Biblical Patterns: Calling You Twice
GodWords Newsletter #82
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When reading the Bible, we're wise to keep an eye out for repetition. Repetition will usually point to a pivotal moment. God talked to a lot of people in the Bible, from Adam to Zechariah. Here's a list of eight people who, in pivotal moments, God called by name... not once, but twice.
Abraham
The father of our faith, who believed God, was about to obediently sacrifice his son when ‘the angel of the Lord’ called out to him.
Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
Jacob
He just found out that his son Joseph isn’t dead. Instead, his kid is basically in charge of the largest empire in the world. Not only will Jacob see Joseph again, but they’ll be together when the old man dies.
God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, “Jacob! Jacob!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
“I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.”
Moses
The prince of Egypt ran away after killing an Egyptian. After 40 years of tending sheep, Moses sees something strange: a bush is on fire, but not burning up.
When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
And Moses said, “Here I am.”
“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” … “And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
Samuel
People rarely heard from God anymore, so young Samuel assumed that High Priest Eli was calling him. After the third misunderstanding, Eli knew that it was God who had spoken.
The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle…” The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord.
Martha
Somebody has to get the job done, and Martha got busy… probably cleaning, cooking, and making the guest room presentable for Jesus’ visit. Mary wasn’t helping at all. Mary was just sitting around, listening to Jesus talk… and Jesus said that it was good:
But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed - or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Simon Peter
It was Passover. Instead of focusing on when God rescued Israel from slavery, the disciples were arguing about which of them would be the greatest in Jesus’ kingdom. They didn’t know what was coming, as Jesus was just about to be betrayed. He knew they would need courage in the days ahead so He warned Simon Peter to be ready:
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”
Saul
Like a first-century bounty hunter, Saul was on his way to Damascus to round up some of Jesus’ followers. The man who would be apostle to the Gentiles definitely wasn’t expecting to encounter Jesus personally:
As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
The Bible is full of cool stuff. Keep reading!
I love you all.
❤️
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Surprisingly short and surprisingly good, Huffman makes a good point about God, and another about the devil.
The Way Forward After Dobbs
It seems that most Americans, even some who consider themselves pro-life, support four exceptions: rape, incest, life of the mother, and... “my case.” Or “my daughter’s case,” or “my girlfriend’s case.”
What if No One Prayed For You?
“My mother always prayed for me. But she died. Now I don’t know of anyone who prays for me.” I’ve found very few people who don’t want us to pray for them.
Evening and Morning
An interesting take: God set things up so the first thing we’d do every day is to REST. This has more theological implications than I saw at first glance.
How Did Jesus’ Apostles Die?
It’s commonly believed that all of Jesus’ disciples, except John, were martyred… that is, killed for following Jesus. Unfortunately, these events aren’t as clear as we’d like them to be. Some seem to be well-attested in history while others rely on traditions, both oral and written. This alphabetical list has the best information I can find, for now.
We must give ourselves wholly to holy things.
– Charles Spurgeon
You saw me
I guess You must've known
My life would be in darkness
So You and You alone
Would bear the stripes
The crown of thorns and all humility
What Held You on the Cross: Michael O’Brien
One of my all-time favorite songs. If I could sing like Michael, I would sing this over and over and over.
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Tony, thanks for the link to my blog!
Loved the comparisons listed here! Such depth in the repetitions.