The Speaking Word

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:1-5

God spoke the world into existence. Everything that we see, He created by His Word, filling the void of darkness with light and abundant life.

In Exodus 20, God spoke again directly to Moses on Mount Sinai. With His Word and with His hand, he gave to Israel the Ten Commandments and the Law.

Isaiah heard God speak, when God sent him as a prophet to the nation of Israel. God instructed Isaiah to speak the Word of the Lord and rebuke a nation that had turned a deaf ear to the God who created and preserved them.

Throughout the Old Testament, God communicated His law, His purposes, and His character with His voice. And He used a variety of means – mediators, judges, prophets, and even a donkey. But one thing remains constant through the generations – His primary mode of communication has always been the AUDIBLE, SPOKEN WORD.

God’s method remains the same in the New Testament, and in Christ’s birth we see the fulfillment of the spoken Law and prophecies accomplished in one man. Through the personhood of Christ Jesus, God’s spoken word takes on a visible form and voice – but His method, His Word, continues to speak to humanity.

Jesus’ earthly ministry was defined by spoken word – his oral method of teaching and communication fit perfectly (through the wisdom of God) in a world where the majority of people did not read or write… And moreover, through His teaching, he declared Himself to be the Messiah, the fulfillment of the law and prophets, and the Word who put on flesh and dwelt among us.

In Mark 9, the scene of Christ’s transfiguration, God again SPOKE audibly, this time to Peter, James and John, and He declared directly about Jesus, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” God spoke to these men and revealed Jesus as the promised Messiah. He spoke then, He is speaking now, and our appropriate response is to HEAR His voice.

Hebrews 1:1-4 explains God’s heart for communication perfectly:

“God, after He SPOKE long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has SPOKEN to us in His son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.”

Through history, through Christ, and still today, God continues to speak through His Word and through the Holy Spirit. Through our faith in Christ and confession of His Lordship, we are forgiven and reconciled to God. We have learned this through God’s Word.

But what about those who are still waiting to hear His Spoken Word in their languages?

In his letter to the Romans, Paul highlights the problem of access, “And how will they believe in him if they have not heard of him?”

To believe in Christ and respond to Christ, people need to first hear of Christ. And yet, there are many who haven’t heard. They are unreached and waiting to learn that God saves and speaks. They cannot come to a saving faith in Jesus without hearing of Him and hearing Him.

At Davar, this is our mission – to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ and the spoken word of God – the Bible – in a language and format people can understand and hear.