Meat for the Hungry

Once again, evil rears its ugly head and we ask why. Why would anyone rig such vicious bombs? The intent was clear. They did it first to slaughter and maim. Bombs exploding at the finish line of the Boston Marathon were sure to take lives and cause optimal damage. What the second reason was we can only hope to learn. But will discovering their motive prevent this type of evil? With citizens and survivors reeling from the bombing, two days later a fertilizer plant explosion blasted Waco, Texas, killing even more. Now in its deafening echo, we see destroyed homes, altered landscape, and people forever changed. As if these two were not enough, we also received reports of dangerous flooding in the Mid West. Tragedy, catastrophe, and natural disaster all in one week and this is only in our country. Daily devastating news from around the world pummels our heart. Pain, sadness and fear secure a stranglehold that only God can break.

Did you watch the History Channel’s mini-series entitled “The Bible”? I wasn’t able to watch while it aired, so I purchased the DVD when it became available. Unfortunately, I wasn’t impressed. The first thing I noticed was their disclaimer to stay true to the spirit of the book, prior to each episode, meaning they would take liberties, using creative license. However, wishing to give them the benefit of the doubt, I watched. I’m only half-way through the episodes and already the errors are too numerous to record. However, before I list the three most disturbing, I will give caution about the unnecessary and gruesome violence. Although violence is in our Bible, Scripture avoids the details and this depiction is not appropriate for children. So here goes:

Did you know God performed the first marriage ceremony? God took one of Adam’s ribs, fashioned a woman and brought her to the man. With great understanding Adam spoke his vows, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” God then pronounced them husband and wife declaring, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” God blessed them saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish…birds…and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

While I was having lunch with my family in Pennsylvania recently, someone shared a cute email story about a father putting his son to bed. The son said, “Dad, I’m afraid of the dark; someone bad could come in and get me.” The dad tried repeatedly to reassure his son, but to no avail. When the son would not calm down the dad said, “Son, remember Jesus is always with you. He will protect you.” The son then retorted, “But Dad, bad men killed Jesus!” Yes, bad men did kill Jesus (of which we are one), but that was not the end of the story.

Did you ever wonder why death happens? We stand horrified when an athlete or celebrity in the prime of life, drops dead for no apparent reason. Feverishly, we wait for the cause of death. Why, what is our motive? Isn’t it to avoid their demise? TV Medical dramas are so popular because we all want to believe, if an unknown disease or trauma happens, someone can and will fix us. Did you realize death is the only thing completely beyond our control? Oh, we can cause death and we can seemingly delay it, but we cannot stop it. Even with all the health foods, exercise, and precautions, nothing stops physical death. But, why does death happen?

March is such a fickle month. One minute it’s warm with glorious sunshine and budding flowers and the next minute we’re back to snow. One day looks so great, but the next, it’s obvious winter just won’t let go. Spring-like weather in early March is just a tease and here in northeast Ohio, most of us know by now not to get too excited. We still have weeks to go before warm, sun-shiny days erase winter from our memory. Just as looking at one day’s weather may lead us to think something completely opposite, so too, can people or situations. What we may see as loving, generous or bountiful, could be in reality, something entirely different.

Last time we talked about how our Bible came to us. One of the most amazing things about our supernatural, God-breathed Bible is its deepness. The words and gospel message are simple enough for seekers to understand, but so profound they can keep the most intelligent scholar captivated. For example, why does God use certain numbers repeatedly? Some scholars have seen additional meaning in passages containing these numbers or the sum of words and/or items in them. One such passage is our focus today.