This post may not be of much theological value but could come in handy in a game of Bible trivia. The phrase in the title above appears 61 times in the writings of the classical prophets in the NRSV Bible. It appears 49 times in Ezekiel, 10 times in Jeremiah, and twice in Zechariah.
There are a couple of other appearances of the phrase besides those in the classical prophet writings. In 1 Chronicles 22:18, the words are from dying King David explaining to son Solomon why he didn’t build a house for the Lord and why Solomon would do it. “But this word of the LORD came to me: You have shed much blood, and you have waged great wars. You may not build a house for my name, because you have shed too much blood upon the earth in my sight.” Well, to be completely honest and give credit where credit is due, David might have said that the word of the LORD came to him through Nathan the prophet. The interesting story is in 2 Samuel 7.
The 4 Esdras instance can, I think, be ignored since it is from an apocryphal book sometimes labeled 3 Esdras, 5 Ezra, 4 Ezra, or 6 Ezra. It is in the Latin Vulgate Appendix as 4 Esdras. I have not even tried to find it, let alone read it.
But, back to the Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah instances. We are immediately reminded of these words from the Nicene Creed: I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.
Well, there is some mighty theological value, the reason we take the writings of the Old Testament prophets seriously and search for meaning in them.
To think about that issue in modern terms, I suggest that if a living, campaigning, politician says, “The word of the Lord came to me,” and then keeps talking, we should vote for a different politician.
So, here is the trivia question: What Old Testament classical prophet made greatest use of the phrase, “The Word of the LORD came to me?” (I know, I usually can’t remember what I just read either.)