8766. 'And now, if you will indeed hear My voice' means the acceptance of truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'hearing' as obedience, dealt with in 2542, 3869, 4652-4660, and since 'hearing' is obedience it is also acceptance, 5471, 5475, 7216; and from the meaning of 'the voice of Jehovah' as the Word, and so God's truth, dealt with in 219, 220, 6971, 7573.

220. 'His voice going to and fro' means that only a residue of perception was left, so small as to be solitary and inaudible, so to speak. This is also clear from the next verse in which it is said that Jehovah called out to the man. A similar usage occurs in Isaiah,

The voice of one crying in the wilderness; the voice said, Cry! Isaiah 40:3, 6.

'Wilderness' stands for a Church where no faith exists; 'the voice of one crying stands for the declaration of the Lord's coming, in general for every declaration of His coming, as is made to regenerate persons who have this dictate residing in them.