For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.
God speaks again and again, yet men often fail to perceive, recognize, or heed what He is saying. He opens the ear in sleep through dreams and night visions, impressing and sealing instruction upon them. His purpose in so speaking is to turn them from their own course and harmful purposes, hide pride from them, and keep back their souls from the pit and destruction to be enlightened with the light of the living. He first seeks to teach in prosperity by speaking to the hearing over and over, but when man will not perceive and bend, He speaks in a more forceful and impressive way through trial, affliction, sickness, and pain upon the bed. He does not cast a man aside for failing to hear at first, but gives repeated opportunity to change the mind, showing first the error of the way and then the folly of the course, to transform character from pride to humility.
Voice and Setting
God speaks repeatedly — once, yea twice, and even more — yet men often fail to perceive, recognize, or heed what He is communicating. He speaks first in prosperity to the hearing again and again, by His Word and even by visions and dreams, to turn man from his own purpose and hold him back from the pit, but man does not perceive it and will not bend to be molded after the divine likeness. He communicates in sleep through dreams and night visions, opening the ears of men and sealing or impressing instruction upon them. That night instruction is given to turn them from their chosen course and harmful purposes, to withdraw them to His purpose, and to hide pride from them, which can cloud judgment and lead to ruin.
The saying belongs to Elihu's discourses in Job 32-36, in which he tries to convince Job that Job is not so very great himself while God is everything, and teaches that God speaks to people though they may not understand. Job made no answer to this plea, and no comment whatever is given upon it. God later spoke directly to Job, using familiar things Job could not explain to show the folly of questioning God's providence. Failure to recognize God's voice is illustrated by Samuel, who in his first direct communication did not know the Lord's voice and needed instruction from a man of experience to perceive that God was calling him to salvation or to special service.
Men do not perceive because by day they are anxious and busy about many things and do not choose listening, so God's school stays open by night as well as by day to instruct in slumberings upon the bed when deep sleep falls upon men. He thus opens their ears and seals instruction, making the coming of the evening as well as the outgoings of the morning a time of rejoicing and helpful instruction for all who will walk with Him and listen. Job could not perceive God speaking because his murmuring against God's dealings had left him in darkness. "Once, yea twice" means God always speaks at least twice — once in His Word and once to confirm that Word in earthly witnesses — so the two voices to be heard together are the Bible and its fulfilment.
Purpose and Correction
God speaks again and again in order to turn a person away from his chosen course and harmful purposes, to draw him away from his own purpose to God's purpose, to hide pride from him, and to keep his soul back from the pit and from death by the sword and from destruction, that he might be enlightened with the light of the living. He does this by opening the ears in dreams and visions of the night and by sealing or impressing instruction upon the hearer, even when the hearer does not perceive it. Pride must be restrained because it clouds the judgment and leads to ruin, and to be kept from pride is to be preserved from death.
He first seeks to teach the truth in prosperity by speaking to the hearing over and over to turn man from his own purpose and hold back his soul from the pit, but man does not perceive it and will not bend to be molded after the divine likeness. When those first speakings fail, He speaks in a more forceful and impressive way through the other senses by permitting trial, affliction, sickness and pain, so that every trial teaches in suffering the lesson that was missed in prosperity. His voice may come at first as an unheard whisper and then speak more loudly through disease, calling the sufferer to recognize his need and turn back to God. He works in this way oftentimes with man to bring back his soul from the pit to be enlightened with the light of the living.
That chastening comes as pain upon the bed and strong pain in the bones, with emaciation, with bones sticking out, with loss of desire for food, and with drawing very near to the grave and to death. It is not accident or chance but correction to open ears that are dull of hearing, to withdraw man from proud purposes and turn him back to the path of right. He does not cast a person aside for failing to hear the first time but gives repeated opportunities to change the mind and transform the character from pride to humility, speaking once to show the error of the way and a second time to show the folly of the course. The speakings come in three distinct stages, first when He speaks directly to the man alone by Himself, second when He sends someone else to open his ears and seal instruction about the error of his way, and third when He speaks by pain and disease upon the bed, as repeated boiling is needed to destroy what survives the first.
He does not afflict willingly from His heart and does not desire to bring suffering and sickness, but His desire to save and lead to repentance compels Him to permit affliction when every other means to turn sinners from destruction has been exhausted. His repeated speaking exhorts them to turn from evil ways and live, holding back for a time the just penalty of transgression to give opportunity to repent. Only when they still continue in transgression does He permit the just harvest and natural consequence of sin to fall upon them, arranged as a last corrective effort to lead them to see the error of their way and the folly of resisting His love.
Heeding the Voice
God speaks more than once, yet people may fail to perceive it, and in the verses that follow he gives instruction and warnings to turn them from pride and destructive purposes and to save them from the pit and the sword. His warnings through the Spirit and its gifts must therefore be heeded and not dismissed as dreams or false prophecy. To refuse to attend to them is to reject the very means by which he opens eyes and ears and warns of danger. Because he has spoken plainly, no new revelation or repetition of his expressed will should be demanded when his word is refused belief. To persist in asking him to confirm or reverse what he has already made clear is sinful and leaves one open to deception, and to seek blessing apart from obedience to his word is not sanctification through truth.
His voice may first come as an unheard whisper and then speak more loudly through disease, calling the sufferer to recognize need and turn back to God. God works repeatedly with man to bring back his soul from the pit to be enlightened with the light of the living, and one way he does this is by chastening him with pain upon his bed and strong pain in the multitude of his bones. Pain is therefore his corrective voice and merciful discipline to rescue from spiritual ruin, not an enemy to be hushed and stifled with coal-tar drugs such as phenacetin and acetanilid. The same warning applies to the signs of bodily harm caused by improper eating, where pain and disease protest against neglect but people do not heed the lesson.
God speaks again and again, yet men often fail to perceive, recognize, or heed what He is saying. He opens the ear in sleep through dreams and night visions, impressing and sealing instruction upon them. His purpose in so speaking is to turn them from their own course and harmful purposes, hide pride from them, and keep back their souls from the pit and destruction to be enlightened with the light of the living. He first seeks to teach in prosperity by speaking to the hearing over and over, but when man will not perceive and bend, He speaks in a more forceful and impressive way through trial, affliction, sickness, and pain upon the bed. He does not cast a man aside for failing to hear at first, but gives repeated opportunity to change the mind, showing first the error of the way and then the folly of the course, to transform character from pride to humility.
Voice and Setting
God speaks repeatedly — once, yea twice, and even more — yet men often fail to perceive, recognize, or heed what He is communicating. He speaks first in prosperity to the hearing again and again, by His Word and even by visions and dreams, to turn man from his own purpose and hold him back from the pit, but man does not perceive it and will not bend to be molded after the divine likeness. He communicates in sleep through dreams and night visions, opening the ears of men and sealing or impressing instruction upon them. That night instruction is given to turn them from their chosen course and harmful purposes, to withdraw them to His purpose, and to hide pride from them, which can cloud judgment and lead to ruin.
The saying belongs to Elihu's discourses in Job 32-36, in which he tries to convince Job that Job is not so very great himself while God is everything, and teaches that God speaks to people though they may not understand. Job made no answer to this plea, and no comment whatever is given upon it. God later spoke directly to Job, using familiar things Job could not explain to show the folly of questioning God's providence. Failure to recognize God's voice is illustrated by Samuel, who in his first direct communication did not know the Lord's voice and needed instruction from a man of experience to perceive that God was calling him to salvation or to special service.
Men do not perceive because by day they are anxious and busy about many things and do not choose listening, so God's school stays open by night as well as by day to instruct in slumberings upon the bed when deep sleep falls upon men. He thus opens their ears and seals instruction, making the coming of the evening as well as the outgoings of the morning a time of rejoicing and helpful instruction for all who will walk with Him and listen. Job could not perceive God speaking because his murmuring against God's dealings had left him in darkness. "Once, yea twice" means God always speaks at least twice — once in His Word and once to confirm that Word in earthly witnesses — so the two voices to be heard together are the Bible and its fulfilment.
Purpose and Correction
God speaks again and again in order to turn a person away from his chosen course and harmful purposes, to draw him away from his own purpose to God's purpose, to hide pride from him, and to keep his soul back from the pit and from death by the sword and from destruction, that he might be enlightened with the light of the living. He does this by opening the ears in dreams and visions of the night and by sealing or impressing instruction upon the hearer, even when the hearer does not perceive it. Pride must be restrained because it clouds the judgment and leads to ruin, and to be kept from pride is to be preserved from death.
He first seeks to teach the truth in prosperity by speaking to the hearing over and over to turn man from his own purpose and hold back his soul from the pit, but man does not perceive it and will not bend to be molded after the divine likeness. When those first speakings fail, He speaks in a more forceful and impressive way through the other senses by permitting trial, affliction, sickness and pain, so that every trial teaches in suffering the lesson that was missed in prosperity. His voice may come at first as an unheard whisper and then speak more loudly through disease, calling the sufferer to recognize his need and turn back to God. He works in this way oftentimes with man to bring back his soul from the pit to be enlightened with the light of the living.
That chastening comes as pain upon the bed and strong pain in the bones, with emaciation, with bones sticking out, with loss of desire for food, and with drawing very near to the grave and to death. It is not accident or chance but correction to open ears that are dull of hearing, to withdraw man from proud purposes and turn him back to the path of right. He does not cast a person aside for failing to hear the first time but gives repeated opportunities to change the mind and transform the character from pride to humility, speaking once to show the error of the way and a second time to show the folly of the course. The speakings come in three distinct stages, first when He speaks directly to the man alone by Himself, second when He sends someone else to open his ears and seal instruction about the error of his way, and third when He speaks by pain and disease upon the bed, as repeated boiling is needed to destroy what survives the first.
He does not afflict willingly from His heart and does not desire to bring suffering and sickness, but His desire to save and lead to repentance compels Him to permit affliction when every other means to turn sinners from destruction has been exhausted. His repeated speaking exhorts them to turn from evil ways and live, holding back for a time the just penalty of transgression to give opportunity to repent. Only when they still continue in transgression does He permit the just harvest and natural consequence of sin to fall upon them, arranged as a last corrective effort to lead them to see the error of their way and the folly of resisting His love.
Heeding the Voice
God speaks more than once, yet people may fail to perceive it, and in the verses that follow he gives instruction and warnings to turn them from pride and destructive purposes and to save them from the pit and the sword. His warnings through the Spirit and its gifts must therefore be heeded and not dismissed as dreams or false prophecy. To refuse to attend to them is to reject the very means by which he opens eyes and ears and warns of danger. Because he has spoken plainly, no new revelation or repetition of his expressed will should be demanded when his word is refused belief. To persist in asking him to confirm or reverse what he has already made clear is sinful and leaves one open to deception, and to seek blessing apart from obedience to his word is not sanctification through truth.
His voice may first come as an unheard whisper and then speak more loudly through disease, calling the sufferer to recognize need and turn back to God. God works repeatedly with man to bring back his soul from the pit to be enlightened with the light of the living, and one way he does this is by chastening him with pain upon his bed and strong pain in the multitude of his bones. Pain is therefore his corrective voice and merciful discipline to rescue from spiritual ruin, not an enemy to be hushed and stifled with coal-tar drugs such as phenacetin and acetanilid. The same warning applies to the signs of bodily harm caused by improper eating, where pain and disease protest against neglect but people do not heed the lesson.