Category: God’s power

A Miracle of Astronomical Proportions

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

“Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon” (Joshua 10:12 KJV).

“For the Jews require a sign” (1 Corinthians 1:22a). Signs, miracles, and wonders are Israel’s national heritage. From their beginning (Abraham) until the early Acts period, Israel witnessed God’s miraculous demonstrations. In today’s Scripture, Israel literally saw “a miracle of astronomical proportions.”

When Israel under Joshua’s leadership came into the Promised Land, the Amorites (Gentiles) inhabited the area. In today’s Scripture, Joshua and Israel’s armies are engaged in warfare with the Amorites. Joshua, wanting to demonstrate God’s power to the Amorites, and to remind Israel of her God’s supremacy, commands the Sun and the Moon to stand still. What happens?

“And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel” (Joshua 10:13,14).

The scientific and even religious communities deny these verses. How could the Sun and Moon remain motionless, without altering the delicate balance of the solar system (and universe)? We cannot comprehend such a concept of stationary celestial bodies, but we confess, “Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee” (Jeremiah 32:17).

If God could speak the heaven and the earth into existence, from nothing, and establish natural laws to govern their movements, He could certainly manipulate those laws to produce extraordinary events. Joshua 10:13,14 does not need scientific confirmation. By faith, we understand it happened just as Scripture declares. We rejoice in the power of the great God whom we serve!

A Wall, a Walk, and a Win

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

“And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant?” (Joshua 5:13,14 KJV).

God is going to give Joshua some strange, almost ridiculous, battle plans for overthrowing Jericho. Nevertheless, Israel’s victory is imminent… but not because she is strong.

The LORD tells Joshua, “See, I have given into thine hand Jericho…. And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat….” (Joshua 6:2-5).

Joshua then relays God’s instructions to Israel (verses 6,7). God’s Word sounds silly, but Israel, by faith, obeys Him. Jericho’s inhabitants watch (and probably laugh) as Israel peacefully and quietly walks around the city once a day for six days (verses 8-14). On the seventh day, they walk around the city seven times. After the priests blow trumpets, Joshua declares, “Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city” (verse 16). The Jews shout and “the wall fell down flat” (verse 20).

God taught Israel she did nothing to defeat Jericho—she had merely walked. It was His strength and brilliance that led to her victory!

Furthermore, no matter how silly God’s Word sounds, always believe and obey it.

Four Small, Yet Exceeding Wise, Creatures

Sunday, May 20, 2012

“There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:” (Proverbs 30:24 KJV).

What are these four creatures? The context names them: ants, conies, locusts, and spiders. Let us learn from these “exceeding wise” creatures.

  • ANTS (verse 25): “The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;” Ant societies are extremely complex. In the colony millions of ants cooperate with one another to forage for and store food. Although ants are mere specks to us, these “weakly creatures” teach us to adequately prepare for the future (in their case, lack of food in winter). Prepare for eternity by trusting the Lord Jesus Christ today for salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).
  • CONIES (verse 26): “The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;” Conies? They are a type of rock-hare or rabbit (rock-hyrax?). Other than biting, their defense is retreating to their houses… in the rocks (Psalm 104:18). Never be ashamed to admit you need God’s protection: you are weak without Christ (2 Corinthians 3:5; 2 Corinthians 4:7-10; Philippians 4:13).
  • LOCUSTS (verse 27): “The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;” If locusts (swarming grasshoppers) can organize themselves into bands without a king (leader), then how much more unity can we have with a leader? We need to follow the Apostle Paul as he follows the Head of the Body, Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1; Colossians 1:18).
  • SPIDERS (verse 28): “The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces.” While a spider may live in a king’s palace, a luxurious mansion, she does not loaf or mooch. The diligent spider catches her own prey, binding it in her webbing. Your Christian life should not consist of sitting around and doing nothing. We have been ordained to good works, so let Christ do His good work in and through you (Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:8).

These puny creatures have more sense than us humans! Indeed, they are four small, yet exceeding wise, creatures. 🙂

I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel of Christ

Thursday, May 10, 2012

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16 KJV).

What is the Gospel of Christ, and why is the Apostle Paul not ashamed of it?

When we study the Bible dispensationally, we understand that the Apostle Paul has a unique ministry, one that is completely separate and distinct from the ministries of men whom God had previously commissioned (including the twelve apostles). One of the special aspects of Paul’s ministry is that the ascended Lord Jesus Christ committed to him a “mystery,” a secret program (our Dispensation of Grace) that God had kept hidden in Himself until He first revealed it to Paul (Ephesians 3:1-11; cf. Romans 16:25,26).

At the heart of this “mystery” ministry God committed to Paul, we find “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). Paul wrote, “the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was to committed to my trust” (1 Timothy 1:11). Paul also called it “my gospel” (Romans 2:16; Romans 16:25; 2 Timothy 2:8), and in today’s Scripture, Paul referred to it as “the gospel of Christ” because this “good news” belongs to and originates from the ascended Lord Jesus Christ Himself! What is Paul’s gospel? “How that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

Our Apostle Paul is not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ in the sense of not being shy or embarrassed. He is not ashamed of it “for [because] it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.” Paul knows that the Gospel of Christ is so powerful, for it is God Almighty’s power, that it can literally reach into the depths of sin and death and eternally save anyone and everyone who simply believes (trusts, has faith in) it! See, no works are needed for salvation: “to everyone that believeth” (no water baptism, tongues, tithing, et cetera).