It’s unclear whether certain events in the Bible happened through miraculous intervention or by natural causes.
I am not talking today about clear-cut miracles like Jesus turning water into wine. Rather, I’m talking about when people who do believe in miracles have a difference of opinion about whether a particular event in the Bible had natural or supernatural causes. Let’s look at one of these.
Today’s episode happened just before a key battle between the Israelites, led by David, and the Philistines. David received his marching orders from God:
As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army (2 Samuel 5:24)
There are two possible explanations for the sound of marching described here.
- God made a marching sound supernaturally to scare the daylights out of the Philistines.
- The rustling noise in the trees came from a normal gale wind which just happened to be at the right time and was noisy enough to provide a cover for the Israelites to stealthily advance on their enemies.
I used to think that there was an enormous difference between the two choices. But now I don’t think whether it’s #1 or #2 makes any difference. Why?
Obviously, #1 describes a clear cut supernatural miracle. But now let’s look more closely at #2.
If a strong gale hit just when Israel’s enemies were ready to attack, was that a coincidence? No, it was God who synchronized and directed the weather patterns so that that a gale would show up at the exact needed time.
There are no coincidences with God. Indeed, since God synchronizes all events, there’s not even such a thing as a random occurrence.
We think we see unchanging laws of nature. But it is stunning to realize that these “laws” are only “laws” because Christ directly sustains them:
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:17)
So sometimes God is actively using his usual laws of nature to achieve his purposes, and at other times he overrides them to accomplish his will. Thus I see no difference between “natural” or “supernatural”: Either way, it’s still directed by God.
Some folks think God set the universe to run like a timepiece and took his hands off. But what may appear to be a timepiece is sustained moment to moment by God!
Try this thought experiment: What if the time the sun will rise tomorrow were as unpredictable as exactly what the weather will be tomorrow? Is the predictability of sunrises a “law of nature” that will never ever change — or is it what God has nicely set up and actively sustains for the time being? He did promise:
“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” (Genesis 8:22)
For now, it suits God’s purposes of grace and mercy to keep the seasons consistent, allowing us to plan, to have agriculture, and to not face total famine and chaos. But it’s an error to assume that it will always be so.
Those who deny that God can sovereignly overrule his natural laws at his good pleasure are in for a big shock. We aren’t told all the details, but I take seriously that the Bible says that various laws of physics/astrophysics/astronomy will undergo major changes.
The earth will not endure as is forever.
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.” (Revelation 21:1).
We will get a revamped earth with new laws. We can only guess at exactly how these will work but something will never change: we will always have a good omnipotent loving God who is always working to achieve his purposes. Now and forever. He invites us to join in this now and forever adventure by believing in his son Jesus!
Kenny B's World 