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What a wild weather week we have had. The photo at left was taken on Monday when the Tai Chi group was exercising in the parking lot. They look like they're trying to hold back the wind.
I heard a newscaster refer to the storms raging across Canada last week as "biblical," as in horrendous, fierce, frightening, uncontrolled, terrifying. Just as "Act of God" means catastrophic to insurance companies, "biblical" weather references "really bad."
Looking at these examples of scripture it's easy to understand the term.
Isaiah 29:6 - Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.
Jer. 10:13
“When He thunders, the waters in the heavens are in turmoil, and He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain and brings the wind from His storehouses.”
Job 37: 3, 6, 10-12
“He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven and sends it to the ends of the earth.”
“He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’”
“The breath of God produces ice, and the broad waters become frozen. He loads the clouds with moisture; He scatters his lightning through them. At His direction they swirl around over the face of the whole earth to do whatever He commands them. He brings the clouds to punish men, or to water His earth and show His love.”
Yet, as I marvelled at the eerie light cast by the sun through a black storm cloud, I had to ask if "really bad," was a fair assessment of Biblical weather. Consider these examples.
Leviticus 26:4 - Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
Psalm 107:28-31 Yet when they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, the Lord brought them out of their distress. He calmed the storm and its waves quieted down.
Song of Songs 2:11-12
See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.
Mark 4:39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
The newscaster who referred to a "biblical downpour" meant terrifying and uncontrolled. Yet here, with the disciples in the boat, Jesus "rebuked" the wind. The Master is in control of even the wind and the waves.
Very good. I don't know how you come up with different things every week, thank you, always a joy to read!
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