"God said, Let there be light; and there was light. ... God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. and it was so. ... God said, Let the waters under the firmament be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear; and it was so. ... God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth; and it was so. ... God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind; and it was so." (Genesis 1:3,6-7,9,11,24) "He sends forth His commandment upon earth; His Word runs very swiftly. He gives snow like wool; He scatters the hoar frost like ashes. He casts forth His ice like morsels; who can stand before His cold? He sends out His Word, and melts them; He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow." (Psalm 147:15-18) "Fire and hail; snow, and vapors, stormy wind fulfilling His Word." (Psalm 148:8) "For He said to the snow, Be on the earth; likewise to the small rain, and to the great rain of His strength." (Job 37:6) "Let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these comes of evil." (Matthew 5:37) "Let him that stole, steal no more. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." (Ephesians 4:28-29) "Let all bitterness, and wrath and anger, and clamor and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice; And be kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you." (Ephesians 4:31-32) "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 2:5) "Let the peace of God rule in your hearts. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom." (Colossians 3:15-16) "He that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips that they speak no guile. Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it." (1 Peter 3:10-11) "Let love be without dissimulation." (Romans 12:9) "I know that His commandment is life everlasting." (John 12:50) "I will hear what God the Lord will speak; for He will speak peace unto His people, and to His saints." (Psalm 85:8) "Incline your ear, and come unto me; hear, and your soul shall live." (Isaiah 55:3) Then I opened my mouth, and spoke, and said unto him that stood before me, O my Lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength. For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me. Then there came again and touched me One like the appearance of a man, and He strengthened me, and said, O man greatly beloved, fear not; peace be unto you, be strong, yea, be strong. And when He had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my Lord speak; for You have strengthened me." (Daniel 10:16-19)
Note from these texts that whatever God says is so. This does not mean merely that He tells the truth, but that whatever He says ought to be, comes to pass. "[He] calls those things that be not as though they were." (Romans 4:17)
The very calling of their names brings them into existence. His Word creates. When God wanted the earth and the things that are on it to come into being, He simply said, "Let them exist," and immediately they were.
Therefore if anyone wishes to learn the way of life and righteousness, "Ask now the beasts, and they shall teach you, and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell you: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach you; and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto you. Who knows not in all these that the hand of the Lord has wrought this?" (Job 12:7-9)
What will these teach us? They will teach us that if we hear what God the Lord speaks, we shall have life and peace. There is life in simply hearing the Word of the Lord. "Verily, verily I say unto you, He that hears my Word, and believes on Him that sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live. ... Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, And shall come forth." (John 5:24-25,28-29)
Read the story of Lazarus, of the daughter of Jairus, and of the son of the widow of Nain, to see the life-giving power that there is in the Word of the Lord. Now, "These are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have life through His name." (John 20:31)
When the prophet Daniel had a vision from God he lost all strength, and even his breath left his body. Then the Lord spoke to him, and said: "be strong, yea, be strong." (Daniel 10:19)
And immediately he was strengthened. That same Word says to us: "Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might." (Ephesians 6:10) "Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 2:1) "Have not I commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid neither be dismayed; for the Lord your God is with you whithersoever you go." (Joshua 1:9; Compare with Isaiah 41:10-16) It will be well worthwhile to look up many other places in the Bible where direct commands are given, and whenever one is found, instead of thinking, "What a hard thing to do!" remember that the word which commands that these things be done is the same word that says to the snow, "Be on the earth," (Job 37:6) and which commands the rain to fall. It is the same word that in the beginning created all things, and caused "the light to shine out of darkness." (2 Corinthians 4:6) "This commandment which I command you this day, it is not too hard for you, neither is it far off." (Deuteronomy 30:11,RV)
If we hear the Word of the Lord, not for one moment merely, but continually, it will be as easy for us to do according to the commandments of God as it was for the earth to bring forth grass at His command. The dead do not do anything to make themselves live; they simply hear the voice of the Lord, and live. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live." (John 5:25)
So our part, when we are dead in trespasses and sins, is to listen continually to what the Lord says, and we shall live and be strong. Remember that God's Word is always the creative word. Read the following very carefully: "This He ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when He went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not. I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots. You called in trouble, and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder: I proved you at the waters of Meribah. Selah. Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto you: O Israel, if you will hearken unto me; There shall no strange god be in you; neither shall you worship any strange god. I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt: open your mouth wide, and I will fill it." (Psalm 81:5-10)
See what a wonderful promise God makes to His people, that if they will only hearken unto Him there shall be no strange god found among them, and no false god shall be worshiped by them. He will take the idols away. Now read Exodus 20:1-3, and see that this is the same thing: "And God spoke all these words, saying, I am the Lord your God, which have brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20:1-3)
From this learn that all the commandments of God are but "exceeding great and precious promises," (2 Peter 1:4) of what He will do for us if we will but heed His words.--Present Truth, December 1, 1898.