In the modern day, we don’t often use the word “behold,” but it is a word that is used repeatedly in the Bible. In fact, between Genesis and Revelation, it is used over 1,000 times, and it functions like a literary finger, drawing specific attention to a person, thing, or situation.
As we approach the season during which we remember the death, burial, and resurrection of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, let us take a moment to reflect on what God would have us behold in the Scriptures as it concerns His plan of redemption for mankind and the future reign of Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords.
Behold, Mankind
As God completes His creation program on the sixth day, Genesis 1:31 records: “And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” Sadly, because sin entered the world, the situation for mankind deteriorated to the point that widespread judgment was required. Genesis 6:12: “And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.”
God had created the earth and pronounced it “very good” (Genesis 1:31), but now, because of man’s sin, it was “corrupt” (Genesis 6:12) and “filled with violence” (Genesis 6:13). God had blessed the human family with the power of procreation to fill the earth with people. Instead, they filled the earth with violence. Such was the depth of depravity, wickedness, and sin throughout the world that only Noah and his family were spared.
Familiar to all was the necessity for the ark, which protected Noah and his family during the flood. Then comes a new beginning, with literally the whole world at their feet! Genesis 8:13 records: “And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.” Despite the fact that wickedness had been judged, man’s sin nature remained. In short, he needed to be redeemed.
Behold, the Incarnation
It is in Matthew’s gospel that we indeed receive confirmation that Jesus would perform the work of a redeemer. Matthew 1:20-21: “But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”
How did the world react to the birth of the Messiah? The rulers were hostile, and the Jewish religious leaders were indifferent. But the Gentiles welcomed and worshipped Him. Matthew 2:1-2: “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
Behold, the King
In Zechariah 9:9, we read: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.” This verse is one of the most messianically significant passages in the entire Bible. To the Jew, they view it as unfulfilled. To the Christian, it is viewed through the lens of the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem on the Sunday before His crucifixion.
In Matthew chapter 21 (which deals with the triumphal entry), we see that Jesus and His disciples were at Bethphage. The place is significant, for Bethphage means “house of unripe figs.” The Lord was coming to Jerusalem, which, like an unripe fig tree, was unprepared for the entrance of the King. The events should have awoken the inhabitants of Jerusalem out of their spiritual lethargy. Since Zechariah 9:9 was widely believed to be a Messianic prophecy by the Jews, the picture should have been unmistakable. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells His listeners that Jerusalem is the city of the great King (Matthew 5:35), and though Jerusalem is now implored to behold the King, most remain in unbelief.
Despite having preached about the gospel of the Kingdom during His earthly ministry, the Scriptures had already foretold the fact that He would be rejected. Additionally, Matthew 20:18-19 says: “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.”
Behold, Israel
Since Israel rejected Jesus Christ and His offer of the theocratic Kingdom, the theocratic Kingdom was not established with the nation of Israel that existed at the time of Christ’s First Advent. Instead, its establishment has been postponed until the Jewish remnant of His Second Advent will believe. However, before that blessed day, the events of the Tribulation Period will unfold and Jerusalem will become the target of the Gentile nations. Zechariah 12:2: “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they law siege against Judah and Jerusalem.” Though the nations come against Jerusalem with fury, God will protect her, for Psalm 121:4 reminds us: “Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.”
Behold, He is Coming
As we view the events of the world through the lens of Bible prophecy, we cannot help but be encouraged that our Lord is coming for us soon. But His work does not end when His Bride is safely in heaven after the rapture. The theme of the Book of Revelation is the ultimate victory of Jesus over His enemies and the establishment of the earthly theocratic Kingdom at His Second Advent. Revelation 1:7: “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.” What a glorious day it will be when the King of kings and Lord of lords returns for His triumphal re-entry! Revelation 19:11: “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.”
Behold, the Day of Salvation
Dear reader, where do you stand with God? We have taken a very brief journey through some of the important uses of “behold” in Scripture. But if you do not have a saving faith in Jesus Christ, let me draw one last “behold” to your attention in order that you may understand the urgency of the hour: “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
