“The word of the Lord came to” a prophet is the phase identifying the legitimacy of their calling. But the phrase doesn’t make a lot of sense—at least in English. I’ve always understood it as God somehow revealing Himself and His truth. That is completely accurate. It is often associated with a vision but it isn’t limited to visual manifestations. And it definitely refers to audible words.
In Luke 3:2, the same phrase is used for John the Baptist, indicating that he was in the company of the prophets. “The word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.” Here the Greek word is rhēma, a general term for spoken or active communication. Nevertheless words don’t speak, people do. Saying a word “spoke” may have a symbolic meaning, as in “That poem really spoke to me.” But that is not how it is used in Scripture. The word of God “spoke” to the prophet commanding them to do or say something.
As I woke this morning, a thought came to mind: Throughout the Old Testament, when the word of the Lord spoke, it was Jesus the Word speaking. This is not a novel idea—most Bible scholars teach that every manifestation of God in the Old Testament was Jesus. That is what the first chapter of John teaches. Verse 14: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” And verse 18: “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.”
Therefore, every time anyone has seen a manifestation of God, it was Jesus. Theologians call these experiences theophanies—the appearance of a deity. If no one has ever seen God and Jesus the Word “has declared Him,” that seems to mean when the word of the Lord came to a prophet, it was Jesus speaking. The Word speaking, declaring, and revealing God. We know that in John, “Word” is the Greek logos, a synonym of rhēma but with a broader meaning including: something said, reasoning, thought, and logic.
Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). Here another Greek synonym for “word” is used, phōnē, referring to the actual sound. A person’s voice (phōnē) uses words (rhēma) to communicate meaning (logos). All of this is accomplished through the work of the Holy Spirit.
You and I, like the prophets of old, have access to the word of the Lord, but our access is exponentially greater! We have greater access to the written word of God than any generation before. As Christ-followers, we have greater access to the Holy Spirit than anyone in the Old Testament. This inspires me to read the Bible and believe for greater understanding and the ability to live out God’s Word in ways that no generation has ever seen. Saints, let’s make the most of what God has given us—read His Word, hear His Word, live His Word!