All This Death Stuff

"The disciples were where Jesus had sent them."

(Matthew 14:24) “But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.”

THE DISCIPLES WERE where Jesus had sent them. He’d stayed behind to pray, and they’d gone over the Sea of Galilee. It doesn’t say how they thought Jesus would cross the sea after them. But of interest, the word “tossed” can mean “grievous pains of body or mind, torment.” It comes from a word meaning, “the rack or instrument of torture by which one is forced to divulge the truth” and also, “torture, torment, acute pains of a disease or of those in hell after death.” So this was not your average storm. These waves were demonic. And at their height, Jesus comes walking across the sea.

The apostle Paul was being sent to stand before Caeser, and this involved a long sea voyage. After making many stops, they ended up at a place called “the fair havens.” They couldn’t stay there for the winter, so they made to set sail again. But first, Paul had heard from God. “Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives (Acts 27:10.” What looked sunny and smooth was going to become storm-tossed. Problem was, no one believed him, so they set sail anyway. Not long after, we’re told, a tempestuous wind arose, and soon they were tossing things overboard in desperation.

God gets blamed for bad weather. He gets blamed for a lot of evil, for that matter, and some of the Old Testament Scriptures don’t help. Take King Saul, for instance. It says “an evil spirit from God” tormented him. Now, does this sound like God? The answer is no. But it DOES say that, so the church tends to either discount it entirely or paste it to God and call it sovereignty. Here’s a thought, though. What about Pharoah? God hardened his heart, it says. How could that be? Didn’t God love Pharoah? Pharoah wouldn’t listen to God. Each of the ten plagues was to show the God of the Hebrews (the only living God) was bigger than all the fictitious gods the Egyptians believed in. Despite this, and the damage to the crops, cattle, and families of Egypt, Pharoah remained deaf.

In a similar manner, King Saul had deliberately disobeyed the words of the prophet Samuel, and in so doing, lost his kingship. God had then anointed David, the shepherd, and it says the anointing on Saul to be king then went to David, and an evil spirit tormented Saul. Like Pharoah, disobedience opened the door. But did God send the evil spirit?

Did God send the storm on the lake? Did Jesus send the disciples across knowing it would happen?

When the ark of the covenant was stolen by the Philistines and left in the house of their God Dagon, the next morning, the statue of Dagon was on its face in pieces. Nonplussed, the people set the statue back up, and once more, the following morning, the statue was face down. God is never overwhelmed by evil. Never. He is never surprised by it, confused or lacking information. Evil never goes successfully behind God’s back. James 1:13 tells us God does not tempt men with evil and cannot be tempted by evil. So knowing these truths, we can toss out many of our questions.

No, God didn’t pull out an evil spirit and tell it to sit with Saul. That isn’t scriptural. Saul lost the anointing to be king, and an evil spirit tormented him, and David, who was now anointed, played worship music for Saul and the torment always eased and the spirit always left. God is merciful. Saul could have repented and had the evil spirit removed permanently. He didn’t. Instead, he tried to kill David, and when David left, a heart of murder took over. The anointing on David was his peace, and Saul tossed it aside.

Pharoah could have awakened and said, “The Hebrew God is strong. He is real and He means business. I need to change my behavior.” He didn’t, and so though God is merciful, Pharoah chose judgment. Was this God’s plan? Well, like I said, nothing takes God by surprise and none of His plans ever fail.

So why the storm? Well, why is there evil? Why doesn’t God just end all this death stuff and rescue everyone? He did.

And He gives everyone a choice now to accept His grace and mercy, to know the love of God, or to reject it. Jesus died because the Pharisees would murder Him. This was God’s plan. At the same time, Jesus died so they could be forgiven. Jesus chose Judas knowing Judas would betray Him and fulfill scripture.

There was a storm on the lake. Whether Jesus knew it would happen or not, He walked on the water. He bid Peter come to Him on top of the waves. He then calmed the storm. There was a storm in the Mediterranean Sea, which Paul knew would happen. God had told him in advance. Then, we’re told, 14 days in, no one having eaten a bite for fear of dying, the people on the ship, some 266 souls, are now all looking to Paul for rescue. His advice? Let’s eat! And afterward, they were cheerful! The storm hadn’t ceased. They were going to end up in the water, for sure, but the fear of it was gone.

Revelation 21:4 says, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: or the former things are passed away.” This is God’s plan, and He took the time to make sure the beloved apostle, John, wrote it down for all generations to read. God always wants to save and rescue, protect and guard. His heart is love. But sin is sin, and it comes between us and God. Deliberate sin puts a man or woman in a place of judgment, though judgment is not what God wants at all.

“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)

Hell is not for people. It’s for the devil and demons, who will have their final ending one day. Jesus’ death and Resurrection condemned them. It did not condemn us. It offers us salvation and abundant, eternal life. And salvation means we are forgiven of all our sins. God puts them as far as the east is from the west. It means we are healed and made whole. By Jesus’ stripes we are healed, and we were healed (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24). It means we are protected, by the Spirit of God, by the peace of God, by the wisdom of God. We can walk so close to God that we never run into trouble again. Not that there won’t be a storm or a plague or a pandemic opportunity at our doorstep, but God says when people abide in Him, NO EVIL SHALL BEFALL THEM and NO PLAGUE SHALL COME NIGH THEIR DWELLING (Psalm 91:10).

Is that just a bold statement, or is it the truth? And it’s not the only spot it’s stated. Psalm 127 says the Lord keeps us from all evil and He keeps our soul. Psalm 23 says He has restored our soul and placed us on the paths of righteousness. Even greater, He LEADS US on His righteous paths through the valley of the shadow of death with His rod and His staff in His hand, and WE ARE NOT AFRAID. We have not been given the spirit of fear, but the Holy Spirit who is love and power and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). This is why Paul could be so calm in what was a dire situation. It’s why Jesus sent the disciples across the lake alone. He knew who He was, what He’d come to do, and the power of the Spirit that was upon Him.

God doesn’t fear evil, so we shouldn’t fear evil. We shouldn’t fear sickness or plague. We should take a stand against it and walk in faith, trusting in God, who is completely trustworthy, to protect us. Build your faith in His care for you to the point you are no longer worried about what might happen or what things look like because you know who He is. That’s His desire. It’s why He sent Jesus, to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). Those we see coming, and those we don’t.

"Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked." (Psalm 91:8)

“He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.” (Psalm 121:3)

“Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.” (Psalm 124:7)

Image by Chil Vera from Pixabay


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com