In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.
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“Let there be light!” These are the first spoken words in the whole of Scripture (Genesis 1:3). Word and light. Sound and sight. In the beginning.
The Lord could have snapped his fingers. He could have simply willed the world into being. But instead, he spoke. And he continued speaking during those days of Creation, his words spinning our very world into being.
The pattern was set. Words matter. The Lord spoke with Adam and Eve in the Garden in fellowship and command and then, when it was required, judgement. In it all, the Lord communicates.
He spoke with Abraham, calling him out of his homeland into a new country and a profound blessing. “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you … and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:2-3). Already God’s communication was hinting at a far greater blessing to come.
God spoke the Law to Moses, expressing his will and his call for Israel to be holy, even as he is holy. He spoke words of correction and rebuke through the prophets, together with his word of invitation, “Repent,” calling his people back from wrong-turns and rebellion. He communicated his heart.
One of his simplest messages was communicated through Haggai: “’I am with you,’ declares the Lord” (Haggai 1:13). And again and again, through the prophets, he spoke of a promised Redeemer,the Servant of the Lord, who would come to set God’s people free, establishing a new kingdom and a new covenant under which God’s people would receive new hearts – a new spirit would be placed within them, the Spirit of the Lord himself.
And then there was silence. For four hundred years, there was silence. Ringing. There was no word from the Lord, nor any prophet to speak it. The flow of communication had come to an abrupt halt, as if there was a dramatic pause in the symphony, a gap fraught with longing, building anticipation and yearning for the Lord’s voice to sound out once again.
And then it did. In the Person of God’s Son. In a manger in Bethlehem. On dusty roads. On a cross at Golgotha. The Lord’s voice rang out, clear and bright. Indeed, more clearly than ever before, for the divine word was now embodied. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
Word and light. Sound and sight. In the beginning. And right now. Here. In our experience. For our ears. For our eyes.
Praise God.
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Father, thank you that you are the God who speaks. From the beginning of Creation, till now, you have communicated. Thank you that you have left no doubt – your voice is clear, your communication so unmistakably given in the Person of Jesus.
I choose to listen. I choose to submit to your Word.
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Reflect: How will you listen more closely to the Lord’s voice today? Practically, what will that require?
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Photo by Jon Carlson on Unsplash
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