Behold!
There are over a thousand “Behold”s in the Bible.
It means “Stop, Look”….or “Look and see here.”
In most of them, God is speaking to His people to “get their attention” about His Word to them.
The first “Behold” was spoken by God to Adam and Eve.
It was for their provision….their supply of good things.
Genesis 1:29 “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.”
God did not just create Adam and Eve, and set them in a place and say…..
…”Here you go. Find food, and see to things, yourself….do the best you can.”
No,…..as God shows us, in the very first time He spoke to them….
….as their God, He had provided for their needs.
In the last chapter of the Bible….is the last “Behold”.
Revelation 22:12 “And, behold, I come quickly: and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”
To us who read it, or hear it…..Stop and look…..for I am coming again….and all must be prepared for it.
(Actually three times in the last chapter Jesus Christ says: I come quickly)
All through His Word, the Lord speaks to us….”Behold”.
“Stop and Look”. “Look and see here!”
When Jacob ran away from Esau, because he had tricked Issac into giving him the blessing….he lay his head down that first night….and “behold”. (Genesis 28:11-15)
Behold, a ladder reaching into heaven, Behold angels on it, Behold the Lord stood above it,….Behold I am with thee and will keep thee.
Over one hundred times the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, have “Behold” in each of their writings!
Isaiah 7:14 “……Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call HIs name Immanuel.”
Isaiah 59:1 “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear:”
Jeremiah 21:8 “And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.”
Jeremiah 23:5 “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.”
Ezekiel 18:4 “Behold, all souls are Mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”
Ezekiel 37:2,5,7,11,12. Five times in the valley of dry bones, “behold” is used……when God speaks of raising Israel again.
When Christ is come to earth, there are over one hundred and fifty “Behold”s:
Matthew 10:16 “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves…”
Matthew 20:18 “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man shall be betrayed…”
Luke 17:21 “….for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”
Luke 24:49 “And , behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you:…”
In each of the seven church’s in Revelation He says “Behold”.
For some, it is to “behold” their sin, and seek Him for deliverance…..
….. some it is to “behold” His answer and a promise, for their obedience.
And then He shows us: “And after this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in Heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither….”(Revelation 4:1. And this speaks of the Rapture of the church)
God wants us to “Stop, look…..Look and see, here”.
One is for warning to His people for what is ahead for them.
And one is for instruction.
Amos 8:11 “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:”
Those days are upon us…..let us hear His “Behold” to us….and get about doing the work He has called us to…..
….for the light is waning….and the darkness creeps on….let us hold up our lights….and give light to them that are around us…
One man wrote: When you must descend the stairs….and the way is dark.
(And are we not going down into more and more darkness in the world?)
Then hang on to the hand-rail of God’s love, and walk on.
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 