared, as prophesied by Isaiah, that he was, “the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord” (John 1:23; Isa. 40:3). John, being a prophet of God, acted as God’s spokesman and thus the voice of God. John fulfilled his mission and received high marks from Christ Himself (Matt. 11:7-11). His voice and actions stand as witnesses to obeying God. God speaks through His Son today (Heb. 1:1-2), and Satan speaks through the world (Eph. 2:2; John 12:31; 1 John 2:15-16). The question for you and for me is, which voice am I going to listen to? Let us heed the Father’s instruction and listen to His Son (Matt. 17:1-5)!

Trent Thrasher