Jesus said: “… He [the shepherd] goes before them, and the sheep follow him: And a stranger they will not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers…. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:4-5, 27).
The Voice of the Stranger
When you are totally familiar with someone’s voice, it is easy to recognize a different voice. We know the voices of our spouses, children, close friends, etc., and would immediately recognize them in any setting. When they call us on the phone, we immediately know who it is. If I’m in a room full of people talking and laughing, I can always pick out my husband Benny’s voice, because I have spent countless hours in his presence, listening to his voice with all its many nuances.
Jacob and his mother conspired to deceive his father Isaac into thinking that he was his twin brother Esau, so he could steal his birthright. Isaac, who was blind, hesitated. He said: “The hairy hands are like Esau’s, but the voice is Jacob’s voice.” He should have trusted his instincts and probed further to be sure it was Esau. When he realized later that it was Jacob, he probably said: “I knew it! I knew it was Jacob’s voice I heard and not Esau’s!” (Gen.27:21-23).
We have all done the same thing spiritually when we have ignored the voice of warning or instruction. We felt a caution in our spirits, and we hesitated, but we did not press further to get a confirmation from the Lord. Later we said, “I felt unsure about it, but I went ahead. I knew I should have waited, but…” or we say, “I knew I should have moved quicker, but…”
We will make mistakes. When we do, we should learn from them and use the experience to wise up and become sensitive to discerning God’s voice. Paul wrote: “Strong meat belongs to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Heb.5:12). Their mental faculties have been trained by practice to be able to discern between what is good or not. When there is “a check” in your spirit—check it out!
We become acquainted with Jesus’ voice by spending time in His presence. After His crucifixion, Mary came early in the morning to the tomb to weep for her Lord and saw a man whom she presumed to be the caretaker. When he asked why she was weeping, she asked him where he had taken Jesus’ body. Then He said: “Mary,” and instantly she knew it was Jesus! She recognized that special way He said her name! This was no stranger! This was her Teacher! “Rabboni—My Teacher!” she exclaimed.
It is in our intimate times of private devotion He speaks to us, and His spoken words always line up with His written Word. This is what makes it easy to detect “the voice of the stranger”—because it is strange! It obviously does not agree with the Word. When we know the Bible, our spirits strongly protest when the voice we are hearing conflicts with the truth we have treasured in our hearts.
The Familiar Voice of Self
Yet it is our own voice that often gives us problems, because it is not strange sounding. We’ve been hearing it our entire lives—even before we started hearing God’s voice when we were born again, and the incorruptible seed of His Word began producing His nature in us. Our own voice may sound perfectly plausible, self-pleasing, and even wise, but it is subject to the same test that must be applied to everything we hear—does it agree with God’s Word? That is, “rightly divided—line upon line, precept upon precept, statute upon statute, here a little, and there a little,” all in harmony with the Truth we know to be true (Isa.28:10).
This doesn’t mean that our own voice is always wrong, but the possibility is always there, so we must be diligent in comparing what we’re hearing to Scripture. Seeking the Lord in everything is the path of safety, and He speaks through His Word. Every rhema (spoken) word will be confirmed by Scripture. God speaks, He witnesses, He confirms—“that in the mouths of two or three shall every word be established” (Mt.18:16).
God is not silent, and He does not stutter. If you are His child, He wants to make His will plain to you. Just ask Him: “If any lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men liberally, and upbraids [scolds] not…” (Js.1:5).
Paul wrote about becoming “dull of hearing” and said: “We have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing you are dull of hearing.” The Greek text makes it clear that this was not the case with them originally, but they had become dull by default through neglect. Consequently, they had become “unskillful in the word of righteousness” (Heb.5:11-14). Therefore, it was necessary for them to return to the foundational teachings and first principles of God’s Word. When we are skillful in the Word, we will know: Is it the voice of the Shepherd, the stranger, or self?
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