Randy Green's Blog - Posts Tagged "miracles"
Lord Houdini? – Part 1
Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.” [1 Kings 17:24]
Most of us have heard of Harry Houdini, the all time greatest magician of the world. He performed some amazing feats, feats which captured the attention of people having even the severest cases of attention deficit disorder. His name will never be forgotten.
It might pique your curiosity to know that Houdini began his magic career with card tricks. He dubbed himself the king of cards. After a time Houdini moved on to being an escape artist. He would get himself out of handcuffs, locked rooms, even jail, while onlookers watched dumbfounded.
When copycats began imitating his tricks, Houdini upped the ante. He created routines where he was locked in a large metal milk container filled with water, while being handcuffed with his hands behind his back. It made his show even more derring-do, the fact that his life was in the balance. No doubt about it. Houdini is still the master of magic today. We cannot help but marvel at his genius with magic.
In our text today we have a widowed mother doing some serious marveling herself. It would seem she had an only son who became deathly ill, ill to the point of actually dying. This woman lived in the region of Sidon along the Mediterranean coast bordering northern Israel. She was not an Israelite. She did not know King YHWH of Israel. She was a Phoenician heathen, though she obviously respected the Israelites and their God.
How do we know that? Well, she knew Elijah the Tishbite, that’s how. She even prepared a room for Elijah in her home, so that he would have a place to stay when he was in the vicinity. But how did a heathen woman outside Israel come to know Elijah anyway?
It’s like this. As retaliation to King Ahab and Jezebel for practicing Baal worship in northern Israel, the Lord sent His prophet Elijah to announce an indefinite drought on the land. Jezebel was herself a Sidonian king’s daughter, and the Sidonians worshiped the idol Baal. So after King Ahab married the evil wench Jezebel, she brought Baal worship into Israel with her and promoted it to the Israelites.
During the famine the Lord hid Elijah on the east bank at the brook Cherith for a while, employing ravens to bring him his food. The brook served as his source of water. When the brook dried up the Lord directed Elijah to go to Zarephath in Sidon and stay with the widow for the remainder of the famine. That is how a heathen widow in Sidon came to know the godly prophet Elijah.
Oh, dear. We are out of time again. So we will spend some time alone with the Lord now and continue this story in our next study. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Most of us have heard of Harry Houdini, the all time greatest magician of the world. He performed some amazing feats, feats which captured the attention of people having even the severest cases of attention deficit disorder. His name will never be forgotten.
It might pique your curiosity to know that Houdini began his magic career with card tricks. He dubbed himself the king of cards. After a time Houdini moved on to being an escape artist. He would get himself out of handcuffs, locked rooms, even jail, while onlookers watched dumbfounded.
When copycats began imitating his tricks, Houdini upped the ante. He created routines where he was locked in a large metal milk container filled with water, while being handcuffed with his hands behind his back. It made his show even more derring-do, the fact that his life was in the balance. No doubt about it. Houdini is still the master of magic today. We cannot help but marvel at his genius with magic.
In our text today we have a widowed mother doing some serious marveling herself. It would seem she had an only son who became deathly ill, ill to the point of actually dying. This woman lived in the region of Sidon along the Mediterranean coast bordering northern Israel. She was not an Israelite. She did not know King YHWH of Israel. She was a Phoenician heathen, though she obviously respected the Israelites and their God.
How do we know that? Well, she knew Elijah the Tishbite, that’s how. She even prepared a room for Elijah in her home, so that he would have a place to stay when he was in the vicinity. But how did a heathen woman outside Israel come to know Elijah anyway?
It’s like this. As retaliation to King Ahab and Jezebel for practicing Baal worship in northern Israel, the Lord sent His prophet Elijah to announce an indefinite drought on the land. Jezebel was herself a Sidonian king’s daughter, and the Sidonians worshiped the idol Baal. So after King Ahab married the evil wench Jezebel, she brought Baal worship into Israel with her and promoted it to the Israelites.
During the famine the Lord hid Elijah on the east bank at the brook Cherith for a while, employing ravens to bring him his food. The brook served as his source of water. When the brook dried up the Lord directed Elijah to go to Zarephath in Sidon and stay with the widow for the remainder of the famine. That is how a heathen widow in Sidon came to know the godly prophet Elijah.
Oh, dear. We are out of time again. So we will spend some time alone with the Lord now and continue this story in our next study. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Lord Houdini? – Part 2
Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.” [1 Kings 17:24]
We concluded our last study by noting how a heathen Phoenecian widow knew Elijah and His God. Now let’s continue with the point to the story.
While Elijah was staying with this widow, her son died. She cried to Elijah and Elijah cried to the Lord, to King YHWH of Israel. To make a long story short, the Lord answered Elijah’s prayer affirmatively and raised the deceased boy out of death. Elijah then returned the boy to his mother alive and well.
Dear friends, we recognize this as a miracle. Some folks refuse to accept miracles, so they deny this account ever happened. Others do accept miracles as real and praise the Lord for this one and for others. All this is well and good, but the Lord isn’t Harry Houdini.
The Lord doesn’t perform tricks of the trade. The Lord performs genuine prima facie miracles. He suspends the “laws of nature”, His normal method of working, in order to do something contrary to the norm. This is something we Christians can easily misunderstand or forget. And when we do so, we wind up seeking miracles to tickle our fancy. We search for Lord Houdini instead of Lord Jesus.
In the story of today’s Bible verse the Phoenician mother unwittingly blurted out this Biblical teaching about miracles. She cried to the Lord’s prophet and received her dead son back alive again, a miracle. Her response was to state that the miracle proved Elijah was a prophet of the one true God, and that Elijah’s words were the Word of God.
That, my dear friends, is the purpose in the Lord performing miracles. Miracles serve as a witness that the Lord is the one true God. They are not given to evoke oohs and aahs from us and leave us gasping at Lord Houdini and His magic tricks. They are given to evoke genuflection from us, so that we surrender our hearts to Him in worship and service.
Let’s get together with the Lord now and hold a serious conversation with Him. Let’s surrender our lives to Him and begin the journey of a new life in Christ. And may the name of the Lord be praised in the doing of this.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deteuronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
We concluded our last study by noting how a heathen Phoenecian widow knew Elijah and His God. Now let’s continue with the point to the story.
While Elijah was staying with this widow, her son died. She cried to Elijah and Elijah cried to the Lord, to King YHWH of Israel. To make a long story short, the Lord answered Elijah’s prayer affirmatively and raised the deceased boy out of death. Elijah then returned the boy to his mother alive and well.
Dear friends, we recognize this as a miracle. Some folks refuse to accept miracles, so they deny this account ever happened. Others do accept miracles as real and praise the Lord for this one and for others. All this is well and good, but the Lord isn’t Harry Houdini.
The Lord doesn’t perform tricks of the trade. The Lord performs genuine prima facie miracles. He suspends the “laws of nature”, His normal method of working, in order to do something contrary to the norm. This is something we Christians can easily misunderstand or forget. And when we do so, we wind up seeking miracles to tickle our fancy. We search for Lord Houdini instead of Lord Jesus.
In the story of today’s Bible verse the Phoenician mother unwittingly blurted out this Biblical teaching about miracles. She cried to the Lord’s prophet and received her dead son back alive again, a miracle. Her response was to state that the miracle proved Elijah was a prophet of the one true God, and that Elijah’s words were the Word of God.
That, my dear friends, is the purpose in the Lord performing miracles. Miracles serve as a witness that the Lord is the one true God. They are not given to evoke oohs and aahs from us and leave us gasping at Lord Houdini and His magic tricks. They are given to evoke genuflection from us, so that we surrender our hearts to Him in worship and service.
Let’s get together with the Lord now and hold a serious conversation with Him. Let’s surrender our lives to Him and begin the journey of a new life in Christ. And may the name of the Lord be praised in the doing of this.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deteuronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Keep Your Eye on the Ball – Part 1
Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again [1 Kings 18:37].
From the time my kids were born until they finished high school, I explained to them the importance of choosing our friends wisely. Since what we eat is what we are, so too who we hang with is who we are…or who we become. If we make friends with folks who have their head on straight and are succeeding in life, then we’ll likely keep our head on straight and be successful too.
Old King Cole, er, I mean old King Ahab of northern Israel needed to learn that lesson. Alas, but he didn’t, and the result was that all the Israelites paid the price right along with him. Let me tell you some of the story behind this.
When King Solomon died, the Lord gave ten tribes (i.e., the northern half of the Promised Land) to Jeroboam ben Nebat. The southern half of the Promised Land remained under David’s kingly progeny. The Davidic throne ruled the south (aka Judah), while Jeroboam ruled the north (aka Israel). The worship of the Lord was at the temple in Jerusalem, where the Davidic kings ruled.
For centuries until northern Israel went into exile in Assyria, the sins of Jeroboam plagued Israel. His primary sin was that he established two golden calves to serve as Israel’s gods, placing one in the north and the other in the south near Judah. Jeroboam didn’t want his subjects going to Jerusalem to worship, you see. He established idolatry pure and simple, and there is no surer way to get on the Lord’s bad side than to be an idolater.
What Jeroboam did is known in Scripture as the sin of Jeroboam. But that isn’t what our story is about, dear friends. Alas, but old King Ahab wasn’t content to worship Jeroboam’s golden calves. He went off to Phoenicia and married that no account Jezebel, princess of the Phoenician king. In Phoenicia they just loved to worship Baal, and Jezebel brought Baal worship with her to Israel.
This left Israel with two major false religions, and the Lord was none too thrilled by it all. This ushered in the second period of miracles in the Old Testament. Baal worship in Israel led to the Lord’s miracle-working prophets coming to town. The main two were Elijah and Elisha.
Oh, no. We’re out of time again. It’s time to pull into the rest area, savor some delectable spiritual quisine, and spend some time in wholesome conversation with the Lord. We’ll continue the journey to Mount Carmel tomorrow. See you then.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
From the time my kids were born until they finished high school, I explained to them the importance of choosing our friends wisely. Since what we eat is what we are, so too who we hang with is who we are…or who we become. If we make friends with folks who have their head on straight and are succeeding in life, then we’ll likely keep our head on straight and be successful too.
Old King Cole, er, I mean old King Ahab of northern Israel needed to learn that lesson. Alas, but he didn’t, and the result was that all the Israelites paid the price right along with him. Let me tell you some of the story behind this.
When King Solomon died, the Lord gave ten tribes (i.e., the northern half of the Promised Land) to Jeroboam ben Nebat. The southern half of the Promised Land remained under David’s kingly progeny. The Davidic throne ruled the south (aka Judah), while Jeroboam ruled the north (aka Israel). The worship of the Lord was at the temple in Jerusalem, where the Davidic kings ruled.
For centuries until northern Israel went into exile in Assyria, the sins of Jeroboam plagued Israel. His primary sin was that he established two golden calves to serve as Israel’s gods, placing one in the north and the other in the south near Judah. Jeroboam didn’t want his subjects going to Jerusalem to worship, you see. He established idolatry pure and simple, and there is no surer way to get on the Lord’s bad side than to be an idolater.
What Jeroboam did is known in Scripture as the sin of Jeroboam. But that isn’t what our story is about, dear friends. Alas, but old King Ahab wasn’t content to worship Jeroboam’s golden calves. He went off to Phoenicia and married that no account Jezebel, princess of the Phoenician king. In Phoenicia they just loved to worship Baal, and Jezebel brought Baal worship with her to Israel.
This left Israel with two major false religions, and the Lord was none too thrilled by it all. This ushered in the second period of miracles in the Old Testament. Baal worship in Israel led to the Lord’s miracle-working prophets coming to town. The main two were Elijah and Elisha.
Oh, no. We’re out of time again. It’s time to pull into the rest area, savor some delectable spiritual quisine, and spend some time in wholesome conversation with the Lord. We’ll continue the journey to Mount Carmel tomorrow. See you then.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Keep Your Eye on the Ball – Part 2
Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again [1 Kings 18:37].
Old King Ahab, a wuss who hid behind Jezebel’s skirt, added Baal worship to the sins of Jeroboam, prompting the Lord to dispatch His miracle-working prophets to take on the prophets of Baal and Asherah. That’s where we left off yesterday. Sounds like a suitable place to continue today.
So the Lord afflicted Israel with a 3½ year drought to get the Israelites’ attention. At the conclusion He had Elijah challenge all 450 prophets of Baal and all 400 prophets of Asherah to a duel. This made the odds 850 to 1, fine odds indeed. But not to worry because Elijah was on the Lord’s side, and He’s omnipotent.
The 850 yokels, er, I mean prophets spent all morning dancing a jig and chanting their drivel to Baal, calling upon him to send fire from heaven and burn up their sacrifice to him. Not surprisingly nothing ever came of it. Elijah had a splendid time poking fun of them in the process.
Then Elijah set up an altar of seven stones, dug a big ditch around it, saturated his offering with water until the ditch overflowed, and proceeded to pray to the Lord to send fire from heaven and burn up the drenched sacrifice he was presenting to the Lord. Straightway fire came down from heaven and devoured not only the animal, but also the water and the stones!
Here’s the point, dear people. We cited a portion of Elijah’s prayer at the start of this study. He called on the Lord to perform a mighty miracle, and the Lord did. What we want to center our attention on is the stated reason why Elijah wanted the Lord to perform this miracle. The reason was this: that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.
The purpose of miracles is not to impress us and keep us coming back for more. Nor is it to tickle our fancy and leave us feeling happy. And it is certainly not to draw attention to the miracle worker. The purpose is to point people to the one true God, that they may turn from their sins and give their hearts to Him.
In today’s religious climate there are churches and denominations which emphasize miracles as a necessary part of the Church. The more time people spend around suchlike folks, the more they ogle the supposed miracles and the self-styled miracle workers. The attention does not go to the Lord Jesus but to man.
Let’s wise up and be mature men and women of God. Let’s seek the God of miracles, not the miracles of God. Give us the Person of Jesus Christ and it suffices. He is the Bread of Life, our all in all.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Old King Ahab, a wuss who hid behind Jezebel’s skirt, added Baal worship to the sins of Jeroboam, prompting the Lord to dispatch His miracle-working prophets to take on the prophets of Baal and Asherah. That’s where we left off yesterday. Sounds like a suitable place to continue today.
So the Lord afflicted Israel with a 3½ year drought to get the Israelites’ attention. At the conclusion He had Elijah challenge all 450 prophets of Baal and all 400 prophets of Asherah to a duel. This made the odds 850 to 1, fine odds indeed. But not to worry because Elijah was on the Lord’s side, and He’s omnipotent.
The 850 yokels, er, I mean prophets spent all morning dancing a jig and chanting their drivel to Baal, calling upon him to send fire from heaven and burn up their sacrifice to him. Not surprisingly nothing ever came of it. Elijah had a splendid time poking fun of them in the process.
Then Elijah set up an altar of seven stones, dug a big ditch around it, saturated his offering with water until the ditch overflowed, and proceeded to pray to the Lord to send fire from heaven and burn up the drenched sacrifice he was presenting to the Lord. Straightway fire came down from heaven and devoured not only the animal, but also the water and the stones!
Here’s the point, dear people. We cited a portion of Elijah’s prayer at the start of this study. He called on the Lord to perform a mighty miracle, and the Lord did. What we want to center our attention on is the stated reason why Elijah wanted the Lord to perform this miracle. The reason was this: that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.
The purpose of miracles is not to impress us and keep us coming back for more. Nor is it to tickle our fancy and leave us feeling happy. And it is certainly not to draw attention to the miracle worker. The purpose is to point people to the one true God, that they may turn from their sins and give their hearts to Him.
In today’s religious climate there are churches and denominations which emphasize miracles as a necessary part of the Church. The more time people spend around suchlike folks, the more they ogle the supposed miracles and the self-styled miracle workers. The attention does not go to the Lord Jesus but to man.
Let’s wise up and be mature men and women of God. Let’s seek the God of miracles, not the miracles of God. Give us the Person of Jesus Christ and it suffices. He is the Bread of Life, our all in all.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Oohs and Aahs – Part 1
(The Lord said to Elijah), “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing [1 Kings 19:11-12].
Elijah was the Lord’s Numero Uno prophet in northern Israel under the divided kingdom. During his day Israel was in a bad way, which is why the Lord used Elijah to perform fantastic feats of nature (i.e., miracles). The king of Israel was the no-account scoundrel Ahab, who married none other than Jezebel, princess of Sidon—you know, the Jezebel of byword notoriety.
Well, the Sidonians worshiped Baal. So it surprised no one when Jezebel brought Baal worship to northern Israel, after marrying King Ahab. That just didn’t sit right with the Lord. He alone is the true God and idols are merely the work of men’s hands. The practice of idolatry was a cardinal sin, and the worship of Baal was doubly so.
So the Lord sent Elijah into combat atop Mount Carmel. Elijah stood on one side, 450 prophet of Baal on the other plus another 400 prophets of Asherah. In reality the Lord stood on one side and some vain idols on the other. It was a foregone conclusion: the Lord won! All 850 false prophets were tossed off the mountain head first.
When Ahab returned to Jezebel in the city of Jezreel, he reported to her all that had transpired on Mount Carmel. Enraged, Jezebel sent an email to Elijah, threatening to do to him what he had done to her false prophets. And she would accomplish the feat before day’s end.
We should think that big bad prophet Elijah, the macho man, would have taken wicked old Jezebel’s threat with a grain of salt. After all, he just faced down 850 men, so what was a puny little woman, huh?
Alas, but it was not to be so. Elijah beat a fast retreat to Mount Horeb—you know, Mount Horeb as in Mount Sinai on the far southern end of the Sinai Peninsula. Consider that Mount Carmel was in northern Israel, all the way north as far as the Sea of Galilee but near the Mediterranean Coast.
To get to Mount Horeb from Mount Carmel, Elijah had to go south all the way to Judah, then keep going to the southern border of Judah, enter the Sinai Peninsula, and then cross practically the entire peninsula! Not only did Elijah flee out of Jezebel’s jurisdiction, but he fled out of all Hebrew territory. As if this wasn’t far enough away, he then continued across an entire peninsula too! Methinks Elijah was a scaredy-cat, when it came to women!
Oops! Time’s up. We’ll have to finish this topic tomorrow. See you then, and don’t forget to visit with Jesus before going to bed.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Elijah was the Lord’s Numero Uno prophet in northern Israel under the divided kingdom. During his day Israel was in a bad way, which is why the Lord used Elijah to perform fantastic feats of nature (i.e., miracles). The king of Israel was the no-account scoundrel Ahab, who married none other than Jezebel, princess of Sidon—you know, the Jezebel of byword notoriety.
Well, the Sidonians worshiped Baal. So it surprised no one when Jezebel brought Baal worship to northern Israel, after marrying King Ahab. That just didn’t sit right with the Lord. He alone is the true God and idols are merely the work of men’s hands. The practice of idolatry was a cardinal sin, and the worship of Baal was doubly so.
So the Lord sent Elijah into combat atop Mount Carmel. Elijah stood on one side, 450 prophet of Baal on the other plus another 400 prophets of Asherah. In reality the Lord stood on one side and some vain idols on the other. It was a foregone conclusion: the Lord won! All 850 false prophets were tossed off the mountain head first.
When Ahab returned to Jezebel in the city of Jezreel, he reported to her all that had transpired on Mount Carmel. Enraged, Jezebel sent an email to Elijah, threatening to do to him what he had done to her false prophets. And she would accomplish the feat before day’s end.
We should think that big bad prophet Elijah, the macho man, would have taken wicked old Jezebel’s threat with a grain of salt. After all, he just faced down 850 men, so what was a puny little woman, huh?
Alas, but it was not to be so. Elijah beat a fast retreat to Mount Horeb—you know, Mount Horeb as in Mount Sinai on the far southern end of the Sinai Peninsula. Consider that Mount Carmel was in northern Israel, all the way north as far as the Sea of Galilee but near the Mediterranean Coast.
To get to Mount Horeb from Mount Carmel, Elijah had to go south all the way to Judah, then keep going to the southern border of Judah, enter the Sinai Peninsula, and then cross practically the entire peninsula! Not only did Elijah flee out of Jezebel’s jurisdiction, but he fled out of all Hebrew territory. As if this wasn’t far enough away, he then continued across an entire peninsula too! Methinks Elijah was a scaredy-cat, when it came to women!
Oops! Time’s up. We’ll have to finish this topic tomorrow. See you then, and don’t forget to visit with Jesus before going to bed.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Oohs and Aahs – Part 2
(The Lord said to Elijah), “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing [1 Kings 19:11-12].
Yesterday we gave the background information to our text. Now let’s get to the point of the text, shall we? We now come to the two verses we quoted as a kick-off to this study.
On Mount Horeb Elijah threw himself a pity party and invited the Lord. The main course was an Elijah specialty named The Grouse Gourmet. Seems Elijah thought he had done so much good for the Lord, but the Lord didn’t appreciate him. Why, he alone in all Israel still served the Lord…at least according to old Elijah.
As a suitable payment for his services, Elijah wanted to see the Lord in person. And that is where the two quoted verses come in. Notice the contrast. On the one hand Elijah experienced:
• a great and strong wind...rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks
• after the wind an earthquake
• after the earthquake a fire
In contrast to all that Elijah lastly experienced a sound of a gentle blowing. To put this contrast into context, remember what Elijah had just gone through before fleeing from Jezebel. All by himself he performed a most impressive mighty miracle against 850 opponents. In fact Elijah’s ministry from the Lord was one of performing mighty miracles, awesome deeds, eye-opening feats.
Atop Mount Horeb the “strong wind” and the “earthquake” and the “fire” were meant to impress Elijah, just as his mighty miracles impressed others. Elijah saw God in terms of mighty miracles, you see. He was dumbfounded because the Lord didn’t perform mighty miracles on his behalf against Jezebel. Apart from mighty miracles Elijah couldn’t get a handle on the Lord.
Ah, but after the “strong wind” and the “earthquake” and the “fire”, on each occasion we are told that the Lord was not in those mighty miracles. The Lord did perform the mighty miracles, to be sure. But the mighty miracles were not the Lord.
This is a serious problem in some Christian circles today. Some Christians are so busy wanting to see the sign gifts (e.g., tongues, miracles, healings), that they lose sight of the Lord. It saddens me to see some Christians exude so much enthusiasm and gullible excitement, believing they are honored by the Holy Spirit with the sign gifts.
Their church is alive, you see, while those who don’t focus on tongues and miracles and healings are filled with half-dead, hybrid Christians, most certainly inferior to them, the present-day “super apostles”. They are like Elijah on Mount Horeb. They can only envision God in terms of outward, flamboyant power.
But this is precisely the stuff from which the Lord wanted to wean Elijah. After all the outward powerful signs were over, the Lord finally met with Elijah personally. He revealed Himself as a sound of a gentle blowing.
The Lord is omnipotent, all-powerful. He can manifest more power than any man can even imagine. But He wants to have a personal relationship with us, not frighten us into submission by impersonal force!
When we interact favorably with others, we communicate in a still, small voice. We talk kindly and respectfully. We respect the other person’s feelings, not try to intimidate him.
It is the same with the Lord Jesus and our personal relationship with Him. He wants to visit with us in the garden in the cool of the day. When He does He speaks softly and gently, so we can enjoy His company and come to know Him all the better. What He has to say is spoken in intelligible words we can understand, and those words come from His written Word.
Let’s take this under advisement in our quite time with the Lord now. We can learn a lot from Him, if we truly want to. He even makes it fun. Let’s go. I’ll race you to Him.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Yesterday we gave the background information to our text. Now let’s get to the point of the text, shall we? We now come to the two verses we quoted as a kick-off to this study.
On Mount Horeb Elijah threw himself a pity party and invited the Lord. The main course was an Elijah specialty named The Grouse Gourmet. Seems Elijah thought he had done so much good for the Lord, but the Lord didn’t appreciate him. Why, he alone in all Israel still served the Lord…at least according to old Elijah.
As a suitable payment for his services, Elijah wanted to see the Lord in person. And that is where the two quoted verses come in. Notice the contrast. On the one hand Elijah experienced:
• a great and strong wind...rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks
• after the wind an earthquake
• after the earthquake a fire
In contrast to all that Elijah lastly experienced a sound of a gentle blowing. To put this contrast into context, remember what Elijah had just gone through before fleeing from Jezebel. All by himself he performed a most impressive mighty miracle against 850 opponents. In fact Elijah’s ministry from the Lord was one of performing mighty miracles, awesome deeds, eye-opening feats.
Atop Mount Horeb the “strong wind” and the “earthquake” and the “fire” were meant to impress Elijah, just as his mighty miracles impressed others. Elijah saw God in terms of mighty miracles, you see. He was dumbfounded because the Lord didn’t perform mighty miracles on his behalf against Jezebel. Apart from mighty miracles Elijah couldn’t get a handle on the Lord.
Ah, but after the “strong wind” and the “earthquake” and the “fire”, on each occasion we are told that the Lord was not in those mighty miracles. The Lord did perform the mighty miracles, to be sure. But the mighty miracles were not the Lord.
This is a serious problem in some Christian circles today. Some Christians are so busy wanting to see the sign gifts (e.g., tongues, miracles, healings), that they lose sight of the Lord. It saddens me to see some Christians exude so much enthusiasm and gullible excitement, believing they are honored by the Holy Spirit with the sign gifts.
Their church is alive, you see, while those who don’t focus on tongues and miracles and healings are filled with half-dead, hybrid Christians, most certainly inferior to them, the present-day “super apostles”. They are like Elijah on Mount Horeb. They can only envision God in terms of outward, flamboyant power.
But this is precisely the stuff from which the Lord wanted to wean Elijah. After all the outward powerful signs were over, the Lord finally met with Elijah personally. He revealed Himself as a sound of a gentle blowing.
The Lord is omnipotent, all-powerful. He can manifest more power than any man can even imagine. But He wants to have a personal relationship with us, not frighten us into submission by impersonal force!
When we interact favorably with others, we communicate in a still, small voice. We talk kindly and respectfully. We respect the other person’s feelings, not try to intimidate him.
It is the same with the Lord Jesus and our personal relationship with Him. He wants to visit with us in the garden in the cool of the day. When He does He speaks softly and gently, so we can enjoy His company and come to know Him all the better. What He has to say is spoken in intelligible words we can understand, and those words come from His written Word.
Let’s take this under advisement in our quite time with the Lord now. We can learn a lot from Him, if we truly want to. He even makes it fun. Let’s go. I’ll race you to Him.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Missouri, the Show Me State – Part 1
If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead [Luke 16:31].
I’ve had occasion over the years to hear it all, or at least most of it! One common statement coming from folks who stepped in it goes like this, “If only I had known, I wouldn’t have done what I did.” Perhaps not. Just perhaps. But then again…
It is troubling to hear suchlike talk, mainly because the words usually amount to no more than rationalization. The person speaking wants to explain away his guilt and make himself innocent without ever being sorry for his wrong. He is attempting to induce sympathy.
Most of us are familiar with Jesus’ story of the rich man and Lazarus, at least partially so. I refer to it as Jesus’ story and not His parable because I don’t believe it to be a parable at all. It was a true story by the telling of it, not containing the usual phraseology of a parable. Jesus usually began His parables by stating something to this effect, “The kingdom of God is like…”
In addition, the story could only be told by someone from eternity, seeing how it reveals events from eternity. This detail adds proof to Jesus’ claim to be God. Let’s review the story, shall we?
There was this rich man and there was this poor man, Larazus by name. The rich man was filthy rich and the poor man suffered from abject poverty. What’s more, the poor man was sickly—small wonder!—not having the means to pay medical expenses to care for himself.
Without money for food Larazus had to sit at the rich man’s door, in hopes of receiving some small token of charity from the rich man. Larazus served as the Lord’s opportunity for the rich man to do a righteous act.
Alas, but Larazus went unnoticed day after day, until one day he no longer sat at the rich man’s door. The Lord saw fit to promote Larazus to eternity, where at last he enjoyed his good things in Abraham’s bosom.
Then one day the rich man ceased to pass back and forth through his front door, the same door where Larazus once upon a time used to sit daily. The rich man’s hour glass ran out of sand, and the day of salvation ended for him. The Lord dispatched him to Hades, a place we should never wish upon anyone.
In Hades the rich man was in torment. He was able to see Lazarus enjoying himself in comfort and spiritual contentment. And there was Abraham right there with Lazarus.
Calling out to Abraham the erstwhile rich man pleaded, “Father Abraham, I am parched and suffer the most intense and searing pain. Please have Lazarus dip his finger in some water and come here to touch my tongue with a drop of the moisture.”
Abraham explained that no one was permitted to travel between the two locations. To this the rich man responded, “Then please send Larzarus to my five brothers who are still alive, with a message to warn them of what’s in store for them if they don’t repent.”
“Oh no,” Abraham rejoined. “Can’t do that either. They can read the Word of God and learn that information.”
Not wanting to stop the horse in the middle of the stream, nonetheless our time is up. The horse can drink his fill and we can spend time with the Lord while he drinks. We’ll continue this study tomorrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
I’ve had occasion over the years to hear it all, or at least most of it! One common statement coming from folks who stepped in it goes like this, “If only I had known, I wouldn’t have done what I did.” Perhaps not. Just perhaps. But then again…
It is troubling to hear suchlike talk, mainly because the words usually amount to no more than rationalization. The person speaking wants to explain away his guilt and make himself innocent without ever being sorry for his wrong. He is attempting to induce sympathy.
Most of us are familiar with Jesus’ story of the rich man and Lazarus, at least partially so. I refer to it as Jesus’ story and not His parable because I don’t believe it to be a parable at all. It was a true story by the telling of it, not containing the usual phraseology of a parable. Jesus usually began His parables by stating something to this effect, “The kingdom of God is like…”
In addition, the story could only be told by someone from eternity, seeing how it reveals events from eternity. This detail adds proof to Jesus’ claim to be God. Let’s review the story, shall we?
There was this rich man and there was this poor man, Larazus by name. The rich man was filthy rich and the poor man suffered from abject poverty. What’s more, the poor man was sickly—small wonder!—not having the means to pay medical expenses to care for himself.
Without money for food Larazus had to sit at the rich man’s door, in hopes of receiving some small token of charity from the rich man. Larazus served as the Lord’s opportunity for the rich man to do a righteous act.
Alas, but Larazus went unnoticed day after day, until one day he no longer sat at the rich man’s door. The Lord saw fit to promote Larazus to eternity, where at last he enjoyed his good things in Abraham’s bosom.
Then one day the rich man ceased to pass back and forth through his front door, the same door where Larazus once upon a time used to sit daily. The rich man’s hour glass ran out of sand, and the day of salvation ended for him. The Lord dispatched him to Hades, a place we should never wish upon anyone.
In Hades the rich man was in torment. He was able to see Lazarus enjoying himself in comfort and spiritual contentment. And there was Abraham right there with Lazarus.
Calling out to Abraham the erstwhile rich man pleaded, “Father Abraham, I am parched and suffer the most intense and searing pain. Please have Lazarus dip his finger in some water and come here to touch my tongue with a drop of the moisture.”
Abraham explained that no one was permitted to travel between the two locations. To this the rich man responded, “Then please send Larzarus to my five brothers who are still alive, with a message to warn them of what’s in store for them if they don’t repent.”
“Oh no,” Abraham rejoined. “Can’t do that either. They can read the Word of God and learn that information.”
Not wanting to stop the horse in the middle of the stream, nonetheless our time is up. The horse can drink his fill and we can spend time with the Lord while he drinks. We’ll continue this study tomorrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Missouri, the Show Me State – Part 2
If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead [Luke 16:31].
Yesterday we paused in Hades, where the rich man wanted Lazarus to return to earth and warn his five brothers to repent. Abraham denied the rich man’s request, noting that the five brothers could read the Word of God and learn of their need to repent. Let’s continue from there now.
Hades was so unbearable that the rich man was truly worried sick about his five brothers’. So he pleaded with Abraham, “They won’t listen to the Word of God, Father Abraham. But if someone were to return from the dead, then they’d listen!”
Isn’t that what all of us believe deep down? If the secrets of our hearts were laid bear for all to see, the truth would express itself something like this: “Show me a mighty miracle, and then I’ll believe whatever it is you’re selling, God! But some of the things in the Bible, well, it’s expecting a little much to hold me to them, don’t you think?”
This is where the conclusion to Jesus’ story comes into play, dear friends. We quoted it at the start of this study. What did Abraham answer the rich man? Just this: if your five brothers won’t listen to the written Word of God, they won’t be convinced by someone rising from the dead either.
Do you hear Father Abraham, dear friends? Do his words ring in your ears and descend into the depths of your heart? The written Word of God takes priority over miracles any day of the week, even such an astounding miracle as the resurrection of Jesus Christ!
The purpose of miracles was never to convince people to repent and be saved. Miracles never did achieve such a result. Miracles served to confirm that a prophet was truly sent from God. Miracles also confirmed that what was written by prophets and apostles was the inspired written Word of God.
But miracles never have, don’t now, and never will serve to convert anyone to salvation. The Word of God is required to do that, along with the Holy Spirit to impress the Word of God on the person, so that he is convicted of his sins and brought repentance.
The story of Lazarus and the rich man foretold the resurrection of Jesus Christ and what would follow. Those who believed before the resurrection continued to believe after the resurrection. Unbelievers before the resurrection continued in their unbelief after the resurrection.
The purpose of the resurrection was not to convince anyone of the truth. The resurrection was the necessary outcome of the crucifixion. By means of the resurrection Jesus was declared to be the Son of God with power (cf., Romans 1:4). He died, yes, but death could not keep its hold on the Author of life.
By means of the crucifixion Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of all mankind. By means of the resurrection Jesus’ death was proven to be accepted by the Father as payment for the sins of all mankind.
But no one present at the crucifixion could see with the visible eye that the penalty for his sins was paid. Nor could they view the empty tomb and see with the naked eye that the Father accepted this payment. Only the eye of faith can see these and all spiritual truths. Faith comes from hearing the Word of God, not from observing miracles.
There is this saying, “I’m from Missouri. You got to show me.” No offense intended for any of our Missouri friends, but let’s not take such an approach!
Let’s put our faith in the trustworthy Word of God, rather than in visible things like sign gifts and miracles, dear friends. By grace are we saved through faith.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Yesterday we paused in Hades, where the rich man wanted Lazarus to return to earth and warn his five brothers to repent. Abraham denied the rich man’s request, noting that the five brothers could read the Word of God and learn of their need to repent. Let’s continue from there now.
Hades was so unbearable that the rich man was truly worried sick about his five brothers’. So he pleaded with Abraham, “They won’t listen to the Word of God, Father Abraham. But if someone were to return from the dead, then they’d listen!”
Isn’t that what all of us believe deep down? If the secrets of our hearts were laid bear for all to see, the truth would express itself something like this: “Show me a mighty miracle, and then I’ll believe whatever it is you’re selling, God! But some of the things in the Bible, well, it’s expecting a little much to hold me to them, don’t you think?”
This is where the conclusion to Jesus’ story comes into play, dear friends. We quoted it at the start of this study. What did Abraham answer the rich man? Just this: if your five brothers won’t listen to the written Word of God, they won’t be convinced by someone rising from the dead either.
Do you hear Father Abraham, dear friends? Do his words ring in your ears and descend into the depths of your heart? The written Word of God takes priority over miracles any day of the week, even such an astounding miracle as the resurrection of Jesus Christ!
The purpose of miracles was never to convince people to repent and be saved. Miracles never did achieve such a result. Miracles served to confirm that a prophet was truly sent from God. Miracles also confirmed that what was written by prophets and apostles was the inspired written Word of God.
But miracles never have, don’t now, and never will serve to convert anyone to salvation. The Word of God is required to do that, along with the Holy Spirit to impress the Word of God on the person, so that he is convicted of his sins and brought repentance.
The story of Lazarus and the rich man foretold the resurrection of Jesus Christ and what would follow. Those who believed before the resurrection continued to believe after the resurrection. Unbelievers before the resurrection continued in their unbelief after the resurrection.
The purpose of the resurrection was not to convince anyone of the truth. The resurrection was the necessary outcome of the crucifixion. By means of the resurrection Jesus was declared to be the Son of God with power (cf., Romans 1:4). He died, yes, but death could not keep its hold on the Author of life.
By means of the crucifixion Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of all mankind. By means of the resurrection Jesus’ death was proven to be accepted by the Father as payment for the sins of all mankind.
But no one present at the crucifixion could see with the visible eye that the penalty for his sins was paid. Nor could they view the empty tomb and see with the naked eye that the Father accepted this payment. Only the eye of faith can see these and all spiritual truths. Faith comes from hearing the Word of God, not from observing miracles.
There is this saying, “I’m from Missouri. You got to show me.” No offense intended for any of our Missouri friends, but let’s not take such an approach!
Let’s put our faith in the trustworthy Word of God, rather than in visible things like sign gifts and miracles, dear friends. By grace are we saved through faith.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Foolish Sages and Wimpy Brutes – Part 1
For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God [1 Corinthians 1:22-24].
I recall this phrase that has made the rounds for generations now. It goes something like this:
There are all kinds of people in the world.
In some sense this may well be true. According to the three verses quoted above, God only recognizes three kinds of people. Let’s itemize them for ready reference:
1. Jews
2. Gentiles (Greeks)
3. the called of God
Each of these three types of people is identified by a distinguishing characteristic. We will also itemize the three characteristics, listing each one accoriding to the order of the three types of people above:
1. ask for signs
2. search for wisdom
3. preach Christ crucified
There is one more detail given in the quoted text we mustn’t leave out. The called of God preach Christ crucified. The additional detail we mentioned is this: the preaching of Christ crucified receives three different responses, depending on which of the three types of people we belong to. Let’s itemize these three responses. We will do so according to the order of the three types of people given above:
1. a stumbling block
2. foolishness
3. the power and wisdom of God
That about does it. I believe we’ve exhausted the details of the three verses quoted at the start of this study. Now let’s get to work assaying the details.
The Jews were one type or classification of people in the world. A Jew (aka a Hebrew or Semite) is any person whose lineage traces back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I list all three Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for a reason. Abraham had many sons besides Isaac, but only Isaac carried on the Abrahamic Covenant. God made that determination.
Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau. God classified Esau as a profane and godless man who despised the Abrahamic Covenant. Esau loved the world and the things of the world. He had neither time nor love for the things of God. By God’s sovereign choice only Jacob carried on the Abrahamic Covenant. God renamed Jacob to Israel.
Jacob/Israel had twelve sons. Each of these twelve sons grew into a tribe of Israel and became the Israelites. God sovereignly chose to continue the Abrahamic Covenant through the Israelites. God also sovereignly determined to bring the Messiah into the world through the lineage of the Israelites, specifically through the lineage of the tribe of Judah and the family of David.
The Lord gave the Israelites the Promised Land and the Law of Moses (aka Torah). The Law of Moses served as the legal code of the Israelites while they lived in the Promised Land. This distinguished the Israelites (aka Jews) from the Gentiles (i.e., everyone not a Jew).
The Israelites had a covenantal relationship with the Lord: all the other peoples of the world had no relationship with the Lord. This was God’s sovereign decision. The Israelites had the Lord as their King: all the other peoples of the world had an earthly king of their own making. The Israelites had the Law of Moses, God’s Word in the world back in the day: all the other peoples of the world had their own imaginations and inventions to govern them.
The last several paragraphs distinguished the Jews from the Gentiles (i.e., all the other peoples of the world aside from the Jews). So we’ve also defined the Gentiles and noted their peculiarities as God sees it. There is one final detail to hammer out with regard to the Gentiles. I will explain it in the next study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
I recall this phrase that has made the rounds for generations now. It goes something like this:
There are all kinds of people in the world.
In some sense this may well be true. According to the three verses quoted above, God only recognizes three kinds of people. Let’s itemize them for ready reference:
1. Jews
2. Gentiles (Greeks)
3. the called of God
Each of these three types of people is identified by a distinguishing characteristic. We will also itemize the three characteristics, listing each one accoriding to the order of the three types of people above:
1. ask for signs
2. search for wisdom
3. preach Christ crucified
There is one more detail given in the quoted text we mustn’t leave out. The called of God preach Christ crucified. The additional detail we mentioned is this: the preaching of Christ crucified receives three different responses, depending on which of the three types of people we belong to. Let’s itemize these three responses. We will do so according to the order of the three types of people given above:
1. a stumbling block
2. foolishness
3. the power and wisdom of God
That about does it. I believe we’ve exhausted the details of the three verses quoted at the start of this study. Now let’s get to work assaying the details.
The Jews were one type or classification of people in the world. A Jew (aka a Hebrew or Semite) is any person whose lineage traces back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I list all three Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for a reason. Abraham had many sons besides Isaac, but only Isaac carried on the Abrahamic Covenant. God made that determination.
Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau. God classified Esau as a profane and godless man who despised the Abrahamic Covenant. Esau loved the world and the things of the world. He had neither time nor love for the things of God. By God’s sovereign choice only Jacob carried on the Abrahamic Covenant. God renamed Jacob to Israel.
Jacob/Israel had twelve sons. Each of these twelve sons grew into a tribe of Israel and became the Israelites. God sovereignly chose to continue the Abrahamic Covenant through the Israelites. God also sovereignly determined to bring the Messiah into the world through the lineage of the Israelites, specifically through the lineage of the tribe of Judah and the family of David.
The Lord gave the Israelites the Promised Land and the Law of Moses (aka Torah). The Law of Moses served as the legal code of the Israelites while they lived in the Promised Land. This distinguished the Israelites (aka Jews) from the Gentiles (i.e., everyone not a Jew).
The Israelites had a covenantal relationship with the Lord: all the other peoples of the world had no relationship with the Lord. This was God’s sovereign decision. The Israelites had the Lord as their King: all the other peoples of the world had an earthly king of their own making. The Israelites had the Law of Moses, God’s Word in the world back in the day: all the other peoples of the world had their own imaginations and inventions to govern them.
The last several paragraphs distinguished the Jews from the Gentiles (i.e., all the other peoples of the world aside from the Jews). So we’ve also defined the Gentiles and noted their peculiarities as God sees it. There is one final detail to hammer out with regard to the Gentiles. I will explain it in the next study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
