“Don’t you use that tone of voice with me!”
“Is something bothering you?
Your tone seems a bit off.”
The way we say what we say is a critical part of all verbal communication. It conveys what we mean almost as much as the words we use. If you are anything like me, then you’ve had moments where you have used words which were harmless in and of themselves, but it was the way you said them which gave them their direction and meaning. Your tone of voice made them helpful or harmful, encouraging or disheartening, a blessing or a curse.
As I have read Scripture in the last few months, I have become increasingly interested in how God says what He says, not just what He says. I have found myself looking to understand not just the content, but the tone of voice He is using. This can be quite a task when the words being communicated are written on a page and not spoken aloud.
Everyone who engages with scripture hears a tone of voice in what they read, and the tone we hear is directly connected to the way we see him. If we see him as judgemental and harsh, we will read his words as being edgy and tinged with frustration. If we see him as the loving father he is, then his words will carry a fatherly encouragement or urgency.
Here’s a prayer I have been praying before I start reading scripture: “God, I want to understand how you are saying things, not just what you are saying. Can you please help me to hear your tone of voice.” Then I read slowly – sometimes only a few verses a day. I read them and then I stop and think about what they mean, what I know about God’s character, what he is saying, and how he intends for his words to be heard.
One of the hardest places to hear warmth in God’s tone of voice is within the books of the law – Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. Chapter after chapter you are confronted with the details and regulations of God’s covenant with Israel and the inescapable judgement which will come upon them if they disobey him. It is a tough read for many. To make matters worse, each of these books has a sprinkling of stories about those who ran afoul of God’s law and met their demise. Hearing anything other than a vengeful, harsh voice in these books can be a real uphill battle.
Enter Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy is Moses’ last sermon to the people of Israel before they enter the Promised Land. They are his final words, and they are significant. Not just because they are the last words Israel will hear from Moses, but because there is no one better to help you understand the tone of God’s words than the one whom God spoke to as a man speaks with his friend (Exodus 33:11). Of all people, he would be the one who could capture the heart of God in all the things he said, including the law.
One of the things you see in Deuteronomy which helps you to get a sense of God’s tone in the law is the connection Moses makes between love and obedience. You can’t separate them. What’s more, he clearly teaches Israel about which comes first, and which one follows. When it comes to God, obedience always follows love. If you love God most, then obedience is easy.
As I have read Scripture in the last few months, I have become increasingly interested in how God says what He says, not just what He says. I have found myself looking to understand not just the content, but the tone of voice He is using. This can be quite a task when the words being communicated are written on a page and not spoken aloud.
Everyone who engages with scripture hears a tone of voice in what they read, and the tone we hear is directly connected to the way we see him. If we see him as judgemental and harsh, we will read his words as being edgy and tinged with frustration. If we see him as the loving father he is, then his words will carry a fatherly encouragement or urgency.
Here’s a prayer I have been praying before I start reading scripture: “God, I want to understand how you are saying things, not just what you are saying. Can you please help me to hear your tone of voice.” Then I read slowly – sometimes only a few verses a day. I read them and then I stop and think about what they mean, what I know about God’s character, what he is saying, and how he intends for his words to be heard.
One of the hardest places to hear warmth in God’s tone of voice is within the books of the law – Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. Chapter after chapter you are confronted with the details and regulations of God’s covenant with Israel and the inescapable judgement which will come upon them if they disobey him. It is a tough read for many. To make matters worse, each of these books has a sprinkling of stories about those who ran afoul of God’s law and met their demise. Hearing anything other than a vengeful, harsh voice in these books can be a real uphill battle.
Enter Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy is Moses’ last sermon to the people of Israel before they enter the Promised Land. They are his final words, and they are significant. Not just because they are the last words Israel will hear from Moses, but because there is no one better to help you understand the tone of God’s words than the one whom God spoke to as a man speaks with his friend (Exodus 33:11). Of all people, he would be the one who could capture the heart of God in all the things he said, including the law.
One of the things you see in Deuteronomy which helps you to get a sense of God’s tone in the law is the connection Moses makes between love and obedience. You can’t separate them. What’s more, he clearly teaches Israel about which comes first, and which one follows. When it comes to God, obedience always follows love. If you love God most, then obedience is easy.
For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
Deuteronomy 30:16
Can you see how this helps you get your head around the tone of voice God is using?
This tone of voice in Deuteronomy bears some similarities to the tone used in the book of Proverbs. There is a kind of persuasive, fatherly flavour to it – the kind a father uses to persuade their child about where they can find the richest life.
This tone of voice in Deuteronomy bears some similarities to the tone used in the book of Proverbs. There is a kind of persuasive, fatherly flavour to it – the kind a father uses to persuade their child about where they can find the richest life.
My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity.
Proverbs 3:1–2
God’s ultimate goal in speaking to you is not to scare you into conformity, but to lead you to where true life is found. His words are meant to nourish you, guide you, comfort you, and correct you—every one of them, even the hard ones.