REPEAT AFTER ME. REPEAT…

Have you ever noticed the Holy-Spirit inspired repetition that occurs in the Bible?  Here are a few interesting examples.

In Luke 19, the inspired writer mentions four times that Jesus was getting close to Jerusalem (v11, vs 28 and 29, v37 and v41.  Even the account of the meeting with Zacchaeus (vs 1-10) adds to the build-up to Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem.  “He was going to pass that way.” There are four references to Jesus drawing near but, surprisingly, Luke doesn't actually record the arrival after all that.  He just goes on in v45 to say that Jesus went into the temple. As we read this, whether we realize it or not, we get the sense that something really important is going to happen.

In the book of Ruth, we meet the title character in the first four verses of chapter 1. Already, we know that she is a Moabitess (a woman from the land of Moab) and that Naomi is her mother-in-law. Yet, as the story unfolds, we read four more times that she was a Moabitess (1:22, 2:2, 2:21, 4:5, 4:10).  We are also reminded over and over again that she is Naomi’s daughter-in-law and that Naomi is her mother-in-law (see 2:18-23, where the relationship that we already knew about is emphasised six more times in just six verses.) If that wasn’t enough, we are reminded in the very next verse (3:1) that Naomi was Ruth’s mother-in-law – just in case we hadn’t yet absorbed that fact! Why all this repetition? The Holy Spirit is stressing the fact that Ruth was not a real daughter of Israel, yet, by the grace of God and by her faithful heart of commitment, she was able to enter into the blessings of God’s covenant people.

Hmm. I think we can see a message there about salvation by grace through faith.

There are many examples of this kind of repetition in Scripture. The phrase: “I am the Lord and there is no other” (or its equivalent) is repeated six times in Isaiah 45. The gospel and epistles of John contain heavy repetitions of words like ‘light’, ‘truth’ and ‘believe’. I could go on and on.

We tend to rebuke people who repeat themselves – and I admit to getting annoyed when people insist on endlessly repeating what I already understood – but the fact remains that God repeats Himself. Frequently! And not just in His Word. I’ve noticed that, when God wants to get my attention, He often arranges things. Maybe it’s a person or a place that I haven’t thought about for months, and suddenly, there are reminders everywhere I look. The “two or three witnesses” thing is for those of us who are most spiritually alert. The rest of us apparently need six or seven!

As you read the Scriptures, I invite you to keep an eye out for the repetitions. They are never accidental. Rather, we can think of them as the Holy Spirit underlining things with a bold red texta. Pay special attention here!