Behold - The Invisible Made Visible

             It was hindsight that caused me to retrace my steps.  Have you ever received a nugget of information, investigated it further, and found it to be an extremely valuable pursuit? The other day I shared a few words with friends, I highlighted a passage of Scripture, and I wrote, "Behold" – a Word, like "Therefore," Consider, Pay Attention, and Learn from It." The highlighted passage I referenced was recorded in Genesis 28.  The word 'behold' is generally invisible in my reading.  Even though it was proclaimed thirteen times in my daily reading (ten times in the Old, and three times in the New Testament), I'm surprised I saw it at all.  Years ago, my sister-in-law used the expression "Low and Behold." It sounded odd to my ears, but it was one of those things that she would often repeat as she told stories about her life.  Once the word came into my conscious mind, I decided to investigate it.  Why would that word be so prevalent, how was it used, why was it used, what does it mean?  When was the last time you heard someone use the word behold? I'm guessing we might agree that behold isn't all that common; although, if astute, you may have noticed, I've used it five times already in this article. 

     When I looked up the word behold in my online dictionary, I discovered this.  Behold means to look at, see, observe, view, watch, and survey.  It also means to gaze upon it, stare at it, inspect notice, pay attention, take heed, consider, or check it out.  I decided to take some liberties with several accounts I found in Genesis 27 and have paraphrased my findings below.

Passage	Conversation Between	Paraphrased
Genesis 27:2-4	Isaac with his son, Esau	"In case you haven't noticed, I'm getting old.  Now, go and do something for my benefit so that I can bless you with my belongings."
Genesis 27:11-12	Jacob with his mother, Rebekah	"Mom, would you pay attention?  My brother's hairy; I'm not. Don't you think Dad will notice?  If he does, I'm toast.
Genesis 27:36	Esau with his dad, Isaac	"Dad, come on, man, you seemed to be aware of Jacob's character when you named him.  So why is it that you didn't notice that he's cheated me out of what's rightfully mine, not once, but twice!"
Genesis 27:37	Isaac's response to Esau	"Buddy, let's consider the facts.  Jacob will control everything after I'm gone. There's nothing I can do about that now.
Genesis 27:39-40	Isaac's conversation continues with Esau	"Look, son, this is what your life will be like until you decide to make it different.
Genesis 27:42-45	Rebekah to her son, Jacob	Wake up, Jacob. It's time for you to get out of Dodge.  Your brother Esau is crouching at your door; remember the story of Abel? Let's not make your life a repeat of that.  Now, do as I say."

 

        Within the context of this story, a family dynamic of favoritism and deception plays out.  Isaac is deceived; he blesses the wrong son.  The right son discovers that he has been dubbed by his younger brother (once again) and vows to harm his brother.  Their mother, an excellent eavesdropper, warns her favorite son to flee for his life; she seeks approval from her husband under false pretenses.   The only sane one in the story, God, allows Jacob to escape because He has bigger plans for him.  Jacob finds a comfortable rock to use as a pillow and falls asleep.  Here is where the 'beholds' seem to escalate. I've recorded the passage below:

Genesis 28:12-15 ESV - And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, "I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."

    

     Interestingly, even my Grammarly program that edits my articles thought the word 'behold' was used far too many times in Scripture.   As I read consecutive chapters, Genesis 27 and 28, in the Old Testament, my reading plan also suggested Luke 11 in the New Testament.  I discovered three more occurrences of this infamous word.  Although I'm not expecting to find similar lessons between my Old and New Testament reading, the Holy Spirit often intervenes and shows me how they relate to one another.  The link that pulled these passages together for me was the word 'behold.'

     In the New Testament, Jesus is before a crowd of people, and He has just cast a mute demon out of a man.  The reaction of this crowd is threefold.  (1) They misrepresent Jesus' power (by Beelzebul), (2) their heart's motivation was to test Him, and (3) they have an insatiable desire to see more signs and wonders (see Luke 11:15-16).  It is easy to see how frustrated Jesus would be in their response.  Jesus uses a comparative tool to teach the crowd if they will notice who He truly is.  He is more than signs and wonders; He could be their redeemer if they would only pay attention.  Jesus speaks about Solomon's wisdom and Jonah's revival.  The crowd needs to consider the significance of their encounter with Jesus.  If this account sounds familiar, Hebrews carries the same line of thinking as represented by the passage below.

Passage	Conversation Between	English Standard Version
Luke 11:31-32	Jesus and the Crowds	31 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.  32 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold,something greater than Jonah is here.

 

     In the last account found in Luke 11:40-41, Jesus teaches that man is multi-dimensional.  We have a visible component (what shows up on the outside) and an invisible element (what we try to hide inside our hearts).   Jesus tells them that God created both and can see each of them equally as well.  Putting on appearances sounds a lot like the way many people wish to be seen on social media.  Even though we attempt to mask what is in our hearts (even from ourselves), God clearly sees our intentions.   This last 'behold' is very important.  Scriptures reveal if we purify the motivations behind our actions, then we become completely clean.

Passage	Conversation Between	English Standard Version
Luke 11:40-41	Jesus and those who will listen	40 You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.

     

     I hope I have convinced you that little invisible words like 'behold' should not be overlooked.   Maybe the word 'behold' should become part of our everyday language, what do you think?   In case you haven't noticed, I used it 20 times in this article.   What else might we be missing?