The Still Small Voice

[Grafted In]

I have been engaged in a bit of a controversy with some family members that believe that Christians ought to be waiting on the Lord in such a way that they should expect the Lord to speak to them- even audibly!

I hope to engage them in conversation but I would like to do so having done the exegetical work that I am betting that they have not done. One of the key passages that they are leaning on is 1 Kings 19:12 when the Lord told Elijah to go up to Horeb and then the text says:

"the Lord passed by...and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper." (ESV)

Based on this text, do you guys/gals believe that we are or should be waiting
for God to speak to us in a the "sound of a low whisper." If not, how would you interpret this passage? What commentaries or helps have you found useful when interpreting this passage?

Thanks

 

[Prufrock]

It makes no sense to transform that passage into a general command for all people to "wait upon the sound of a low whisper." Elijah was a prophet, specially, extraordinarily and supernaturally commissioned by God to perform certain tasks: such a role required some form of direction or communication from the LORD.

 

[Andres]

Brother, I believe these recent threads touch on your question.

God Led Me?
God Told Me!

 

[Wayne]

Jeff:
This won't actually help, but there is the story of the pastor who decided that rather than continue to do the hard work of exegesis and sermon prep, that he would instead seek the Lord and wait for God to speak directly to him.
So the first week of this new arrangement began, and day after day, nothing from the Lord. The pastor began to pray in earnest, waiting for God to speak. Saturday night, and still nothing. Then Sunday morning and still no message from the Lord.
Finally, as the pastor drove to church in a cold sweat, the Lord at last spoke:

"You're not prepared, are you?"

 

[Osage Bluestem]

I have been engaged in a bit of a controversy with some family members that believe that Christians ought to be waiting on the Lord in such a way that they should expect the Lord to speak to them- even audibly!

I hope to engage them in conversation but I would like to do so having done the exegetical work that I am betting that they have not done. One of the key passages that they are leaning on is 1 Kings 19:12 when the Lord told Elijah to go up to Horeb and then the text says:

"the Lord passed by...and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper." (ESV)

Based on this text, do you guys/gals believe that we are or should be waiting
for God to speak to us in a the "sound of a low whisper." If not, how would you interpret this passage? What commentaries or helps have you found useful when interpreting this passage?

Thanks

1 Kings 19:12 KJV
[12] And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

I take this passage to be a historical account of Elijah's encounter with God.

We are not Elijah and the Son of God who the old testament testifies too has already been sacrificed on the cross for our sins and has risen from the dead. We are in the last age and have all the revelation we need in God's awesome Word.

 

[R. Scott Clark]

The Secret of Knowing God’s Will (1) Heidelblog