THE POWER OF GOD'S WORD - A: 15th Sun in OrdTime

First Reading: Isa 55:10-11 (16 July 2023)

“[S]o shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isa 55:11).

This passage states that God’s word is powerful at all times. It efficiently achieves its goal and it accomplishes its mission. To make it easily comprehensible, Isaiah used the imageries of the passage of seasons and the growth of edible grains, saying, “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater” (v. 10). This verse stipulates that God’s words will always find ways to be effective; it is dynamic and will never stop until it influences, affects, or changes something.

By and large, God’s word is not only a communication of message, rather it is his firm resolve and commitment to realize in the actual world its very content.

The Hebrew word used, here, is dabar, which does not only refer to a spoken word, but even to an accomplished task. Thus, the Hebrew lexicon (cf. HALOT) provides varied references of this term, viz., word (e.g., Psa 45:2), matter (e.g., 1 Kgs 15:5), something (e.g., Am 3:7), and God’s word (e.g., Judg 3:20). In this enumeration, the second and third meanings demonstrate that dabar can be denotative of an activity, concern, or deed. This viewpoint is corroborated by the Septuagint’s rendition of Isa 55:11 in Greek. Instead of using the more popular term logos, it uses rhema. While this term can also be denotative of a spoken “word, saying, expression, or statement of any kind,” it may also indicate “an event that can be spoken about, thing, object, matter” (cf. BDAG). This finds resonance in Gen 18:14 when Abraham’s visitor declared, “Is anything (dabar/rhema) too wonderful for the LORD? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son.” Clearly, what is stated here is an event or an occurrence that is to come in the future; soon, we read in Gen 21:1-3 that this prophecy was realized by Sarah’s birth of Isaac. Truly, God’s dabar was put to fruition. God would not only speak; he would undoubtedly enact his words.

This harmony between what-is-spoken with what-is-performed is the backbone of God’s salvific intervention for humankind. God created the world by the power of his word (cf. Genesis 1). The patriarchs uttered words that made their fold blindly follow them, as exemplified best by Abraham (cf. Genesis 12ff) and Moses (cf. Exodus 14). The prophets either used their divine mandate to speak in performing wonders (e.g., Elijah in 1 Kings 18) or made declarations that would occur in the future (e.g., Isaiah’s prediction of the Messiah’s coming in Isaiah 7).

Jesus and his disciples used words in doing miracles, such as the healing of the sick and the conversion of sinners (e.g., Mark 1; Acts 2–4). In a nutshell, God’s word is both affective and effective on those who hear it.

It is already a year since our Philippine government officials, both in the national and local stages, had sworn into office. Their so-called “grace period” is finally over in acclimating to their jobs and knowing the concrete needs of their constituents. We, thus, make them accountable for all the words that they uttered during the campaign period. Where are the promised economic stability, infrastructural developments, job security for laborers, equal opportunities to receive education and social services, lower poverty index, and a higher level of moral fiber? If they truly meant what they pledged, these leaders should have walked the talk and results are readily available by now. What have they done so far since winning the race? Where is the power of their spoken word?

- Rex Fortes, CM