When God calls your name- twice.

 

There are 10 instances in the bible where a Person’s or a city’s name is repeated in a row. It is interesting to note that during all the ten instances, it’s God who is speaking. Why did God call repeatedly use this ‘double name’ calls?

In the next few days, I will share my reflection on these instances and the lessons I have learnt from them, in the hope that God speaks to you too. These are:

1. Abraham, Abraham, Genesis 22:11.
2. Jacob, Jacob, Genesis 46:2.
3. Moses, Moses, Exodus 3:4.
4. Samuel, Samuel, 1 Samuel 3:10.
5. Martha, Martha, Luke 10:41.
6. Simon, Simon, Luke 22:31.
7. Saul, Saul, Acts 9:4.
8. Lord, Lord, Matthew 7:21,22, 25:11; Luke 6:46; 13:25.
9. Eloi, Eloi, Mark 15:34; Matthew 27:46; Psalm 22:1.
10. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Matthew 23:37; Luke 13:34

In summary:

a. God calls twice to get people’s attention because what He is about to share is momentous: When He called twice in the bible each occasion immediately was elevated to one of great biblical importance to that person and that city involved.

–          For example:

o    When Abraham was about to sacrifice his son Isaac, God called out to him, “Abraham! Abraham!” (cf. Genesis 22:11). After that God accepted his offer of Isaac and went into a covenant with the Father of faith.

o   When Israel was in old age and moving to Egypt, at the invitation of his lost son Joseph, God called Israel’s birth name twice, “Jacob, Jacob” to assure him of their re-union with his Son Joseph. (cf. Genesis 46:2; see also Genesis 35:9-15)

o   When God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, He called out, “Moses! Moses!” (cf. Exodus 3:4). After that God gave His call to Moses to lead out Israelites from Egyptian bondage.

o   God called Samuel’s name twice (cf. 1 Samuel 3:10), it happened after He had called out to him two other times, but Samuel had mistaken God’s voice for that of Eli’s. God was revealing Samuel’s calling

b.      It’s a call to a new beginning of a life of Christians who are all sold out to His will.

• o   A call for people who no longer would give Him lip service with their ‘Lord, Lord’ but would call Him ‘Lord’ because they would be doing the Will of the Father and will love God with all of their heart (Matthew 7:21)
•    Martha becoming like Mary, who experienced Jesus the Christ’s ultramodern radicalness
•    Simon from a life of reliance on self to total dependence on the Solid Rock- Christ.;
•    Christ’s completion of Father God’s Will at any cost to Himself;
•    Saul becoming the greatest Christian missionary of the Gospel, in spite of the fact that he started out as the greatest Jewish persecutor of the Way followers;
• Jerusalem becoming a city that not only would reject God’s messengers but also would slay them, including Jesus the Christ.

As I study these texts, I ask myself:

1. Why did God have to call twice? Is He calling me twice? What is the significance of the double call?
2. Am I listening (paying close attention) to God’s voice, so as to hear Him when He speaks to me? Has He called out to me (and you) with a redoubling of our individual names, and if so what does His double call say about our roles as Body of Christ members?

Join me in the next few days as we prayerfully examine through these biographies how:

• God is seeking our attention to communicate to us significant messages 
• God is calling us to a life of new beginnings with Him.