Did God speak to Samuel and Elijah in "Divine Impressions: Can Christians Hear the Voice of God, Part 4?

Many years ago, I visited my primary care physician about a medical problem. He examined me thoroughly, ran a battery of test and referred me to a specialist. After yet another thorough examination and a review of the data from my primary doctor, the specialist diagnosed my problem saying, "After 30 years of practicing medicine in this state and reviewing the test data I am 99% certain based on my experience that you have ..., but I want to run more tests to be sure." How is that an accomplished physician who had been an expert in his field for over 30 years and who knew how to interpret the data needed to confirm his own educated opinion and vast experience? Perhaps My doctor understood that the best most qualified practitioner can be 99% certain about what their experiences and be 100% wrong. It is possible to be sincerely wrong about your impressions and what you think is "the voice of God." Our experience with God is not revelation, it is not his voice to us, as clearly demonstrated in the examples of the priest Samuel and the prophet Elijah. 

The EGM (Experiencing God Movement) teachers will often refer to Samuel and Elijah as incontrovertible examples of how we are to practice hearing God's voice. The book of Judges ends with the nation of Israel being defeated and desperate. The book of Samuel begins with the last judge, Eli the high priest, who was himself weak and compromised spiritual leader. God was seldom heard or seen in the life of Israel, hearing God's voice had been rare for many years (2Samuel 3:1). Eli's protege was the boy, he was raising to be a priest, Samuel, who was awakened one night by a voice calling his name. Samuel went into Eli's sleeping chamber and asked whether he had called to him. He had not. This occurs twice more when Eli finally suggests to Samuel that he may actually be hearing the voice of God:

[8] And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the boy. [9] Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.[10] And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” [11] Then the LORD said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. (1 Samuel 3:8–11ESV)

EGM teachers extrapolate from this text that since it took 4 times for Samuel to recognize the voice, that he was learning what God's voice sounded like, so we need to learn to hear God's voice too. Is that what happened? Did Samuel have to learn to hear God's voice? Each time the voice called Samuel's name he heard and understood. He failed to the identity of the messenger. The voice he thought was coming from Eli was the voice of God. There was no learning needed to hear the voice, nor was there any internal feeling or impression. 

Notice what Samuel says after the voice come for the fourth time, [10] And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” (1 Samuel 3: 10 & 11 ESV) Samuel acknowledged that he heard the voice of God, no putting out fleeces, no confirming circumstances, no counselling, no open and closed doors, no learning through repeated experience. God spoke! Samuel heard! When God speaks his word is clear, unmistakable and identifiable. But there is another incident, my EGM friends will recount as proof of their methodology. That is the experience of Elijah the prophet. 

Elijah is a venerable Old Testament character. He is often seen as representative. or type, of all the prophets (Matthew 17: 1-8; Mark 9: 2-8; Lk 1: 17; Lk 9:28-36), yet he was an ordinary man. The scripture says his prayer life is an example for ordinary believers to follow:

[17] Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. [18] Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. (James 5:17–18ESV)

This ordinary man's powerful prayer is an example for us. EGM teachers claim that Elijah's ordinary experience was to receive divine revelation as an internal sense or perception. They conclude that righteous mature believers should receive internal impressions from God. EGM teachers claim that God spoke to Elijah at least once in the form of a strong internal impression or "still small voice" (ESV translates the term as "a gentle whisper), and therefore we can expect God to speak in our prayer life in the same way.

A staff member of a church I attended for a number of years, preaching on Elijah, said, any believer who is not "regularly consistently hearing God's 'still small voice' is spiritually immature." When mature believers pray, messages from God "jump off the pages," of scripture, or we have an intense feeling about something.  Elijah heard God's voice "still small voice," and so should we. A close look at this incident shows this gentle whisper of God was not an internal perception or impression.

Elijah first appears in 1Kings 17: 1-7 where God speaks to him telling him that he is about to pronounce judgment on Israel which would be followed by a three-year drought. As the drought ensued God spoke to Elijah as he sat down by the brook Cheirth, a tributary of the Jordan River, where the ravens brought him, bread and meat. He supplies bread and meat in the same way he provided the exiles from Egypt bread and meat when none was available in the dessert. In both cases God used natural resources to provide supernaturally in a way that reflected on what God had done by providing manna and bread. These events both followed God's revealed purpose, verifying his identity as the One True God behind this message. Following this revelation of God's judgment and character to the nation through Elijah the wicked royal couple, Ahab and Jezebel, seek to kill Elijah, who flees into exile.

In Chapter 18 of Kings God uses Elijah to dramatically confront Ahab and his prophets of Baal and to prove their claims and promises to be specious. The prophets of Baal are humiliated and killed. After that dramatic and miraculous display of God's faithfulness it rained again for 3 years. Yet, nothing changes, no revival comes. The people continue worshipping Baal. Ahab and Jezebel not only continue in power they get stronger. Jezebel orders Elijah hunted down and killed (1 Kings 19: 1-33). 

Elijah doesn't understand. This climactic point in his ministry seems like a failure to him. He flees to the wilderness and hides under a broom tree. He was desperate, asking the LORD to take his life. The Lord comes, comforts him, reminds him that there are still prophets in Israel. The Angel of the Lord appears and prepares a meal for him (much the same way Jesus comforted his disciples after his own death John 21: 1-13). Elijah then goes and hides in a cave. God speaks to him in what the scripture calls "a still small voice,'(the English Standard Version's translation as a "gentle whisper is preferable). What is this "gentle whisper? EGM teachers claim it is and internal impression or strong feeling. Is it? 

Elijah complains that he has done everything God has asked him to do, confronted Baal and prophesied to the people, yet he feels abandoned, like God has left him alone (1Kings 19: 9&10). It is then that Elijah hears God's voice. The Lord tells Elijah to go up to the mountain where He appears to him. God passes before him much like he had passed before Moses. When God passed by in a wind it split open the rocks. This was followed by an earthquake and a fire. But God is not in these events. These events are a cataclysm that results when God condescends to reach man. After all of these event Elijah hears "a low whisper."  After hearing this low whisper Elijah covers his face, knowing that a man cannot look upon God, he steps out of cave and hears God's voice, outside the cave after the whisper:

[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?” (1 Kings 19:13ESV) 

Stepping out of cave Elijah hears God's voice. This word from God was outside of Elijah's body. This was an external audible voice of God, rather than a strong feeling or an internal sense. Once again God uses natural phenomenon supernaturally to reveal himself followed by a prophetic word, but the voice of God is an external prophetic word. 

Rather than supporting the claim that Christians are to seek internal impressions and direction from God these events in the lives of Samuel and Elijah completely belie the EGM teaching:

• When God spoke to Samuel and Elijah he always spoke intelligibly. They never had to learn or discern his voice.
• God used nature in supernatural ways to confirm his identity and the veracity of his message. They were not ordinary circumstances that seem to have some relation to what God might be saying. 
• Jesus himself declared that the miracles performed by Elijah were neither normal nor revelatory. Instead of seeking confirmation or direction in circumstances Jesus said the Elijah's experience showed that the word of God was sufficient to identify God and God's purposes.

Rather than being the incontrovertible evidence these confirming events in the lives of Samuel and Elijah completely discredit the EGM teaching. God spoke to the prophets and sometimes to the priest of the Old Testament in the prophetic word not the experience of the prophet. The claim that to "hear God's voice" that we "look for what he is doing and join Him" is false teaching. No text of scripture teaches that, and none supports it. As a matter of fact, as we will see in the next installment God clearly spoke against claiming that our experience was the equivalent of revelation. So yes, God is speaking today, clearly, loudly, unequivocally. We hear his voice in the prophetic word delivered. So when those in the EGM movement claim that Elijah's still small voice or Samuel repeated hearing his call are examples of how we should here God's word, they are twisting scripture.