C. H.
Spurgeon
(Excerpt from a sermon delivered in 1888 At the Metropolitan Tabernacle)
" The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."- Isaiah 1:20
What Isaiah said was, therefore spoken by Jehovah. It was audibly the utterance of a man; but, really, it was the utterance of the Lord himself. The lips which delivered the words were those of Isaiah, but yet it was the very truth that "The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." All Scripture, being inspired of the Spirit, is spoken by the mouth of God. However this sacred Book may be treated nowadays, it was not treated contemptuously, nor negligently, nor questioningly by the Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and Lord.
It is noteworthy how He reverenced the written Word. The Spirit of God rested upon Him personally, without measure, and He could speak out of His own mind the revelation of God, and yet He continually quoted the law and the prophets, and the Psalms; and always He treated the scared writings with intense reverence, strongly in contrast with the irreverence of " Modern thought" I am sure, brethren, we cannot be wrong in imitating the example of our Divine Lord in our reverence for that Scripture, which cannot be broken. I say, if He, the anointed of the Spirit, and able to speak Himself as God's mouth, yet quoted the scared writings, and used the Holy Book in His teachings, how much more should we, who have no spirit of prophecy resting upon us, and are not able to speak new revelations, come back to the law and to the testimony, and value every single word which "The mouth of the Lord Hath spoken "? The like valuation of the Word of the Lord is seen in our Lord's apostles; for they treated the ancient Scriptures as supreme in authority, and supported their statements with passages from Holy Writ. The utmost degree of deference and homage is paid to the Old Testament by the writers of the New. We never find an apostle raising a question about the degree of inspiration in this book or that. No disciple of Jesus questions the authority of the books of Moses, or of the prophets. If you want to cavil or suspect, you find no sympathy in the teaching of Jesus or any one of His apostles. The New Testament writers sit reverently down before the Old Testament and receive God's words as such, without any question whatever. You and I belong to a school which will continue to do the same, let others adopt what behavior they please. As for us and our house, this priceless Book shall remain the standard of our faith and the ground of our hope so long as we live. Others may choose what gods they will, and follow what authorities they prefer, but, as for us, the glorious Jehovah is our God, and we believe concerning each doctrine of the entire Bible, that "The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."
In the second place, "The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. "THIS IS THE CLAIM OF GOD'S WORD UPON YOUR ATTENTION.
Every word which God has given us in this Book claims our attention, because of the infinite majesty of Him that spoke it. I see before me a Parliament of kings and princes, sages and senators. I hear one after another of the gifted Chrysostoms pour forth eloquence like the "Goldened-Mouthed". They speak, and they speak well. Suddenly, there is a solemn hush. What a stillness! Who is now to speak? They are silent because God the Lord is about to lift up His voice. Is it not right that they should do so? Doth he not say, "Keep silence before me, O islands"? What voice is like His? "The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars; yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. The voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh." See that ye refuse not Him that speaketh. O my hearer, let it not be said of you that you went through this life, God speaking to you in His book, and you refusing to hear! It matters very little whether you listen to me or not; but it matters a very great deal whether you listen to God or not. It is He that made you; in His hands your breath is; and if He speaks, I implore you, open your ear, and not be rebellious. There is an infinite majesty about every line of Scripture, but especially about that part of Scripture in which the Lord reveals himself and His glorious plan of saving grace, in the Person of His dear Son Jesus Christ. The cross of Christ hath a great claim upon you. Hear what Jesus preaches from the tree. He says, "Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live."