BEHOLD THE MAGNIFICENT DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST!!
“AND NOW WE ALL, WITH UNVEILED FACE, BEHOLDING THE GLORY OF THE LORD…” 2 Corinthians 3:18(A)
“One of the most amazing revelations of God comes to us when we learn that it is the everyday things of life that we realize the magnificent deity of Jesus Christ” (Oswald Chambers).
BEHOLD!!! A word that kept stirring me as I read 2 Corinthians 3:18 over and over. I found meanings like “pay close, careful attention to”; “to take hold of…grab onto”. It often means something is new or something will happen, perhaps unexpectedly. But whatever may be before us or in our future, we BEHOLD the glory of the LORD. I realized this uncommon word must be important as I read it is spoken in the original King James Version 1,298 times and 1,069 times in the English Standard Version (ESV). I felt the depth of its meaning. We don’t see Him yet face to face, but in His Word, we can see all His splendour and majesty. In our everyday life, He surrounds us and speaks to us in many ways. So, in my quiet time, I began to search and meditate on some ESV scriptures that say “BEHOLD.”
In Genesis 1:29-30, God said, “Behold, I have given you…” as He reveals all He has supplied for food. Our Heavenly Father showed His abundant love and provision from the very beginning. I close my eyes and picture the Garden of Eden and see His gracious hand filled with His glorious provision. Verse 31 says God saw everything He made and BEHOLD; it was very good. God’s radiant, smiling face pleased with all His creation, especially His children. But in Genesis 3, God’s perfect world turned dark.
In Genesis 6:13, because of the corruption and violence of the people, God says, “Behold, I will destroy them with the earth,” as He begins His plan to flood His creation. God wanted humanity to stand up and pay attention. A difficult visual, but it wasn’t the end. God’s beauty came alive once again as He placed His bow in the cloud as a sign of His covenant between Him and all living creatures. In the future, every time I see a rainbow, I BEHOLD God’s ‘pot of gold’ – His Kingdom. God’s faithfulness continues as He spoke with Abram in Genesis 17, saying, “BEHOLD, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.”
An overwhelming moment as Abram grasped this covenant promise while prostrated before God.
In Isaiah 7:14, we see a sign of hope of what was to come…“The LORD Himself will give you a sign. BEHOLD, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call His name Immanuel”. Knowing the LORD Himself will give the sign should have made everyone stand up and take notice, pay attention to watch and see, and wait in anticipation for this message of hope to come alive. The Word of the LORD is sure and true, and we know this prophecy was fulfilled.
Isaiah 43:19 says, “BEHOLD, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth.” I think of how God is constant, doing a new thing throughout the world and in our personal lives. Every day, we wake to Him breathing life and His love, grace, and mercy into the sinners. He continuously transforms His people and calls us to take notice. Isaiah 43:18 says, “Remember not the former things…”
My thoughts swayed to 1 Peter 2:10…”Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” Let us BEHOLD this! Because God so loved the world, He gave His only Son (John 3:16) so that we could grasp this truth.
In John 1, we read how the Word became flesh.
At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, John the Baptist ushered Him in, saying, “BEHOLD, the Lamb of God…” I can only imagine John’s authoritative cry out so everyone would hear and notice our Sovereign LORD.
I read how Jesus’ seven final words were about forgiveness, salvation, relationship, abandonment distress, triumph and reunion. In John 19:26-27, Jesus spoke into a relationship as He brought His mother and John together, saying, “…Woman, BEHOLD your son…and to John, He said, ‘BEHOLD your mother!’ In His final moments on earth, He cared for the woman who gave birth to Him and entrusted her to the hands of a faithful friend and disciple. A heartwarming, tearful moment as Mary and John, with broken hearts, looked to their beloved son, friend, teacher, LORD and Saviour as He hung on the cross. I can picture this as a sad moment, but we can BEHOLD the joy to come.
In Revelation 21, we can see our hope for the future as we read and be filled with the promise, “…BEHOLD, the dwelling place of God is with man…they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.” Once again, we read, “BEHOLD, I am making all things new.” God never stops. I can only imagine these overwhelming, beautiful moments John witnessed as he heard twice these words of our LORD Jesus…” BEHOLD, I AM COMING SOON” (Revelation 22).
Let us live with unveiled faces, BEHOLDING the glory of our King, the magnificent deity of our LORD Jesus Christ, in all things, every day. He is the One who was and is and is to come.
Prayer: You surround us with Your beauty, LORD Jesus, and Your love lives within us. In our big or small details, in our joy, struggles or grief, strengthen our spiritual eyes to BEHOLD Your glory as we give all honour to You, our King. Let us remember that You are constant and always doing a new thing. As you draw us closer to Yourself, we wait patiently for Your return.
We love you and pray in your glorious name….Amen.
