36. Miracles and Discourses

Miracles and Discourses

Chapter 35

Some of the contents of the Word of God belong on an exceptional level, by themselves, and in a separate group. They remind us of mountain peaks which, however separated, are parts of one range, by their very altitude and solitariness attracting special notice. In all things importance is relative; not even in an inspired book are all contents of equal value as revealing God or availing man. To ascertain what the divine Author would have most prominent is one legitimate aim in study.

Among these Scripture prominences three, not already considered, deserve special mention: Biblical Miracles, Parables, and Discourses. The first are special exhibitions of supernatural power; the second, of divine illustration of truth; and the third of continuous development of doctrine. As to miracles, there are reckoned about sixty-two in the Old Testament, which someone has carefully compiled and arranged as follows:

• Lot’s Wife becoming a Pillar of Salt, Genesis 19:26

• The Burning Bush, Exodus 3:2

• The Changing of the Rod of Aaron into a Serpent, Exodus 7:8-12.

The Plagues of Egypt:

• The Turning of the Waters into Blood, Exodus 7:19-25

• The Frogs, Exodus 8:5-15

• The Lice (or Mosquitoes), Exodus 8:16-19

• The Flies (or Bloodsuckers), Exodus 8:21-32

• The Murrain upon the Cattle, Exodus 9:1-7

• Boils upon Man and Beast, Exodus 9:8-12

• The Hail-Storm, Exodus 9:13-26

• The Locusts, Exodus 10:12-15

• The Darkness, Exodus 10:21-23

• The Death of the Firstborn, Exodus 12:29

• The Pillar of Cloud, Exodus 13:21

• The Dividing of the Red Sea, Exodus 14:21-22

• The Healing of the Waters of Marah, Exodus 15:23-25

• The Giving of the Manna, Exodus 16:15

• Water from the Rock in Horeb, Exodus 17:6

• The Giving of the Quails, Numbers 11:31

• Miriam Smitten with Leprosy, Numbers 12:10

• The Judgment of Korah, Numbers 16:31-33

• The Budding of Aaron’s Rod, Numbers 17:8

• The Brazen Serpent, Numbers 21:9

• Balaam’s Ass Speaking, Numbers 22:28-30

• The Dividing of the Jordan, Joshua 3:15-17

• The Overthrow of Jericho, Joshua 6:20

• The Sun and Moon Stand Still, Joshua 10:12-14

• Gideon’s Sacrifice Consumed by Fire, Judges 6:21

• Gideon’s Fleece, Judges 6:36-40

• Samson’s Victory with the Jawbone, etc., Judges 15:15 to Judges 18:19

• The Fall of Dagon, 1 Samuel 5:3-5

• Thunder and Rain at the Prayer of Samuel, 1 Samuel 12:16-19

• Three Days’ Pestilence, 2 Samuel 24:15

• The Prophecy against Jeroboam and its Attendant Circumstances, 1 Kings 13:1-5

• The Slaying of the Disobedient Prophet, 1 Kings 13:24

• Elijah Fed by Ravens, 1 Kings 17:6

• The Increase in the Widow’s Barrel and Cruse of Oil, 1 Kings 17:16

• The Raising of the Widow’s Son, 1 Kings 17:17-23

• The Descent of Fire upon the Altar on Mount Carmel, 1 Kings 18:38

• Elijah Fed by an Angel, 1 Kings 19:5-8

• God’s Manifestation to Elijah at Horeb, 1 Kings 19:11-13

• The Destruction of the Two Captains with their Companies, 2 Kings 1:9-16

• The Translation of Elijah, 2 Kings 2:11

• Elisha Dividing the Jordan, 2 Kings 2:14

• The Healing of the Waters of Jericho, 2 Kings 2:21-22

• The Scoffers Torn by Bears, 2 Kings 2:24

• Defeat of the Moabites, 2 Kings 3:20

• The Increase of the Oil, 2 Kings 4:3-6

• The Raising of the Shunammite’s Son, 2 Kings 4:31-37

• The Poisonous Pottage Healed, 2 Kings 4:38-41

• The Feeding of a Hundred with Twenty Loaves, 2 Kings 4:42-44

• The Cure of Naaman’s Leprosy, 2 Kings 5:14

• Gehazi Smitten with Leprosy, 2 Kings 5:27

• The Restoration of the Axe, 2 Kings 6:6

• The Miracles Wrought by Elisha on Human Vision, 2 Kings 6:17-18

• The Raising of the Siege of Samaria, 2 Kings 7:1-6

• The Resurrection at the Tomb of Elisha, II King 13:21

• The Destruction of Sennacherib’s Army, 2 Kings 19:35

• The Going Back of the Shadow upon the Dial of Ahaz, 2 Kings 20:8-11

• Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the Fiery Furnace, Daniel 3:23-27

• Daniel’s Deliverance from the Lions, Daniel 6:22

• Jonah’s Preservation, Jonah 1:17

Of these Old Testament miracles there is a basis for at least a threefold classification; they serve to exhibit:

I. The powers of nature:

(1) Inanimate, water, blood, oil, light, fire, etc.

(a) Several have to do with water; the Nile plague, the Red Sea, Jordan, Marah, Meribah and Rephidim, waters of Jericho, water to allies in Moab, the iron made to swim, sacrifice at Carmel, etc.

(b) Two, with oil—widow’s cruse and oil in the vessels.

(c) Two, with the Sun, Joshua’s long day, and Dial of Ahaz.

(d) Five, with fire—Pillar of fire, Shekinah fire, fire from heaven at Carmel, companies consumed, fiery furnace.

(e) Three, with food—Manna, cruse of oil, meal and barrel, and feeding of the hundred men with twenty loaves.

(f) Miscellaneous—Aaron’s rod, darkness, thunder and hail, earthquake, Jericho’s walls, etc.

(2) Animate;

Aaron’s rod turned to serpent, frogs, lice, flies, murrain, boils and blains, locusts, firstborn, lion’s den, Jonah and great fish, etc.

II. The power of Disease:

Leprosy of Miriam, Naaman, Uzziah; fiery serpents and brazen serpent; Jeroboam’s hand withered, the deadly pottage, etc.

III. Power of Death:

Nadab and Abihu, Burning at Taberah, Kibroth Hataavah, Korah and company, Uzzah, Widow’s Son at Zarephath and Shunammite’s Son, Syrian Army, Sennacherib’s Army, Smiting Philistines, Mockers at Bethel, Enoch’s and Elijah’s translation, and Elisha’s bones. This analysis, however incomplete, may hint the vast scope even of Old Testament wonder working. The recorded miracles of our Lord number thirty-eight, as follows:

To these may be added a secondary list for reasons which are apparent:

The Discourses of our Lord, like His parables and miracles, are susceptible of a twofold classification into major and minor utterances. Of the former we may reckon:

Of Minor Discourses we suggest:

Among the discourses of our Lord should be ranked those “Seven Epistles” to the churches of Asia Minor which form the unique sevenfold post-resurrection address of the risen One. Space forbids their adequate treatment here; but they are divisible, each, into the following heads:

1. Our Lord appears in each in a certain character, or with certain characteristic description of Himself adapted to the particular message.

2. There is a word of commendation for what is praiseworthy.

3. A word of condemnation for such things as are undesirable, inconsistent or blameworthy.

4. A word of counsel or exhortation.

5. A promise of reward, with its conditions.

Especially notable is the evident progress of thought in the rewards promised, which are all couched in figures and imagery, drawn from the Old Testament, and following a progressive historic order. There can be no accident in this striking fact. They are all “to him that overcometh,” the symbolism evidently being drawn from the consecutive history of mankind and of Israel from the creation of Adam to the consummation of the Kingdom under Solomon. To exhibit this correspondence and development we resort again to parallel columns.