2/14/2011 5:43:42 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: The miracles
Bible Reading
& Meditation Reference: 1Ki. 13:3-6
Message of the verses: “3 Then he gave a sign the same day, saying,
"This is the sign which the LORD has spoken, ’Behold, the altar shall be
split apart and the ashes which are on it shall be poured out.’" 4 Now when the king heard the saying of the man
of God, which he cried against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his
hand from the altar, saying, "Seize him." But his hand which he
stretched out against him dried up, so that he could not draw it back to
himself. 5 The altar also was split
apart and the ashes were poured out from the altar, according to the sign which
the man of God had given by the word of the LORD. 6 The king said to the man of God, "Please
entreat the LORD your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to
me." So the man of God entreated the LORD, and the king’s hand was
restored to him, and it became as it was before.”
Jeroboam
was upset at what the man of God had told him about the altar splitting and
also about what Josiah would eventually do to this altar and so he wanted to
punish the man of God by having him seized and then it is not told what he
would do to the man of God. When he
stretched out his hand to seize the man of God he apparently had some kind of a
stroke for he could not it after he stretched it out. When this happened to Jeroboam he seemed to
change his mind about seizing the man of God and began to think about what the
man of God could do for him in order to get his hand to begin working again.
Dr.
Wiersbe focuses in on miracles in his commentary on these four verses, for there
are three miracles that were done in these verses of Scripture. The miracle of the problem with his hand, the
miracle of restoring his hand and the miracle of having the altar split in two
and the ashes falling off onto the ground.
God
often authenticates his Word with miracles:
“1 ¶ For this reason we must pay
much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from
it. 2 For if the word spoken through
angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a
just penalty, 3 how will we escape if we
neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the
Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, 4 God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various
miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will,
(Heb. 2:1-4).”
Miracles
in and of themselves do not bring about salvation, but they do authenticate the
Word of God as seen in the passage from Hebrews that is quoted above. My feelings are that salvation is not only a
gift from the Lord but it is also a miracle from the Lord when one is saved,
for salvation is taking a person who is spiritually dead and then that person
is given spiritual life; a new spirit is given them from the Lord. In the case of Jeroboam he sees three
miracles which authenticate the Word of God that the man of God has just spoken
to him and there is no evidence of salvation given to him. Jeroboam seemed only interested in having his
arm healed, and not interested in having his soul healed.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I have prayed to the Lord to have my leg
healed, but I think that my prayer should be that He uses the pain and
discomfort in my leg to bring about what it is that He wants to accomplish in
my life that through all of this that I may bring honor and glory to the
Lord. My road has been one of twists and
turns over these last few months and my prayer is that through all of this that
I will learn contentment as Paul wrote about to the Philippian believers.
My Steps of
Faith for Today:
2/14/2011 6:27:33 AM
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