In A Word: Behold!

In A Word: Behold!

CAUTION. In this era of amazing advances in technology, there are sometimes unexpected consequences that turn out to be harmful to our Christian faith. One of these harmful improvements is the flood of believers who read scripture online, on the smart phone, on the computer screen. I’m convinced there should be a warning label on every one of the online Bibles… CAUTION: SKIM AT YOUR OWN RISK. So many of us now read the Word like we would read our emails or social media or the daily news. We skim the material hurriedly, superficially, carelessly. We skim the Scripture. Skim-reading the Bible doesn’t really bury the seed very deeply, of course. And in our skimming, we would be more likely to just skip over an important word or phrase without thinking, a word that could be vital to the whole passage. The fact is, the Bible is full of single words or short phrases that are too important  to simply gloss over as if it wasn’t there. There are times in the Word when single words are intended to feed us, nourish our faith, stimulate us to think at a deeper level about the biblical text.

There are single words in Scripture that are like stop signs asking us to stop and consider carefully, to pause before moving forward in the reading. This series on my blog will try to unpack some of these power-packed words or phrases in Scripture… Words like: Behold; Rejoice; Truly; Woe; Blessed; Beware; Come; If. And I will attempt to also explore the meanings of some short phrases that are single words in the original biblical language, such as “Himeni” (Here I am); “Shema” (Listen and Do’); “Splagchnizonai” (deeply moved with compassion); “pistence” (believe), and “kal-v’chomer” (How much more).  If it is poetically possible to “see a world in a grain of sand, and a heaven in a wildflower, and hold infinity in the palm of your hand, and eternity in an hour,” as William Blake once imagined, then certainly we readers of Scripture can find a world of meaning in a single word, we can grasp something profound in a simple phrase.

Live Worship Moment — His Kingdom Now Is Come and Come Thou Long Expected Jesus (youtube.com)

Behold! (Hebrew, “Hinneh”; Greek “Idou”) The word Behold! is one of those significant words in the Word, an exclamation intended to get our attention. Listen, people, this is something you need to hear! Behold says to the audience… Look at this and take note! Pay heed to this! You would be wise to remember these words and think about them! Careful now, don’t be deaf to what I am about to say! Stop what you’re doing and listen up! As the Eastern Orthodox Christians say before they read the Gospel in the Liturgy… Attend! The following passages begins with Behold! So the words that follow must be important. As it turns out, unsurprisingly, these passages with Behold! summarize the Scriptures, and so we would do well to understand them.

The Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9, also refer to Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:28-44; John 12:12-19).

God’s Vision of Unity and Harmony. “Behold! Look, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers and sisters to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing – Life forevermore.”  (Psalm 133). 

The Glory of God’s Personal Presence. “Behold! God’s home is now among people! He will live with them and encamp with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will pitch His tent with His people, He will tabernacle with them as their God.”  (Rev. 21:3).

Welcoming the Friendship of Jesus. “Behold! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to share a meal at that person’s side. If you open the door within your heart, I will come in to you and feast with you, and you will feast with me. We will enjoy a meal together as friends.” (Rev. 3:20).

The Promise of Jesus to Return. “Behold! I am coming soon! Hold fast to what you have, so that no one may rob you and deprive you of your victor’s crown. Yes, I am coming suddenly, quickly. Keep a tight grip on what you have so no one distracts you and steals your crown of victory.” (Revelation 3:11).

Children of the Loving Father. “Behold! What manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! What an incredible quality of love the Father has given us! He calls us His children, and that is what we are. What marvelous love the Father has lavished on us. (1 John 3:1).

Don’t Delay Deliverance. “Behold! Now is the acceptable time. Now is the day of salvation. The right time to be saved is right now. Today is the day to be delivered by your Savior.” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

Everything Becomes New in Christ. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold! All things have become new. This means that anyone who belongs to Christ, who is enfolded into Christ, has become an entirely new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun.” (2 Corinthians 5:17). 

The Last Resurrection. “Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all die, but we shall be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the sound of the last trumpet call. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be transformed.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

The Time is Right for a Spiritual Harvest. “Behold! I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest. Open your eyes to what is right in front of you. The vast fields of ripened grain are ready for a spiritual harvest.” (John 4:35).

Jesus, the Lamb of God. “The very next day, the Baptizer saw Jesus coming to him to be baptized, and John cried out, ‘Behold! Look! There He is – God’s Lamb who will take away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

The Virtuous Maid Surrenders to the Lord. “Then Mary said, ‘Behold! I am the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word. May everything you have told me come to pass.’ And the angel departed from her.” (Luke 1:38).

The Heavenly Birth Announcement. “And the angel said to the shepherds, ‘Behold! I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people! For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. So don’t be afraid at my appearance, for this is the most joyous news the world has ever heard! A Rescuer was born for you! This is a joy to be shared by the whole world. This Deliverer that has been born is the Messiah, the Lord! And this will be the sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:10-12).

The Mysterious Conception. “And the angel Gabriel said to Mary, ‘Rejoice, highly favored one, full of grace! The Lord is with you; blessed are you among women. Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And Behold! You will conceive in your womb and give birth to a baby boy, a Son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High.” (Luke 1:28-32).

The Surprising Midnight Appearnce. “While the bridegroom was delayed, the bridesmaids all became drowsy and fell asleep. And at midnight a cry was heard, ‘Behold! He is here! Get up, the bridegroom is coming! Go out and greet him!” (Matthew 25:5-6).

The Faith of the Friends. “After the Gadarene demoniac was healed and the demons cast into a herd of pigs, Jesus stepped into a boat a crossed over the Sea to his adopted hometown of Capernaum.  Behold! They brought a man who was paralyzed and lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw the faith of the friends who brought him, He said to the paralyzed man, ‘Cheer up! Your sins are forgiven!’ The scribes mumbled to themselves, ‘Who does He think He is? Only God can forgive sins!’ Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said to the scribes, ‘It would be easy for me to simply say Your sins are forgiven. But to prove to you that I am God, watch this. Jesus turned to the paralyzed and forgiven man and said, ‘Rise up, pick up your stretcher and go home!’ Sure enough, the paralyzed man was healed by Jesus, and immediately stood up and returned home, carrying his stretcher.” (Matthew 9:1-8).

Redemption and Restoration. “Behold! I am about to do something new! I have already begun, and you shall suddenly perceive it. Will you not be aware of it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. Even now it shall come to pass. It is bursting forth, a road through the desert, a river through the waste land.” (Isaiah 43:19).

The Mind without God. “Behold! I will again do a marvelous work among this people, a marvelous work and a wonder. I will once again astound these hypocrites with amazing wonders. For the wisdom of their wise ones shall perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will disappear. The understanding of their prudent ones shall be hidden. The wise ones who had it all figured out will be exposed as fools.  The smart people who thought they knew everything will turn out to know nothing at all. Behold! Pay attention to these words! (Isaiah 29:14).

A Fearless Faith. “Behold! God is my salvation. Surely it is God who saves me! I will trust in Him and not be afraid. For the Lord is my strength and song. He is my stronghold and my sure defense. And He will be my Savior. I  will not be afraid, for the Lord is my glory and my praise. Behold! The Lord gives me triumph! I am confident and unafraid. He has been my deliverance.” (Isaiah 12:2).

Inner Truth, Deep Wisdom. “Behold! You desire truth in the inner parts of me, truth from the inside out. You love truth and honesty, and you want it held deep-down in my heart. You want me to know wisdom, in fact you teach me wisdom in secret, in my hidden part where no one sees but you. Teach me your truth then, Lord, in my innermost being. Behold! Listen to my plea.” (Ps. 51:6).

Born into Sin. “Behold! I was brought forth in iniquity. I was born a guilty sinner from the moment my mother conceived me. I’ve been out of step with you for a long time; I’ve been in the wrong since before I was born.” (Psalm 51:5).

Reverent and In Awe. “Then Job answered the Lord… ‘Behold! I am unworthy, I am insignificant and of small account. How can I reply to You? How could I answer You? I am speechless, in awe – Words fail me. I should never have opened my mouth. I will cover my mouth with my hands.” (Job 40:3-4).

A Living Sacrifice of Obedience. “Behold! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22).

Phil Wickham – Behold (Live from Anaheim) ft. Anne Wilson (youtube.com)