Jim Osman in his book, God Doesn’t Whisper, wrote a facsimile of how God speaks today by applying the evangelical method to familiar Biblical characters. Of course, it is for illustration purposes, only. God has not communicated to the human race in the same way in every era. The exercise is meant to show its subjective approach and its uncertainty. The second benefit of this critique is to observe the propensity of today’s evangelicals to hear God’s voice for personal direction. We know that God’s scheme of redemption paved the way for chosen men and women to create a physical nation, be given the law, etc. Once all the pieces were in place, God continued to weave the plan to its fruition, while protecting and guiding the leading characters to accomplish His will. That plan has been accomplished and that God is still working in our lives the way he did Abraham and his descendants or David and his lineage may be a comforting thought but finds no support in Scripture.
Borrowing Jim Osman’s story, let us hit the highlights. You can find it in his book, chapter 3, entitled A Methodology Critiqued, page 85.
When Moses was a shepherd in the land of Midian with his father-in-law, Jethro, he had a lot of quiet time to listen for God’s voice to give him fresh words of direction. Being alone enabled Moses to tune in to God’s frequency so he could discern the quiet whispers of his own voice. One day, while sitting quietly, listening to his own thoughts, an idea popped into his head, “I should stop tending sheep.” He thought, “Could this be the voice of God?” It seemed so loud and clear in my mind. Moses prayed, “Lord, is that you telling me to stop tending sheep? Moses didn’t get a clear response but he was new to listening to God’s whispers. It was still a work in progress.
Wait! There is was again. He felt a very strong impression that he was to give up shepherding to begin a new endeavor. What that endeavor is was hard to define, but he kept asking the Lord what He wanted him to do. Moses sat is solitude straining to hear God. He had known life in Egypt and the delights of Pharoah’s house. He remembered how his fellow Jews were treated and why he had fled Egypt.
Moses remembered God’s promise to his forefathers through Joseph: “God will surely take care of you and bring you up from this land which he promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob”(Gen. 50:24-25). He felt God speaking to him through that promise and God telling him to go back to Egypt and deliver the Jews from their bondage. But, part of him questioned it because surely God wouldn’t ask him to do something as crazy as that. Then, he thought, “God asked others before me to do absurd things like building an ark or sacrificing your son. God seems to have asked many others to do outlandish directions in the past.” So, Moses prays, “Lord are you telling me to go to Egypt to deliver the Israelites from their bondage? Is that what you’re telling me, Lord? I feel this strong unction that it might be you.” He received nothing but kept looking for signs that might confirm this impression coming from God. A few days later, Moses returned home and entered the tent and greeted his wife, Zipporah. As he turned around, he noticed a new tapestry hanging on the wall of the curtain. “Where did you get that?” he asked her. I got that from some Egyptian merchants four days ago. “Four days ago?”, he asked to confirm. He knew that at that same time, he felt the Lord speak to his heart. Surely, this was no coincidence. He thought, “It must be a sign.” Moses asked the Lord, “Is this a sign from you, O Lord?” He prayed fervently, “If so, will you make it clear? Send me another indicator that will for me is to go to Egypt to deliver the Israelites.”
During the night, Moses dreamed of his days in Egypt and a longing to return. When he awoke, he wondered if that was God’s confirmation that he should go to Egypt. When he told Zipporah, she said, If this prompting is from God, He will confirm it with peace in your heart. Do you have a feeling of peace or is there still uncertainty in your spirit?” Moses said, “I’m not sure. I think he might be trying to tell me something but I’m struggling to make sure I get it right.” Zipporah said, “Perhaps, we should put out a fleece. Maybe this would settle it once for all.” So, Moses prayed to the Lord, “O Lord, If you want me to stay tending sheep, cause the Egyptian merchants to still be in town when I arrive at the marketplace tomorrow. If they have returned to Egypt when I arrive, then I will know that you want me to go back to Egypt, too.”
When he went to the marketplace and found they had already left for Egypt, Moses knew God’s will for him and had an inner peace about leaving for Egypt. Later that same night as Moses was reading from the book of Job, he saw these words, “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion?” The words, “chains jumped off the parchment! He sensed the Lord put on his heart the condition of his people in Egypt and that he would go to free them. Now, Moses knew that God had spoken to him to start this new endeavor. (Jim Osman in God Doesn’t Whisper)
According to many supporters of this method of communication from God to us, God uses any of the methods used any method as vehicles through which God whispers to us. He uses inner impressions, providential signs, or words that jump off the page with new meanings for us. These whispers can be confirmed to grant inner peace. Jim Osman ends with this statement, “NONE OF THEM BEAR ANY RESEMBLANCE TO WHAT WE FIND IN SCRIPTURE.”