Learning to BEHOLD

I am half way through a bible study curriculum that my church offers.  It takes 3 years to complete, and goes through each book of the Bible, one week at a time.  For the past year and a half I have been studying the Old Testament and a people crying out for a deliverer, longing for a redeemer, begging for a king to save them. We have been studying people like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the 12 Tribes, Noah, King David, and Queen Esther.  Learning about the Laws, Feasts and Offerings God required of his people in Leviticus. We studied the Shema in Deuteronomy, read of prophets foretelling and warning them of their sin. Studied as God’s chosen people, over and over, and over again repeated the cycle of turning from God, being defeated, begging God for Mercy and then being restored to Him (sounds familiar). I understood a deeper meaning of the “kinsman redeemer” from the book of Ruth that forever deepened my view of Christ as MY personal Redeemer.  I learned about suffering from Job, pushed through completing the Psalms (in a week!), devoured Proverbs, personally related to Jonah, admired Daniel, and forced myself to finish Hosea…..to close the semester a few weeks ago with the book of Micah.   So far we have completed, week by week, the Pentateuch books (Genesis thru Deuteronomy), the Kingdom books (Joshua thru 2 Kings), the Post Exilic books (1 Chronicles thru Esther), the Poetical books (Job thru Song of Solomon), the Major Prophets (Isaiah thru Daniel), and just finished the Early Minor Prophets (Hosea thru Micah). 

It’s been wonderful!   I have loved every class and loved the relationships that I have formed! These past few months, as week to week we moved on to the next book in the Old Testament, I have felt this incredible emotional “build up” as we near the New Testament books.  It took me a while to figure out the emotion.  Month after month, book after book, each time I read a verse of scripture that was prophesying the Christ to come, my anticipation for Him grew!  The entirety of the Old Testament groans under the weight and the need.  They are longing to see their promised Messiah!  This reminds me of my favorite Christmas carol, Oh Holy Night, where the lyrics read “long lay the world in sin and error pining…til He appeared…”  Our class doesn’t resume until January, and knowing that 2 books of Old Testament, several hundred years of time, and a trip to Bethlehem is all that stands between where I left off, and THE ANSWER TO IT ALL, has created the most amazing anticipation for Christmas I have ever personally experienced!

I’ve tried to be sure that Jesus is in the middle of our Christmas, just like you do.  We have a nativity scene in the house, go to the special Christmas Eve church service, and watch the Biblical Christmas story in a movie, maybe your family are “bell ringers” or donate to help a special family.  These are all good things.  I’m not knocking these good things at all.   But suddenly, I get the distinct feeling that I’ve still missed the point!  This feeling I’m having falls into a predictable pattern of the way the Lord teaches me things.  He continues to “build up” in me, month after month, a lesson or truth He wants me to absorb, and then BANG….. the entirety of it hits me and I get it!  And it hit me this morning as I was reading this scripture from John, where he is speaking about this very thing, Christ’s arrival on the earth:

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14 (NKJV, emphasis mine)

I have read this verse many, many times and even studied it in depth in previous Bible studies.  But, The Lord brought it back to my attention to reveal His “BANG” moment to me. This isn’t the most typical go-to “Christmas” verse.  But, when you consider its message, it may be THE BEST Christmas verse.   Oh, I hope you see what I saw in this verse!   The thousands of years of Old Testament scripture are the “words”.  This word became flesh and dwelt among us at Christ’s birth. The “word” is Jesus. But it is the word “beheld” that I want to camp on for a minute. “Beheld” is an interesting word in scripture, translated into Greek it is theaomai, a verb.  It means “to behold, look upon, view attentively, contemplate”.  Sometimes we “see” something without REALLY “seeing” the entirety and depth of it.  This verse is speaking to the reader about specifically “seeing” Jesus as the fulfillment of The Word.  To not only remember “the reason for this season” (again, all good things I will continue to do), but to see and BEHOLD His glory.  To behold the miracle that was prophesied for thousands of years in His Word.  Beholding all that led up to his arrival, when He humbly came into this world fulfilling the ancient prophesies as our Messiah, Redeemer, and Savior.  

I don’t know what this all means for you or your families exactly. But for me, it is a clear truth from the Lord about not forgetting the deep, ancient, longsuffering, saving truth of it all.   To not just remember Him or celebrate Him this Christmas….but to BEHOLD Him…..behold His Glory…..all the history, all the centuries, all the time He prepared just to make His moment of birth something to BEHOLD on our knees, not just to celebrate. Oh, I hope I hang on to this lesson and anticipation long after the Christmas season has passed! At this rate, there is no telling what kind of a mess I might be for Easter!

“Oh Holy Night” has always been my favorite Christmas carol.  It fits perfectly with what I have been feeling this season. Enjoy the lyrics anew and let them sink in.  I hope you see something “new” written into the lyrics of this old carol, just like I did.

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wise men from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

 Merry Christmas!