The Word
Isn’t ‘the word of the Lord’ an expression meaning: ‘the message of the Lord’? Most often, yes. It usually is. But Samuel, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel don’t just hear the message of the Lord, they are visited by the word of the Lord, who has a form and speaks as YHVH.
1 Samuel 3:
1 …the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. [the word is seen]
10 And the Lord came and stood… [and the word stands]
21 And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, because the Lord [YHVH] revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord. [God, YHVH, appears revealing Himself by the word of the Lord]
Jeremiah 1:
4 …Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying…
9 Then the Lord [YHVH] put out his hand and touched my mouth.
Ezekiel 1:
3 the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest
4 As I looked, behold…
26 and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance. And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him. Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around.
28 Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord [YHVH].
Jesus is God
John 1: (NLT)
In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.
God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.
So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only [unique] Son.
John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me. [1:29-30]’” From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.
Jesus is God and was with God in the beginning. He made the world and everything in it (Psalm 33:6&9, Isaiah 48:13). The Word (God) became flesh and lived among us in the person of Jesus.