The crowd perceived only a sound and since it came from the sky, it had to be thunder; others, perhaps those who had been following Jesus a little more closely, distinguished incomprehensible words, similar to the experience of Saul on the road to Damascus when those with him heard the sound but did not understand what was said (Acts 9:7; 22:9); and they attached the words to the voice of an angel; but those closest to Jesus who had spiritual ears, such as John, heard the Father and the things He was communicating. As Godet observes, “Thus, the wild beast perceives only a sound in the human voice; the trained animal discovers a meaning; a command, for example, which it immediately obeys; man alone discerns therein a thought.” Only a born-again Christian can fully understand what God says.

Acts 9:7  The men travelling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.

Acts 22:9  My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.

Lightfoot comments, “Unhappily, the multitude, owing to the half-light in which it lives, cannot discern or appreciate the import of the utterance from heaven.”

Hearing From God

• God wants to speak to us and He wants us to hear Him. (John 10:27)
  John 10:27  My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
• We can hear His voice. The most often repeated phrase of Jesus recorded in the Bible is, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (15 times). That means we can and should hear Him. The last 7 times (in Revelation) He adds “what the Spirit is saying” because Jesus is now in heaven and it is the Spirit Who is doing the talking.
• How do we hear God?
  • Make hearing God’s voice a priority in our lives. Like a mother who hears her baby crying in the night.
  • Shut out the unimportant things Like the person who lives next to a busy railroad track.
  • Practice makes perfect. 
  • Have a clean heart.
• How do we know it is Him?
  • His approach = gentle, kind, loving, seeking our best, not condemning (John 10:1, Rev 3:20).
    John 10:1  “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.
    
    Revelation 3:20  Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
  • What He says lines up with scripture.
  • Because of the results:
    • What He tells us will come to pass.
    • We will experience peace, encouragement, hope, understanding.
    • We will be drawn closer to Him.
  • How does God speak to us? What means does He use?
    • Any way He wants. He most commonly uses scripture; His still small voice; and other Christians. But He may use an audible voice (like here in John), writing on the wall, coincidences, miracles, talking donkeys, or anything else He desires. Don’t put Him in a box. Remember that God is the Creator and he may even use some form of communicating with you that he has never used before. He wants to talk to you. Expect Him to do so.

Note: a good book on this subject is Hearing God by Peter Lord.