It was a significant upheaval in old Jacob’s life. Pulling up roots, packing bags, loading things, looking around at familiar landmarks for the last time – the old tree, the pile of stones and the tell-tale remnants that people leave behind, not to mention their ecological footprint left in the area. The neighbours may have stood around watching The Jacob Clan pack their wagons.
Did old Jacob – lean on his staff, take a few deep breaths after doing too much lifting, then tell the neighbours: “We’re heading down to Egypt, not because we feel the lure of Egypt but because I just found out that Joseph is still alive and that’s where he is. He has promised to take care of us through the famines of life.”
Now the loaded caravan, with 66 onboard, pulls out. You can imagine the handwaving that day and the farewell shouts.
“We’ll be stopping at Beersheba, boys. We need to stop there. The Lord appeared to my father there. As a matter of fact, it was there where Grandfather Abraham received a message from the Lord about taking Isaac to the mountain to make a sacrifice. I would like to stop there too – at least overnight.” How old Jacob communicated this to his sons and family members, we don’t know; but they did stop in Beersheba and what a memorable night it was!
God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. “I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will close your eyes.” Genesis 46:1-4
When your name is repeated twice, listen very carefully. You know there’s a message for you to hear. Abraham in Gen.22:11, Moses in Ex.3:4, Samuel in 1Sam.3:10, Martha in Luke 10:41, Simon-Peter in Luke 22:31 and Saul-Paul in Acts 9:4 all experienced hearing the Lord repeat their names twice. Like the others, Jacob listened carefully to what God had to say to him that night in Beersheba.
When have you last heard God speak to you? There’s no reason for Him to call your name out loud today. You have all His Word in writing – they didn’t! Everything was oral and visual back then.
Haven’t you had the stirring of heart and the overwhelming sense: ‘Wow! This is for me! God is speaking to me in this chapter. This verse means me.” That’s the equivalent of hearing Him call your name twice.
Through the Word of God and the work of the Spirit of God, you become keenly aware that God is telling you something. It may be a word of assurance and comfort. It often is a word of correction or even rebuke. It could be a new appreciation of Christ or of things Divine that you saw or understood before. You know in your heart of hearts that God means it for you, just as if he were repeating your name twice.
Actually, the Bible is definitely a book like that. It is the living Word of God, according to Hebrews 4:12. If I am not hearing God’s voice through His Word, I must have them plugged for some reason. Have you ever thought about why you may not be interacting with God much lately or why you can’t seem to hear His voice – the way you once did?
Of the Lord Jesus, the Perfect Servant, we read that the Lord awakened Him each morning and opened His ear to receive the instructions for the day, and He was never rebellious. He willingly and completely obeyed – even when it meant taking the spit, the bruising of His cheeks and the shame of the Cross. (Isaiah 50:4-5) Oh, that we might reflect more of His beauties throughout 2021!
Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today.
Warmly in Christ,
Peter Ramsay
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