Repetitions and seemingly obvious statements in the Bible probably aren’t as simple as we tend to think they are. We may be tempted to skim or skip through passages that sound redundant or overly familiar to us.
But maybe that’s the point.
If God took the time to repeat something, it’s not because He slipped in His speech, as we are wont to do. And He’s not nagging.
You know how we might relate the same stories or jokes or other statements multiple times, perhaps because we forgot we’d already told them? Or we thought someone might not have listened to us the first seven or eight times? Or we didn’t like how a listener wasn’t really listening or answered us in an unexpected and unsatisfying way?
I’m thinking that’s not what it means when God repeats
things – especially in His Holy Word. Or when He restates something that seems
already evident to us. When He does this, it’s clearly for emphasis. He wants
to make sure we really grasp the point.
Here’s an example.
In Joshua 13, the chapter opens this way:
“Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the Lord said to him, ‘You are old and advanced in years’” (v. 1, ESV).
It’s not like Joshua didn’t already know his age. He was old. He was advanced in years. (And aren’t those literally the same thing?) But God pointed it out to him.God wasn't springing Joshua’s age on him as a surprise. I suspect God was recognizing and acknowledging Joshua’s situation. (The Lord went on to outline Joshua’s instructions, which were becoming more urgent as he grew older.)
Looking at our own lives, how often does God point out our most obvious conditions, crises, or concerns? Consider these possibilities:
Now Jake was battling post-traumatic stress disorder. The Lord said to him, “You are battling post-traumatic stress disorder.”
Now Katy was struggling with chronic migraines. The Lord said to her, “You are struggling with chronic migraines.”
Now Grandpappy was enduring his third round of chemotherapy. The Lord said to him, “You are enduring your third round of chemotherapy.”
Now Lucy and Sy were sorrowing over another miscarriage. The Lord said to them, “You are sorrowing over another miscarriage.”
Now Leslie was job-hunting after receiving another pink slip. The Lord said to her, “You are job-hunting after receiving another pink slip.”
Our all-seeing and all-knowing God is not caught off-guard by any of these difficult scenarios. Not ever. He’s waiting for us to call on Him.
We get that – at least much of the time we do. But how do we feel when He tells us about our troubles, which we painfully and obviously already know about?
It’s like God is affirming our challenges.
“I see you,” He says.
He understands. He knows our anxieties. He sees our struggles. He feels our pain. And He steps into our lives to meet us exactly where we are.
And then, once He has our attention, He leads us forward, be it through or over or past whatever we’re facing.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9, NIV)
Related items:
- Dark and difficult emotions don’t negate our faith.
- Does God say no to earnest prayers?
- Maybe worry isn’t all bad.
- Ouch! Why do we grieve grievers with tacky questions?
- Peace in the storm can only be God’s.
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Image/s: Man with a Knapsack, Winslow Homer, 1873, public domain
