The power of the Word of God is established in the Tanakh, both by demonstration and by explanation. The most salient example of demonstration is in the creation, where God speaks creation into being with His Word:
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 Now the earth was unformed and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters. 3 And God said: 'Let there be light.' And there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day {P} (Mamre).
This passage demonstrates that everything becomes what God says it is in His Word. The Word comes first, then the change. Where there was darkness, GodÆs Word ôLet there be lightö transformed the darkness into light. In Genesis 17:5, God changes AbramÆs situation with His Word:
5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for the father of a multitude of nations have I made thee. 6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee (Mamre).
Although Abram and his wife were old and childless, the moment God changed AbramÆs name to Abrahamùa name that means ôfather of nationsöùAbramÆs situation began to change. His wife had their son Isaac when she was 90 years old, after being barren all her life, and eventually Abraham did become the father of nationsùinnumerable multitudes of people. God speaks to situations, and His Word changes them:
Psalm 33:6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.
Furthermore, GodÆs Word is settled forever in heaven, and God is faithful to see to it that every word of it comes to pass, making sure to keep all His promises that are found in it
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