“The word of the Lord” is an expression that occurs 242 times in the Old Testament. It is a claim
that God has spoken and a demand that he be heard. It is not the only way that
the writers of the Old Testament choose to convey the truth that God has something
to say, but it is probably their most prominent and frequent way of
expressing it.
The word of the Lord is unspeakably powerful. The psalmist records that by it
“the heavens were made”. Sometimes the word of the Lord tells great men of
great things to come. Other times it warns of impending judgment. Still other times it appears to address and correct
a small, technical injustice, or to
establish a personal relationship. It may operate on a grand scale, or intimately and personally.
