Miracles Across the Ages Part 1 - A Deeper Dive
Scripture: Deuteronomy 10:21, Job 5:9
Message Recap
This week, we begin a new sermon series, Miracles Across the Ages. We can find at least 160 documented miracles described in scripture. It’s probably safe to say that even more were never written down in historical records. During this three-part series, we will look at some of the miracles from the Old Testament, the New Testament, and those that occur in our daily lives. We’ll see that Old Testament miracles were grand in scale and often impacted entire nations. On the other hand, the miracles of the New Testament tended to be more intimate and focused on individuals. Despite the apparent change in scale between Old Testament and New Testament, the God of miracles remains the same, just as proclaimed in the Book of Hebrews:
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
The Old Testament is filled with extraordinary displays of God’s power. For our message this week, we’ll focus on some specific miracles from the Old Testament as examples. For instance, the parting of the Red Sea had to be awe-inspiring for those who witnessed it firsthand. This, and others we’ll look at, served many purposes. First, the miracles of the Old Testament demonstrated God’s authority over creation. The second purpose was to establish the authority of God’s chosen messengers. Next, the miracles reinforced God’s covenant to deliver, protect, and provide for his people. Lastly, they showed God’s might and standing as the universe's only true God.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1 NIV) This act of creation was God’s foundational miracle. It set everything else in motion. The creation story recounted within the pages of the Book of Genesis describes the extent of God’s creative power and authority over his dominion. Nothing - not the land, the sea, the sky, or the stars - came into being without God’s hand.
And once created, all of nature came under God’s authority. God parted the Red Sea through Moses, allowing the Israelites to escape Pharoah. The plagues were created by God and inflicted on Egypt so Pharoah would know that all of the elements of nature were under God’s control. These miracles reveal to us God’s ability to manipulate the laws of nature for his purposes.
Then, there is the story of Joshua and his battle with the Amorites. Joshua prays that the sun and moon will stop their movement across the skies, allowing Israel more time to defeat their enemy. The sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies (see Joshua 10:13).
“… The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. 14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!”
This event wasn’t just a case of God giving Joshua a tactical advantage. It was a statement from God of his full authority over the cosmos.
After Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, they wandered the wilderness wondering what they would do for food. God delivered manna; the skies rained bread. Beyond just food materializing and falling from the sky so his people could eat, God once again demonstrated that nothing is beyond his ability.
Finally, we have the account of Elijah, who, when facing a king and kingdom that worshipped false gods, brought drought upon the land. For three years there was no rain because God, through Elijah, made it so. Once again, this event was more than just a punitive act; it was an act of God that showed how he had complete control over every detail in nature.
These stories are reminders of God’s power and authority over nature and his creation, but they also tell the story of God giving authority to his messengers. Throughout the ages and even today, there are those who claim to be messengers of God. They try to convince the world that they have a direct line of communication with the Father. In the stories of miracles from the Old Testament, we find God using unlikely people to act as his intermediary. Through miracles, God offers his stamp of approval, confirming the legitimacy and authority of these people.
God’s miracles were also intended to convince his messengers of their authority to do God’s work. Moses, a man chosen to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt, doubted his ability to fulfill God’s call for various reasons. Knowing Moses’ doubt, God turned Moses’ walking stick into a serpent and demonstrated his power and authority. Moses later used that same rod to part the Red Sea and drew water from a rock. But remember, it wasn’t about the rod but the messenger.
Other heroes of the Old Testament served as God’s messengers and were given all authority by the miracles God performed through them. Daniel survived the lion’s den. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego survived King Nebuchadnezzar’s attempt to execute them in the fiery furnace. These miracles happened with God’s hand and established each messenger with the authority to speak the truth God wanted them to spread.
In a world filled with many false prophets claiming to be messengers of God, wouldn’t it be helpful to see visible miracles to help us discern who is speaking the truth? As we learned in a previous sermon series, we’ve received the Holy Spirit to help us determine who is genuine and who we should ignore. We have the God-given ability to cut through the world's noise to properly recognize who is truly speaking and acting on God’s behalf.
The miracles of the Old Testament also confirm and reinforce God’s covenant of deliverance and protection. They prove God’s promise to always be with his people. Parting the Red Sea provided an escape from Egypt. Caught between Pharoh’s oncoming army and the sea, the situation for the Israelites was dire. Yet God made a way where there was none. This act provided a way to escape and affirmed God’s promise to give us a way out anytime we are trapped.
When God made bread appear while the people wandered the wilderness, he demonstrated his commitment to provide what they needed. When Moses drew water from a rock, it was another example of God’s ability to respond anywhere and in any situation. He can quench whatever thirst we have. God honors his promises.
Above all, the miracles of the Old Testament culminate in establishing that the God of Israel is the one true God. Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to bring fire from the heavens. And despite the prophets’ attempts, Elijah’s answered prayer established God’s supremacy over the false god of Baal. The plagues that ultimately led to the release of the enslaved Israelites from Pharaoh’s rule were direct challenges to the many deities that the Egyptians believed controlled daily life. The plagues and ailments not only created suffering and inconvenience but they also proved that the Egyptian gods weren’t gods at all.
The lessons of the Old Testament are clear: nothing can match our God's power, love, or grace. Let’s keep our eyes on the one true God. He wants a relationship with us and wants us to resist the world's temptations.
Our Difficulty With the Old Testament
The message this week relies solely on stories from the Old Testament. For some, the Old Testament is a difficult collection of books. They are hard to read, given the strange names, the many genealogies, and the cultural references that seem archaic to us. Many cite the fact that God seems far angrier in the Old Testament than in the New Testament as a stumbling block. In general, we just have a hard time relating to what we read.
There are those who believe that aside from the familiar stories - the creation story, Noah and the flood, Moses parting the Red Sea, etc. - it really isn’t necessary to spend much time studying Old Testament scripture. But here are four reasons we, as Christians, need to read the Old Testament:
1. It helps with understanding the New Testament
in John 8:48-59, Jesus is talking to the Jews, and in this interaction, Jesus tells them that he has seen Abraham.
“57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”
58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.”
Without knowledge of the Old Testament, we wouldn’t know that Abraham was the father of the nation of Israel, and we wouldn’t understand the reference to “I am” from God’s interaction with Moses. It’s helpful to be familiar with these stories in the Old Testament so that we can understand the reasoning of the Jews against Jesus.
2. It helps with understanding the Gospel
Studying the Old Testament also helps us understand the meaning of the Gospel. The Book of Leviticus - considered the Book of the Law - contains specific steps in preparing animal sacrifices for God as the atonement for sins. Knowing this makes the Gospel even more real. Jesus is called the Lamb of God and was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.
3. It helps with understanding the nature of God and his plan
Reading the Old Testament in conjunction with the New Testament gives us the full view of God’s plan from creation to redemption. The stories of Abraham, King David, and the prophets allow us to see his plan unfolding.
4. Jesus himself knew the scriptures that we call the Old Testament
While Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days, the devil tempted him. Jesus’ response to each temptation was based on Old Testament scripture. Three times the devil tempts Jesus, and three times, Jesus replies by quoting scripture from Deuteronomy.
Reading the Old Testament can be difficult. Laws and prophecies can be hard to understand, and frankly genealogies are downright boring. Nevertheless, we clearly have a reason for reading the Old Testament - we just have to commit to it and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us.
Remember that Paul told Timothy all scripture is God-breathed and useful. Even the boring parts!