That is the reading of four verses but just one sentence. It is not easy to write such a long sentence that is easily understood, but this one is perfectly clear. If some high-school student were called upon to analyze this sentence and to underscore its principal clause, he would underscore these words, “God hath spoken.” These three words, “God hath spoken,” are the principal clause in this long sentence, and they express a very wonderful and a very profound truth. If you will just remember these three words and let them dwell in your heart, meditating upon them both day and night, the fullness of their meaning will unfold to you more and more as the days go by.
I
God Hath SPOKEN
It’s a wonderful thing that God hath spoken. Just try to imagine what condition this world would be in if God had never spoken. What if he had not spoken to Adam, to Noah, to Moses, or to any of our forefathers down through the centuries?
As a clue to the conditions which would prevail if God had not spoken, consider the places on earth today where the Bible is unknown; where its influence has had only a very remote and indirect effect. In such places we find backwardness, ignorance, disease, darkness. By way of contrast, you may consider our own country where the Bible is better known; though far from being fully and faithfully followed. Here we have an effective system of public education, industrial and scientific advancement, a comparatively high degree of intelligence, numerous charitable organizations and institutions, or what may be summarily described as a high standard of civilization.
If such material blessings come to those who even partially respect the word that God has spoken, just think how wonderful its influence would be if every individual were a faithful student and faithful follower of his word. The word that God has spoken makes a difference! If it were not for his word, we would be in total darkness. “It is not in man that walketh to direct his own steps.” The learned Grecian philosophers, with all of their wisdom, were not able to figure out a way of life that would lead to happiness on this earth, to say nothing of leading to salvation in that world which is to come. If God had not spoken, we would not know where we came from, we would not know where we are going, and we would not know what to do in the meantime. We owe all of our progress, not only spiritually but otherwise also, to the fact that God hath spoken. Oh, we could learn from the material universe that God is; we could learn that some sort of a great being had brought into existence all of the things we behold but if God had not spoken, we would not know his will concerning us. We would not know what he wants us to do. We would not know about the Way that leads to happiness here and hereafter. So I want you to meditate upon the fact that God hath spoken. I believe that that meditation will beget within you a feeling of gratitude for God’s word, a greater appreciation of it, and, therefore, a more careful study of it and a more diligent adherence unto it.
II
GOD Hath Spoken
Every word in our principal clause is significant. Not only is it important that God hath spoken, but it is important that God hath spoken—that God is the one who has done the speaking. Just think what that means! The great God of this universe, creator of heaven and earth and everything therein—God, who sprinkled the heavens with teeming millions of bright sparkling worlds, which we behold by night, and made these bodies of ours that are so wonderfully and fearfully constructed—God, who has all power and wisdom, and who is characterized by love, mercy, and tenderness—God, the everlasting God, hath spoken. God, the Holy and Living God of all the universe, hath condescended to speak unto us who are mere worms of the dust.
Sometimes we see a man on this earth who thinks himself too good to speak to some other man. Some folk will not speak to each other. We ought to stop and consider the fact that God hath spoken to us. Just think about how great he is, how holy he is, how pure he is, how powerful he is, and yet he condescended to speak unto us, who are weak and sinful creatures of earth! He wants us to hear him that we may enjoy the blessings that come from learning and obeying the word that he has spoken.
III
God HATH Spoken
But the other word in our text is also important—the word “hath.” It is present perfect tense. It means that God has already spoken. Our text does not say that God is continuing to speak but that God hath spoken, indicating that at the time this fact was recorded God’s revelation to the world through Christ had already been made. It had not all been put in written form, but the gospel had already been revealed. It was already in existence among men. The apostles had already been preaching for a number of years. At the time they finished committing the gospel to writing (about A.D. 96), it could truthfully be said that revelation was already complete.