Article January 18, 1941 Issue

"Thus saith the Lord"

THOMAS L. LEISHMAN

The student of the prophetic writings of the Old Testament cannot fail to be impressed by a significant phrase which is repeated over and over again by the great spiritual leaders of that period, whom we know as prophets—"Thus saith the Lord;" while, in addition, we read that "The word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah" (Jer. 33:1); and so with many of the other great seers.

Here, surely, is evidence that these men were so imbued with the consciousness of their divine mission that they could and did confidently affirm that their words were in effect the words of God Himself, that their pronouncements were specifically sanctioned by Him. This consistent realization that their teachings and statements possessed divine authority freed these men from a sense of personal responsibility, and enabled them to hold their ground in the face of the most bitter opposition. It may not always have been easy for them to speak the stern words and judgments which they felt called upon to pronounce, but so compelling was their inspiration that it was harder for them to keep silence than it was for them to speak.

Jeremiah, for example, tells us that he had decided to end his work as a prophet, and to speak no more in the name of the Lord; but this he found to be impossible. "I said, I will not make mention of him," the prophet cries, "nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay" (Jer. 20:9). The divine message was as inescapable as it was urgent; and recognizing this fact, Jeremiah steadfastly carried on his prophetic activity throughout the dark years of the decline and fall of the Hebrew monarchy.

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