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God’s people had witnessed Moses performing mighty miracles and it must have been obvious to them that God was operating though him, validating Moses as a genuine prophet. In spite of this, before God gave His law to Moses, He required yet another validation to affirm Moses’ authority as a representative of God and His word.
Validating the Messiah
And the LORD said to Moses, “Lo, I come to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever.” And Moses told the words of the people to the LORD. - Exodus 19:9
God wanted the people to understand without a doubt that the words Moses would be speaking to them were not his own, but only the words of God.
And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by a voice. – Exodus 19:19
Moses was answered by an audible voice that was heard by everyone.
Out of heaven He made you to hear His voice, that He might instruct you: and upon earth He showed you His great fire; and you heard His words out of the midst of the fire. – Deuteronomy 4:36
Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and live? – Deuteronomy 4:33
This had never happened before. At no other time had God spoken audibly to an entire group of people. Again, this event was to affirm to the children of Israel that Moses was speaking the words of God.
The only other time that God spoke audibly so others could hear His voice, is recorded in the New Covenant.
While he (Peter) yet spoke, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; you hear Him.” – Matthew 17:5
God spoke audibly, and His voice was heard by Jesus’ three apostles, Peter, John and James, as they beheld Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah. (Moses represents the law, Elijah the prophets, and Jesus is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets.)
Those three apostles had also witnessed God performing miracles through Jesus, but just like the incident recorded in the Old Covenant, God wanted to verify the fact that Jesus’ words to them were the words of God.
He that does not love Me does not keep My sayings: and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's which sent Me. – John 14:24
Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I speak not of Myself: but the Father that dwells in Me, He does the works. – John 14:10
For I have given to them the words which You gave Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from You, and they have believed that You did send Me. – John 17:8
I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. – John 17:14
Peter affirmed the accuracy of the testimony of this event, as an eyewitness account.
For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Messiah, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
For He received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with Him in the holy mount. - II Peter 1:16-18
God also spoke audibly a second time to a crowd of people who were surrounding Jesus.
Father, glorify Your name. Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, “An angel spoke to Him.”
Jesus answered and said, “This voice came not because of Me, but for your sakes.” - John 12:28-30
For the third time in recorded Biblical history, God spoke audibly to others in order to verify the authority of the people that He had chosen to represent Him: Moses and the Messiah Jesus.
The LORD your God will raise up to you a Prophet from the midst of you, of your brethren, like me; to Him you shall hearken; - Moses, Deuteronomy 18:15
Copyright 2025 by H.D. Shively