Cessationism and Pentecostalism (Part III) "The Still Small Voice"

 

In part III we will examine one of the most abused and yet subtle teachings/practices that have come out of Pentecostalism. It has found its way into almost every denomination and scarcely a Christian has not heard it. It concerns hearing the voice of God. You likely have heard it referred to as "the still small voice." It is a doctrine brought forth from 1st Kings 19:11-13. Let us look at it starting with verse 9 

1 Kings 19:9-13 ESV

(9)  There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

(10)  He said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”

(11)  And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

(12)  And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. (KJV a still small voice.)

(13)  And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

From this single passage, an entire doctrine has developed. It is so wide and broad that we can't cover all the nuances associated with it in this discussion. An endless list of books is offered to promise to teach you how to hear God's voice. One popular Baptist TV preacher is well known for his testimony of how God told him where to go buy a Thanksgiving turkey. We are told we should be hearing God's voice in every detail of our lives. However, if you notice in the passage, the text is not implying God's voice is small or a whisper. Elijah did not have any difficulty hearing God clearly and loudly before or after the quietness described in the experiences. The text has nothing to do with how God speaks to us, God seems to be making a comparison between judgments and tender mercies. Exodus 34:6 ESV (6)  The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,. Abert Barnes comments saying, "literally, “a sound of soft stillness.” The teaching is a condemnation of that “zeal” which Elijah had gloried in, a zeal exhibiting itself in fierce and terrible vengeances, and an exaltation and recommendation of that mild and gentle temper, which “beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” But it was so contrary to the whole character of the stern, harsh, unsparing Tishbite, that it could have found no ready entrance into his heart. It may have for a while moderated his excessive zeal, and inclined him to gentler courses; but later in his life the old harshness recurred in a deed in reference to which our Lord himself drew the well-known contrast between the spirits of the two Dispensations". Yet from this one isolated phrase in all of scripture comes this enormously popular teaching. 

In the circles of Pentecostalism I was associated with it goes something like this. Someone would come up to you, would say, "I feel the Lord saying" or "I have a word for you" and then describe the particular message they would have from God. Generally, it was something concerning a blessing or some promotion coming into your life. Mostly very vague so any number of things that might happen or had happened could possibly be associated with "the word" that was given. 

You also might be found struggling with a particular decision personally. In this case, you would be instructed to go and pray in tongues and listen for God to speak to you "in this still small voice" of course. To understand my reference to speaking in tongues go here: Speaking in Tongues  This instruction leaves you spending sometimes hours a week speaking in your mystical prayer language and listening for this still small voice. You don't know exactly what that's going to sound like, perhaps a thought or intuition in your mind. The nonpentecostal version is pretty much the same except without the ecstatic tongue language.  

After time and effort, you either find something in your mind you can associate with hearing from God or you are left wondering why you can't hear God like these other people do. I've been in both those modes and they are both frustrating, confusing, and harmful. And if you actually do hear a voice, I'm told there are doctors that can help you with that. I'm using a little sarcasm, but it is no joking matter,  most of the largest religious cults find their root in the fact someone heard a voice speak to them. This is a very dangerous doctrine and Pentecostalism is promoting it in the Christian world and it is causing tremendous division and confusion. 

Sometimes it is even suggested signs are to be interpreted as God speaking to you. Someone may come to your mind in prayer and you interpret that to mean you need to pray for them or go witness to them. You may wake up at a particular time of the night and interpret that to mean God is wanting to speak to you in this still small voice. You may have a feeling to go a different way to work and find out later there was an accident on your usual route. You may interpret that as God telling you in that still small voice to go a different way to avoid the accident. You may see a billboard traveling down the road, it may be worded in such a way as could be an answer to your prayer and you interpret it as God speaking to you. Some of this may sound silly, but I have heard all these things in Pentecostal circles. None of those practices are spoken of in scripture as means by which God speaks to us. Should we really be accepting unbiblical practices and implementing them into our Christian walk? Largely these things are just simply overlooked and dismissed as harmless, but in reality, they are quite the opposite.    

If so dangerous, what are we to do? Did Jesus not say in John 10:27 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”? He most certainly did and they most certainly do. Pentecostalism takes this verse and others like it out of its context to affirm its doctrine of hearing God's voice. The context of this scripture is not about hearing a voice in your head or any other wise telling you where to go buy a turkey etc. This is in reference to his people hearing His call to repentance and coming to him in Salvation. 

How then am I going to know what God wants me to do with my life? Peter tells us 2 Peter 1:3 ESV

(3)  His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,. 

Peter also said, 2 Peter 1:19-21 ESV 

(19)  And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 

(20)  knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation.

(21)  For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

He has spoken to us through the scriptures everything we need to know, they are sufficient for us to enjoy fellowship with Him and live a successful Christian life. The routes we take going to work, the people that come to our minds during prayer, the times we are awakened at night, and all the contingent events of our lives that turn us one way or the other, these are not God-speaking specific instructions into our lives. They are simply His governance over our lives through His wonderful Providence. If we have a major decision to make in our lives, we most certainly pray about it. We go to Him in prayer and ask God for guidance according to His purpose. Then we take what we know and have learned from his word and make a decision based upon those principles and trust His Providence as we walk through this life. We must understand what appears to us as perhaps a mistake or contingent event in our lives has been ordered by God's Sovereign decree for our own learning and benefit.

We as Christians must rest in the sufficiency of Scripture. We have His history, His revelation of Himself, the revelation of our Redemption, and all the practical ways of living the Christian life laid out before us in the Scriptures. Our lives are secure in Him, we can walk the Christian life with certainty. 

It is when we step outside of this sufficiency we move into mysticism and all the uncertainty it brings. We are left wondering, was that God or me, was that God or just circumstance. We are never sure, and if something doesn't work out, Pentecostalism just tells us we simply missed God. God is too big to miss, if He wants us to know something, do something, or go somewhere, His wonderful Providence will surely see it come to pass. There are wonderful examples in scripture where God did speak loudly and clearly of His revelation and instructions to the church through the Apostles and Prophets. We also have wonderful examples where he directed his people through His divine Providence in their lives without speaking through some special still small voice in their heads or giving them some special sign. They simply walked with him through his ever-sufficient Word. Take a look at  Acts 19:1-5 ESV.

(1)  And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples.

(2)  And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

(3)  And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John's baptism.”

(4)  And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.”

(5)  On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Notice in verse 1 all these events "happened" (γίνομαι "A prolonged and middle form of a primary verb; to cause to be (“gen” -erate), that is, (reflexively) to become (come into being), used with great latitude (literally, figuratively, intensively, etc.) The KJV uses "came to pass". Let us examine some of the nuances within this text. (1st) Apollos (happened) to be at Corinth. (2nd) Paul was in route and he (happened) to arrive at Ephesus where he (happened) to find disciples. (3rd) The disciples (happened) to be traveling through as well or abiding at some location within Paul's travel path. (4th) The disciples had not the full knowledge they needed concerning Christ. (5th) Paul (happens) to have the knowledge they needed. (6th) When they meet, conversation (happens) in such a way this knowledge is brought to the forefront. All these events result in these disciples being baptized.

Notice no one is following a "still small voice" getting a "word" "waking up during the night" or "seeing a billboard along the way". They are all going about their daily lives following the course of their responsibilities. In that course, God actively works to effect His will and purpose in all these events. His governing Providence has each decision within its grasp, arranging all things according to His designed purpose. This hearing the voice of God doctrine has our focus distracted, looking or praying for some specific event to happen in our lives; all the while our lives are filled each day with his perfect Providence as we simply walk with him. Let us clear our minds of such troubling doctrines and walk with our Father through his Word, serving Him in the Holy Spirit, enjoying the redemption of the His Son by His wonderful grace. In Part IV we will examine the aspect of Pentecostal behavior.

David