THE STRANGE AND THE SPOOKY PART 1
Just about every time I turn my TV on here lately, I keep seeing strange and spooky shows advertising. Well, I guess I have been influenced by all the hype because I have decided to preach a two part sermon on the strange and spooky things found in the Bible. Of course the big difference between the shows I have been seeing advertize and the Bible is that the strange and spooky things of the Bible actually happened.
There are many different examples I could look at, but we only have time to look at a some of them. Some examples I will mention just briefly and others will a look at more closely. Now some of the stories I will share this morning you have probably read many times and you have become used to them, but if you really think about it and look at it from the perspective of those who saw the event happening or experienced the event, then it would indeed be spooky or strange.
My first example comes from Moses.
Exodus 3:1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro
his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of
the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the LORD
appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and
behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not
consumed. 3 Then Moses said,
"I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not
burn." 4 So when the
LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the
bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I
am." 5 Then He said,
"Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the
place where you stand is holy ground." 6 Moreover He said, "I am the
God of your father -- the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of
Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
Put yourself in the place of Moses. Imagine you're just doing your job and all of sudden you see a burning bush that was not being consumed. That would be pretty strange, but then you begin to hear the voice of the Lord from the burning bush? I know if I was there witnessing that, it would certainly cause me to be scared and in awe at the same time.
If you continue to read the account you see Moses starts making excuses for what God wants him to do. If all this was not spooky enough, what happens next would have driven me over the edge:
Exodus 4:1 Then Moses answered and said, "But
suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, 'The
LORD has not appeared to you.' " 2
So the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said,
"A rod." 3 And He
said, "Cast it on the ground." So he cast it on the ground, and it
became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.
4 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Reach out your hand and
take it by the tail" (and he reached out his hand and caught it,
and it became a rod in his hand), 5
"that they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to
you." 6 Furthermore the
LORD said to him, "Now put your hand in your bosom." And he put his
hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous,
like snow. 7 And He said,
"Put your hand in your bosom again." So he put his hand in his bosom
again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other
flesh. 8 "Then it
will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign,
that they may believe the message of the latter sign.
As a shepherd, you would be very cautious of snakes, but to throw your rod down and it becomes a snake would have done more than make me run away from it, I would have probably screamed like a little girl. I would have to dig down deep to reach down a grab that snake by the tail. Could you imagine sticking your hand into your bosom and then taking it out and it being leprous especially knowing what leprosy does to your body? I know one thing, I would be relieved when it turned back to normal. These things were done for Moses and for the benefit of the children of Israel so they could know that God was going to make them free from Egyptian bondage.
Now I am not going to take the time to read to you the 10 plagues and their details in Scripture, but I would like you to consider how strange and spooky these plagues were. Just one of these plagues would have been enough to spook me, but they happened to them one after another. Here is a quick list of the plagues:
1. Water to Blood
If you are bald headed you might
want to remember this verse and tell people they should read it if they are
given you a hard time about it. Who knows, it might make them think twice about
telling you a bald joke.
On a more serious note, I want to
point out that some translations give the impression that these were young
boys, but the word is translated as young men many times. In fact, Joshua was
somewhere in his twenties when he is called this in Exodus 33:11. These young men were
mocking Elisha saying Go up baldhead. They were being very disrespectful and
they basically wanted Elisha to go up like Elijah did because these young men
didn’t want to have anything to do with the righteousness that Elisha
represented.
Then Elisha pronounces a curse on
them. Because of their mockery and disobedience, God causes 2 female bears to
kill 42 of these young men. This is a story that some don’t like because they
think these were young boys who didn’t deserve to die because of their teasing.
Obviously, these were not young boys and they were not just playfully teasing.
Otherwise, God would not have allowed them to be killed and Elisha would not
have cursed them. This is another area where we must realize that God knows the
hearts of men, and we have to trust in His judgment.
No lesson about the strange and
spooky would be complete without telling the story of Balaam and his
disobedience to God. We are not going to look at the whole story but just the
part when he is on his way to see Balak.
Numbers 22:21 So Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his
donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.
22 Then God's anger was aroused because he went, and the
Angel of the LORD took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he
was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 Now the donkey saw the Angel of
the LORD standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey
turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck the
donkey to turn her back onto the road. 24
Then the Angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with
a wall on this side and a wall on that side. 25 And when the donkey saw the
Angel of the LORD, she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam's
foot against the wall; so he struck her again.
26 Then the Angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a
narrow place where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or
to the left. 27 And when the
donkey saw the Angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam's anger
was aroused, and he struck the donkey with his staff. 28 Then the LORD opened the mouth
of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you
have struck me these three times?" 29
And Balaam said to the donkey, "Because you have abused me. I wish there
were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you!" 30 So the donkey said to Balaam,
"Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I
became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?" And
he said, "No." 31 ¶
Then the LORD opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the Angel of the LORD standing
in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell
flat on his face. 32 And the
Angel of the LORD said to him, "Why have you struck your donkey these
three times? Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your way
is perverse before Me. 33
"The donkey saw Me and turned aside from Me these three times. If she had
not turned aside from Me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let
her live." 34 And Balaam
said to the Angel of the LORD, "I have sinned, for I did not know You
stood in the way against me. Now therefore, if it displeases You, I will turn
back."
I cannot speak for everyone else,
but when I put myself in the shoes of Ballam I would find all of this very
strange and scary. Think about it. You have never heard an animal speak and you
can just imagine how frustrated he was with his donkey because he could not see
the Angel of the Lord. Now PETA would be all over this one since he beat his donkey 3 times for his behavior, but imagine
how you would feel if you donkey started talking to you. Our text just shows
Balaam responding to him, but if it were me, I don’t know that I would have
said anything because I would have been shocked and I would doubt my sanity.
If that was not strange and spooky
enough, then his eyes are opened to see the AOTL with a sword in his hand. I
never passed out in my life, but a moment like that just might make it happen.
God used this method to wake up Balaam from his sin and cause him to speak only
what the Lord tells him to say.
I know these kind of things do not
happen today, but sometimes I wish they did. We have so many men and women
today who claim to be Christians, but preach a false message. I think it would
be great if animal began to talk to them or the AOTL appeared to them with a
sword in His hand to make them admit to their sinful ways and only speak what
that Word of God says.
God would also get his point
across by using some pretty strange and spooky visions. Some of the strangest
and spookiest visions come from the Book of Ezekiel. For example notice:
Ezekiel 37:1 The hand of the LORD
came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in
the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. 2 Then He caused me to pass by
them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley;
and indeed they were very dry. 3
And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" So I answered,
"O Lord GOD, You know." 4
Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry
bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5
'Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to
enter into you, and you shall live. 6
"I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin
and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the
LORD." ' " 7 ¶
So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and
suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 Indeed, as I looked, the sinews
and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no
breath in them. 9 Also He
said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the
breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and
breathe on these slain, that they may live." ' " 10 So I prophesied as He commanded
me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an
exceedingly great army. 11
Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of
Israel. They indeed say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves
are cut off!' 12
"Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD:
"Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up
from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 13 "Then you shall know that
I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought
you up from your graves. 14
"I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in
your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and
performed it," says the LORD.' "
Here is what Daniel says, this means:
Daniel 4:25 They shall drive you from men, your dwelling
shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like
oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass
over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and
gives it to whomever He chooses. 26
And inasmuch as they gave the command to leave the stump and roots of
the tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you, after you come to know that
Heaven rules. 27 Therefore, O
king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous,
and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a
lengthening of your prosperity."
Here is what happened:
Daniel 4:28 All this came upon King
Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end
of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. 30 The king spoke, saying,
"Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my
mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?" 31 While the word was still in
the king's mouth, a voice fell from heaven: "King Nebuchadnezzar, to you
it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! 32 And they shall drive you from
men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall
make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you
know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever
He chooses." 33 That
very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from
men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his
hair had grown like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws. 34 And at the end of the time I,
Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me;
and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: For
His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom is from
generation to generation. 35
All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does
according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of
the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, "What have You
done?" 36 At the same
time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and
splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me, I was
restored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise
and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth,
and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.
As I have said, God has interesting ways to
get His point across and this was certainly an interesting way to humble this
king and make him realize that God is truly the only God there is.
Our last example of the strange and spooky
can be found in:
Daniel 5:1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast
for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the
thousand. 2 While he
tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver
vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had
been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his
concubines might drink from them. 3
Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the
house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords,
his wives, and his concubines drank from them.
4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver,
bronze and iron, wood and stone. 5
In the same hour the fingers of a man's hand appeared and wrote opposite the
lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace; and the king saw the
part of the hand that wrote. 6
Then the king's countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the
joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other.
This is King Nebuchadnezzar’s son. What you
would think if you were in his place? How scared would you be if all you saw was some fingers and part of a hand
writing a message on the wall? What did this strange and spooky event mean?
Well, Daniel gives us the answer. He starts out by telling the king about how
his father had been humbled by God and had learned his lesson that God is over
all, but Belshazzar had not learned this lesson. He tells him:
Daniel 5:22 "But you his son, Belshazzar, have not
humbled your heart, although you knew all this.
23 "And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of
heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your
lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have
praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do
not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand
and owns all your ways, you have not glorified.
24 "Then the fingers of the hand were sent from
Him, and this writing was written. 25
" And this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL,
UPHARSIN. 26 "This is
the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom,
and finished it; 27
"TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; 28 "PERES: Your kingdom has
been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians."
We learn in verse 30 that very night the king
was put to death.
In conclusion, there is no doubt, many
strange and spooky events are recorded in the Bible, but they all happened and
they had a purpose. Whether it was just
to deliver a message from God or pronounce a punishment or used to
foretell those things to come, you have to appreciate the unique ways that God
does things. He is in control and all powerful. No man or devil can match Him. I
hope you will join us tonight, as I continue this them of the spooky and the strange
as we look at mediums and magicians.