He is the one who comes after me, who is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I'm not worthy to loosen."

 (ii) Of that general idea of the power of words, the Old Testament is full. Once Isaac had been deceived into blessing Jacob instead of Esau, nothing he could do could take that word of blessing back again ( Genesis 27:1-46). The word had gone out and had begun to act and nothing could stop it. In particular we see the word of God in action in the Creation story. At every stage of it we read: "And God said..." ( Genesis 1:3; Genesis 1:6; Genesis 1:11). The word of God is the creating power. Again and again we get this idea of the creative, acting, dynamic word of God. "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made" ( Psalms 33:6). "He sent forth his word and healed them" ( Psalms 107:20). "He sent forth his commands to the earth; his word runs swiftly" ( Psalms 147:15). "So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it" ( Isaiah 55:11). "Is not my word like fire, and, says the Lord, like a hammer which breaks the rock in pieces?" ( Jeremiah 23:29). "Thou spakest from the beginning of creation, even the first day, and saidst thus: ' Let heaven and earth be made.' And thy word was a perfect work" ( 2Esther 6:38). The writer of the Book of Wisdom addresses God as the one, "who hast made an things with thy word" ( Wis_9:1 ). Everywhere in the Old Testament there is this idea of the powerful, creative word. Even men's words have a kind of dynamic activity; how much more must it be so with God? 