The Spirit Speaks

“The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me; his word is on my tongue."

2 Samuel 23:2

Scripture: 2 Samuel 23:1-7

Observe:

The Holy Spirit speaks by David and he speaks to David.

On the one hand he speaks by him. The psalms that David sang came as songs inspired by God and for thousands of years people have heard God’s voice in them. The Holy Spirit speaks by people. He moves them to say the right words or to offer the right encouragement. In scripture he spoke to the prophets authoritatively the words we have contained in our Bibles. He would speak predictions about the future, he would speak encouragements, wisdom, rebukes and warnings. He even once spoke through a donkey to get a man’s attention. 

When God speaks he often speaks by people. This is true as we read scripture since all scripture was penned by a human author. When we read God’s word and God speaks to us, he is speaking by or through someone else. This is also true in the Christian life. Christians are God’s ambassadors and as members of Christ’s body we literally embody Christ to one another. We are co-labourers with Christ, God making his appeal through us. When we share the good news of the gospel we are allowing God to speak through us. When we aim to use the gifts God has given us to build the church and extend God’s kingdom we are allowing God to speak through us.

But God also speaks to his people. The picture of God and man walking in the cool of the day in Genesis 2 is a picture of the kind of relationship God wants to have with his people. He speaks through people to the world, but he also speaks to people. 

In a time before the Spirit dwelt in each one of his people as he does now, it wasn’t the case that every individual believer could have an intimate and familiar relationship with God. That’s part of what’s so exciting about the coming of the messiah. ‘No longer will one man say to another ‘know the Lord’, because they shall all know me, from the least to the greatest.’  

Apply

Are you familiar with the voice of God? Is it a usual occurrence that God would speak to you? God wants it to be. That last sentence is worth repeating - God wants to. He wants to speak to you, he isn’t withholding his conversation from you.