Obey My Voice תִּשְׁמְעוּ֙ בְּקֹלִ֔י

We are in chapter nineteen of Exodus with our word for today which is a phrase. תִּשְׁמְעוּ֙ בְּקֹלִ֔י obey my voice, listen to my voice. It is used 19 times in the Old Testament. Our phrase is a great example of conditional statements. Throughout the Bible we see God relates to us in both unconditional and conditional ways. The best example of this is that his love for us is unconditional in that there is nothing that can change his love for us. He already loves us in an unconditional way. But God’s salvation from the eternal consequences of our sin is conditional meaning that we have to meet the conditions that God has set up in order to receive it. Our phrase today we see God gives his people a conditional statement. Exodus 19:5-6 Now therefore, if שָׁמ֤וֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ֙ בְּקֹלִ֔י [literally listening you will listen or obeying you will obey. This repetition of the word for obey is for emphasis] you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. So the first part of the condition that God requires his people to meet is to obey or listen to his voice. Let’s look at other examples of this phrase to help us better understand it.

Genesis 22:16-18 I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because שָׁמַ֖עְתָּ בְּקֹלִֽי you have obeyed me. Did you catch that? It was because Abraham obeyed God that God then made these promises to him. This is how conditional agreements work. Here is an example of what happens when one does not fulfill what is required of the condition that God has set up. Numbers 14:20-23 The Lord replied, “I have forgiven them, as you asked. Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who וְלֹ֥א שָׁמְע֖וּ בְּקוֹלִֽי [literally not obeyed my voice] disobeyed me and tested me ten times— not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. In earlier verses Moses was praying asking God to forgive the people which he does. But notice that there is an earthly consequence the people have to face because they failed to meet the condition which was to listen and obey God’s voice. Because they didn’t God will not let them go into the promised land. Also notice that what might seem trivial to us is a big deal to God. He takes sin personally he calls this disobedience “treated me with contempt”. Another good example of this is the exile of God’s people which is why our phrase is used the most in the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah 22:21-22 I warned you when you felt secure, but you said, ‘I will not listen!’...you have not שָׁמַ֖עַתְּ בְּקוֹלִֽי obeyed my voice. The wind will drive all your shepherds away, and your allies will go into exile. Then you will be ashamed and disgraced because of all your wickedness. The good news is that in Christ we can be forgiven when we have failed to listen to God’s voice and turn away from our rebellion and sin. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. I’ll close with this great passage that shows David asking God to listen his prayer of repentance. Psalm 130:2-4 Lord, שִׁמְעָ֪ה בְק֫וֹלִ֥י hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.