Behold

“Ah Lord God!  Behold, thou hast made the heavens and the earth by thy great power and stretched arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:”  Jeremiah 32:17 (KJV)

“Behold” is a strong word used often in the Bible.  It shows up most often in the King James Translation, and we don’t use it much today, but it has great importance in the Word of God.   Perhaps today’s best interpretation of the word is, “Pay attention!” or “Listen up; this is important!”  I believe that God says the same thing in creation without words, but by the beauty He created.  For example, I might say, “Behold the mountains of Olympic National Park.”  God got our attention by creating this beautiful block of stark splendor.  It catches our attention, and, to me, it says, “Hey, look at this and enjoy it.  I created it just for you.  See it as a symbol of my strength.”  It draws me to our Creator.

One very important “behold” is found in Isaiah 65:1, which says, “I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not; I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.”  According to Matthew Henry in his commentary on this and following verses, this is the “calling in” of the Gentiles.  This makes this “behold” of paramount importance to us for now salvation is made available to us.  God is now moving His boundary to include those who are not members of the nation of Israel. 

In Revelation 3:20, Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice , and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”  What would I do if Jesus knocked at my door?  He has, he has knocked at the door of my heart, and to my great eternal joy, I invited Him in.  He is still here.  He will never leave.  He and I will have fellowship throughout eternity.  Jesus knocks at the door of every man’s heart.  It is entirely each man’s choice to let Him in or to deny Him entrance.  Graciously, Jesus will wait as long as there is a possibility that the door will be opened, but there is a time when that is no longer possible--death.  No man can change His mind once death closes the door.

Revelations 21:3 speaks of what happens to those who have invited Jesus in.  “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.”  The chapter goes on to say that there will be no more death, pain, sorrow, or crying for they have been eliminated forever.  What a great “behold” that will be.  I am looking forward to it with great anticipation.

Come back next time for more “Beholds.”