The God Who Speaks - Jacob Heater

The God Who Speaks

Published on: 02/02/2026

Examples of sensory revelation in scripture

We have now established that God cannot be a product of human reorganization. Humans have never created anything that exceeds the constraints of nature, and therefore humans cannot create the concept of a transcendent God. If we possess awareness of God, that awareness can only be explained through revelation.

We have also examined the limitations of naturalism—its circular reasoning, its inability to prove negatives, and its self-imposed constraints that prevent it from addressing supernatural conceptualizations. The framework of revelation and reorganization does not oppose naturalism; it explains its explanatory power while accounting for what naturalism cannot address.

The question that remains is this: If God has revealed himself to us, how has he done so?

The Biblical record provides a compelling answer. Throughout Scripture, God is portrayed as a God who speaks—not merely in spiritual or esoteric ways, but in ways that engage the physical senses of his creation. This is a distinct characteristic of the Bible as a holy text. God interacts with humans in audible, visible, and perceivable ways. The Hebrew and Greek texts make this unmistakably clear.

In the Garden with Adam and Eve

The Genesis account establishes from the very beginning that God dwelt with humans and communicated with them directly.

'And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."'

Genesis 2:8, 15-17 ESV

In this passage, God spoke directly with Adam in the Garden. A thorough analysis of the word "saying" shows that this is not merely a spiritual communication. According to Strong's Concordance entry H559:

Strong's #559: 'amar (pronounced aw-mar')

a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude):--answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use (speech), utter, X verily, X yet.

This analysis leads us to conclude that God did, in fact, speak directly with Adam. Adam had a direct experience of God in the Garden. This demonstrates that God revealed himself to man by dwelling with us in the Garden that he created for us. More importantly is the intentionality of these decisions in that Adam was not in control of how, when, and where God chose to reveal himself.

Physically Hearing God's Presence

After Adam and Eve had sinned by eating the fruit that they were commanded not to eat, we can see that Adam and Eve were physically aware of God's presence.

'And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. The man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.'

Genesis 3:8 ESV

Let's analyze precisely what these words mean in the Hebrew context. Did Adam and Eve really hear God walking in the Garden?

The word "heard" is found in H8085 of Strong's Concordance:

Strong's #8085: shama' (pronounced shaw-mah')

a primitive root; to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.):--X attentively, call (gather) together, X carefully, X certainly, consent, consider, be content, declare, X diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make to) hear(-ken, tell), X indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be) obedient, obey, perceive, (make a) proclaim(-ation), publish, regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, X surely, tell, understand, whosoever (heareth), witness.

The word "walking" is found in H1980 of Strong's Concordance:

Strong's #1980: halak (pronounced haw-lak')

akin to 3212; a primitive root; to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively):--(all) along, apace, behave (self), come, (on) continually, be conversant, depart, + be eased, enter, exercise (self), + follow, forth, forward, get, go (about, abroad, along, away, forward, on, out, up and down), + greater, grow, be wont to haunt, lead, march, X more and more, move (self), needs, on, pass (away), be at the point, quite, run (along), + send, speedily, spread, still, surely, + tale-bearer, + travel(-ler), walk (abroad, on, to and fro, up and down, to places), wander, wax, (way-)faring man, X be weak, whirl.

Based on the analysis of these two words we can clearly see that Adam and Eve perceived God's walking through their audible senses. He was present with them physically in the Garden. This is made known by the intentional word choice that God revealed to the author that God dwelt with humans in the Garden.

The Burning Bush

God's sensory revelation to humanity did not end in the Garden. Consider the encounter between God and Moses at the burning bush.

'And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, "I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned." When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am."'

Exodus 3:2-4 ESV

In this passage there are a few key words that we will consult Strong's Concordance on.

"Lord" in the context of Angel of the Lord is found in H3068:

Strong's #3068: Yhovah (pronounced yeh-ho-vaw')

from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord. Compare 3050, 3069.

"God called" is found in H430 and H7121:

Strong's #430: 'elohiym (pronounced el-o-heem')

plural of 433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:--angels, X exceeding, God (gods)(-dess, -ly), X (very) great, judges, X mighty.

Strong's #7121: qara' (pronounced kaw-raw')

a primitive root (rather identical with 7122 through the idea of accosting a person met); to call out to (i.e. properly, address by name, but used in a wide variety of applications):--bewray (self), that are bidden, call (for, forth, self, upon), cry (unto), (be) famous, guest, invite, mention, (give) name, preach, (make) proclaim(-ation), pronounce, publish, read, renowned, say.

A thorough analysis of these word choices shows that God interacted with Moses through his visual and auditory senses. Moses saw the burning bush phenomenon and heard God call out to him. God audibly called out to Moses.

God Answers Job from the Whirlwind

The book of Job provides another striking example of God's sensory revelation. After Job's extended dialogue with his friends, God himself speaks—not through a messenger, not through a vision, but directly from the whirlwind.

'Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?"'

Job 38:1-2 ESV

Let's examine the Hebrew terms. "Lord" is again H3068 (Yhovah). "Answered" is found in H6030:

Strong's #6030: 'anah (pronounced aw-naw')

a primitive root; properly, to eye or (generally) to heed, i.e. pay attention; by implication, to respond; by extens. to begin to speak; specifically to sing, shout, testify, announce:--give account, afflict (by mistake for 6031), (cause to, give) answer, bring low (by mistake for 6031), cry, hear, Leannoth, lift up, say, X scholar, (give a) shout, sing (together by course), speak, testify, utter, (bear) witness.

"Whirlwind" is found in H5591:

Strong's #5591: ca'ar (pronounced sah'-ar)

or (feminine) ctarah {seh-aw-raw'}; from 5590; a hurricane:--storm(-y), tempest, whirlwind.

"Said" is again H559 ('amar).

A thorough analysis of Job's interaction with God is that God reveals his character to Job in a direct way of communicating with him in the storm. We can know that Job heard God because of his response:

'Then Job answered the Lord and said:'

Job 40:3 ESV

Job "answered" (H6030) the "Lord" (H3068). This interaction demonstrates that Job was able to communicate with God and to hear God's voice speaking to him.

A Voice from Heaven

Throughout Scripture, God's voice is described as audible—perceivable through the physical sense of hearing. Consider these passages:

'Then the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of words, but saw no form; there was only a voice.'

Deuteronomy 4:12 ESV

'And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder.'

Exodus 19:19 ESV

'And behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."'

Matthew 3:17 ESV

'Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven: "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him."'

John 12:28-29 ESV

'And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting."'

Acts 9:4-5 ESV

The relevant Greek and Hebrew terms bear examination. "Spoke" in Deuteronomy 4:12 is H1696 (dabar), meaning to speak or declare. "Voice" is H6963 (qowl):

Strong's #6963: qowl (pronounced kole)

or qol {kole}; from an unused root meaning to call aloud; a voice or sound:--+ aloud, bleating, crackling, cry (+ out), fame, lightness, lowing, noise, + hold peace, (pro-)claim, proclamation, + sing, sound, + spark, thunder(-ing), voice, + yell.

In the Greek New Testament passages, "voice" is G5456 (phone):

Strong's #5456: phone (pronounced fo-nay')

probably akin to 5316 through the idea of disclosure; a tone (articulate, bestial or artificial); by implication, an address (for any purpose), saying or language:--noise, sound, voice.

"Heaven" in John 12:28 is G3772 (ouranos):

Strong's #3772: ouranos (pronounced oo-ran-os')

perhaps from the same as 3735 (through the idea of elevation); the sky; by extension, heaven (as the abode of God); by implication, happiness, power, eternity; specially, the Gospel (Christianity):--air, heaven(-ly), sky.

"Heard" in Acts 9:4 is G191 (akouo):

Strong's #191: akouo (pronounced ak-oo'-o)

a primary verb; to hear (in various senses):--give (in the) audience (of), come (to the ears), (shall) hear(-er, -ken), be noised, be reported, understand.

All these verses share a common denominator of an audible voice. In some passages it is compared metaphorically to a thundering sound, but the audience is capable of understanding it as words. This indicates that God's voice was audible to our auditory senses.

The Significance of Sensory Revelation

The consistent testimony of Scripture is that God has revealed himself to humanity in ways that engage our physical senses. He walked in the Garden. His footsteps were audible. His voice thundered from the whirlwind and from heaven. He appeared in fire that did not consume. He spoke directly to patriarchs, prophets, and apostles.

This is not an esoteric God who hides himself from human perception. This is a God who chooses to make himself known in ways that we can perceive—even if we cannot fully comprehend how it is achieved.

More importantly, the intentionality of these decisions demonstrates that humans are not in control of how, when, and where God reveals himself. God chooses to reveal himself as he chooses. The revelation comes from him, not from us. We cannot coerce God to appear. We cannot demand that he speak. He initiates; we respond.

This is precisely what we would expect if the framework of revelation and reorganization is correct. We cannot create God through reorganization. We can only become aware of God through his revelation. And the Biblical record testifies that God has revealed himself not only spiritually but sensorially—through direct, perceivable interaction with his creation.

But sensory revelation is not the only way God has made himself known. Scripture also testifies to dreams, visions, and the still small voice—spiritual modes of revelation that engage something deeper than our physical senses. That is where we will turn next.