Jump Start # 3693

2 Kings 17:25 “At the beginning of their living there, they did not fear the Lord; therefore the Lord sent lions among them which killed some of them.”

Our verse today identifies the troubles that came to the city of Samaria. The Assyrian king removed Israel into exile and replaced the citizens with people from Babylon and other nations. And, as these new residents took over the city of Israel, they continued their pagan and idolatrous ways that they engaging in back home in Babylon. New address, but same old ways. So, the Lord sent lions. Lions came and killed many of them.

Sending lions is an interesting thought. It reminds us that God has the universe at His disposal. God can use any tool in His arsenal. Consider:

• Two bears killed a group of young people who had mocked Elisha
• Worms were used to kill Herod
• Fire came down from Heaven and destroyed an army in the days of Elijah
• God fed his prophet by birds bringing him food
• God caused the earth to open up and swallow rebels in the days of Moses
• God caused an earthquake to open prison doors for Paul
• God used rain to destroy the earth in the days of Noah
• Darkness, hail, bugs were among the plagues God used in Egypt
• For Joshua, God caused the sun to stand still
• For Hezekiah, God moved a shadow backwards
• For Jonah, God created a great storm and prepared a great fish to swallow him
• For Gideon, God used dew to be a sign
• God spoke through Balaam’s donkey
• God used a star to guide the wise men to Jesus
• God made the sky to grow dark at the cross of Jesus
• Peter pulled a coin out of a fish’s mouth to pay the tax

Now, pull some thoughts from all these examples.

First, God can use anything. Moving stars, stopping the sun, talking animals—all of these illustrate that God is the ultimate authority and the world is truly His. Just as one of us might pull out a screwdriver or hammer from a drawer of tools, God has all creation and all nature to use. Indeed, this is my Father’s world. While we are subject to nature and are unable to change things, God is not limited. What power He has.

Second, God can use people placed in our lives to teach us, show us, encourage us and remind us. We may consider some of these things as accidental or coincidences, God may have purposely placed them in our lives to help us. God brings people like Titus, to encourage the depressed. God can use a grandparent to remind us about getting down to the church house on Sunday. God can use a spouse to help us get our priorities in order. We all have had people in our lives who have made us better. Just lucky or was God doing things like that on purpose?

I don’t know how God decides to send a bear, a lion, a storm, or an earthquake. Which one is best? God knows. There are things we will never understand in these miraculous events. How could a donkey talk? How can the sun stand still and not create massive tidal waves and destruction? As you and I might open up an orange, God can open up the deep and let water come forth. All of this ought to amaze us.

Third, there was a purpose and an intention behind all these miraculous use of nature. God didn’t randomly send lions and bears. He didn’t just cause earthquakes for no reason. God used these tools to warn, punish or help His people. The justice of God, the will of God, the purpose of God are seen in all of these examples. God lives with intention. We need to do the same. We need to put thoughts behind our words. We need to consider the reasons why we do things.

These thoughts make me think of our VBS song, ‘My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing that He cannot do.” And, the greatest thing is that My God can save you.

Roger