-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)
“This is what Yahweh who made the earth, Yahweh who formed it to establish it, says—Yahweh is his name: Call to me and I will answer you, and will show you great and hidden things that you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:2-3, REV).
Isn’t it amazing how you can come across just a small passage in the bible and it reveals deep truths with layers upon layers? To me, this is one of those scriptures. First: God lays out his credentials. Hey, this isn’t just some random person of no status speaking, this is Yahweh (our God), who made the earth, Yahweh who formed it to be established, Yahweh is his name.
Did you notice something very important there, in that first listed verse? The name of God is spoken 3 times. Is that important? Absolutely. You see this replicated in other places too, when there is a great emphasis being placed on something. In Numbers 6, the Aaronic blessing speaks the name of God (YHWH) 3 times over the people. In Deut 6:4,5 again the name of God is spoken 3 times over the people, in “the Shema” which confirms indisputably that their God is one being, God alone.
So why is this important? I’ve heard some modern day apologists speculate that this implies a confirmation of some of the later theories that are made in the traditional “orthodox” church about the nature of God, but that’s just not correct. That is a speculation that no one living in ancient Israel would have made, because it was very well understood that God, Yahweh, is one. There was absolutely no confusion about this, ever, until much later.
So here is the real reason why that’s important, and this is why it’s important to understand the cultural references of the thing you’re studying in the cultural context in which it was written. In Jewish culture and Hebrew Scripture, repeating something three times signifies permanence, completeness, and superlative emphasis. This concept, known as Chazakah (yes, they actually have a word for it), establishes that an act or statement is definitive and binding, effectively transforming a temporary event into a permanent reality. Who made the earth? Yahweh. Who formed it to be established? Yahweh. What’s his name? Yahweh. The threefold repetition shows that this is permanent, complete, and places a big exclamation point at the end of the statement, in the Jewish culture.
In Jewish law, an action performed three times creates a Chazakah (presumptive status), meaning the state of affairs is considered established and irreversible. Hebrew lacks grammatical comparatives or superlatives; therefore, repetition is used to denote extreme degree. While two repetitions indicate emphasis, three repetitions represent the highest possible intensity or “super-superlative,” as seen in the seraphim’s cry of “Holy, Holy, Holy” in Isaiah 6:3. If you would have told any of the ancient Jews that what it really meant was to redefine the nature of God and imply a cooperative effort in creation they’d have looked at you sideways, and then picked up a rock. It’s important to understand the cultural context when reading scripture, the threefold repetition is absolutely important but probably not for the reasons that you’ve been told.
A threefold repetition in Hebrew means placing a permanent and irreplaceable exclamation point on the statement, translating across to English. It’s not quite apples to apples when translating from one language to the other, which is why it’s important for everyone to dig a little sometimes. Verse 2 in this chapter just lets us know: HEY, it was YHWH who formed the earth! Irreversible, forever, unchangeable. The Father. There are other verses that say “Yahweh alone”. (Is 44:24). I know people who have confused this simple understanding, but it’s very plain in scripture.
Most of us here already understand and accept this simple truth that it was Yahweh God, The Father, who created the heavens and the earth, Yahweh alone. To me, the really juicy bit comes in verse 3, when God (after revealing once again who He is) says very simply: “Call to me and I will answer you, and will show you great and hidden things”. This is a very exciting statement.
I know a person who once told me, “I don’t think God is listening to me, none of my prayers are ever answered.”. Ok, so first off, are you listening to God? Because the promise isn’t “Call on me, and I’ll handle your laundry list of wants…”, the promise is: “call on me, and I will answer, and I will tell YOU of great and hidden things.”
I promise you, whatever God is trying to tell you will be a billion times more important and relevant than what you are trying to tell God (who already knows what you want). Have you ever met that 3 year old who keeps interrupting an adult conversation about things they don’t understand because they have something to say? It’s cute to a point, because oh look, they’re using their words. After that though, it’s just silly because I’m sorry, a 3 year old doesn’t have the experiential depth to contribute to a technical conversation between adults, they just don’t have enough perspective yet to give a good insight on most things. So, don’t be that kid when you’re talking to God: it behooves us at times to listen. When we listen, our ears are open and our mouths are shut.
God reminded me forcefully of this recently, and revealed this verse to me: “Know this, my beloved brothers and sisters: every person is to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger“ (James 1:19, REV). I do not say that God revealed this to me lightly or offhandedly, there is a deep story there, but just trust me when I say that God revealed it to me. Our problem is, we tend to chatter so much at God that we don’t always stop to listen.
Hannibal Buress, a comedian, once said “I said some things, then he said some things, then I said some more things: you guys know how a conversation works…”. Do we though? After we talk, are we taking time to listen as well? How else do we expect to hear what God is saying? A conversation in which we never listen is extremely one-sided.
The thing is, God is constantly trying to speak to us. To reveal to us deep and hidden things. To show us the way to life. Sometimes it’s in scripture. Sometimes it’s in dreams. Sometimes, if you are really listening, it’s in a small still voice, almost like a whisper. The thing to remember though is that we have a promise: if we call to Him, then He will answer. When He does answer, and He will, make sure you’re not talking over Him or you won’t hear the deep and hidden things he’s trying to tell you.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- How can we listen better? What steps could we take when communicating with God to ensure that we’re spending as much or more time listening to God than He is listening to us?
- Has God ever told you a secret, or revealed something hidden to you? Think about the circumstances and what it was and what purpose it served for a moment.
- When was the last time that you listened as much as you talked, when you had a conversation or prayer with God?
PRAYER
Father God, Yahweh my creator, I call out to you. Please speak to me, reveal to me the things that you want me to know, restore me Father and guide me in to your purpose and kingdom. Thank you for all of the blessings that you have already given, please continue to uphold me and lead me in whatever way you would have me to go. In Jesus name, amen.
