1 Kings 8:22-26
Psalm 96:1-6
Luke 7:11-17
Power over death is something that many people wish they had, but other
than Jesus, very few people have ever had the power to raise someone from
the dead.
However, what every one of us does have is the power to prevent the human
inflicted death of most other living beings, even in the face of a society
that is promoting suffering and death, particularly when it comes to the
billions of land and sea animals that suffer and die every year to satisfy
the taste for flesh and other animal products.
So today, we’ll take a look at some examples of having power over death.
Let’s begin by looking at Luke 7:11-17, where we are told about an incident
when Jesus raised a dead man back to life.
11. And it came about soon afterwards, that He [Jesus] went to a city called
Nain; and His disciples were going along with Him, accompanied by a large
multitude.
12. Now as He approached the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being
carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable
crowd from the city was with her.
13. And when the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her,
"Do not weep."
14. And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt.
And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise!"
We need to remember that there were two large crowds of people watching and
listening to what Jesus said and did.
All of this is taking place in the open, and nothing is being hidden from
the people, and they are witnesses to what took place before them.
15. And the dead man sat up, and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother.
This shows us that God feels the anguish of everyone who has suffered
because of the death of a loved one.
And even though most of the time God allows the human or animal to die, it
doesn’t mean He doesn’t care and feel their pain.
God just seems to have a purpose that we don’t understand, but we should
still trust in Him.
16. And fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and, "God has visited His people!"
We believe that fear gripped them because they knew that He had the power over death and life.
17. And this report concerning Him went out all over Judea, and in all the
surrounding district.
NASB
Jesus wanted the people to know what He had done, for He wanted them to
repent of their ungodly ways and return to God with a whole heart and soul,
which is something we should all desire to do, and really do it.
We need to remember that all the kings of Israel had the power over death,
so as we look at 1 Kings 8:22-26, let’s think about this.
22. Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.
Let’s pause for a moment and think about the altar of the Lord.
Wasn’t it the tradition of the Israelites to kill and sacrifice animals upon
the altar?
It was, but we also need to remember that God’s creation intent and heavenly
will was and continues to be that there would be no human or animal
inflicted death.
So in this sense, we do have the power over death, at least the power to
live as peacemaking children of God who do everything in their power to free
creation from its present corruption and do no harm to our fellow human
beings, the animals, or the environment in which we all live.
23. And he said, "O LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like Thee in heaven above or on earth beneath, who art keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Thy servants who walk before Thee with all their heart,
Those who walk before God with all their heart should follow His heavenly will and do no harm; so in a way Solomon is praying against himself, for he killed both humans and animals; and he goes on…
24. who hast kept with Thy servant, my father David, that which Thou hast promised him; indeed, Thou hast spoken with Thy mouth and hast fulfilled it with Thy hand as it is this day.
Remember that David also killed humans and many animals, and because of this blood on his hands, God prevented him from building the Temple.
25. Now therefore, O LORD, the God of Israel, keep with Thy servant David my father that which Thou hast promised him, saying, 'You shall not lack a man to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons take heed to their way to walk before Me as you have walked.'
And we know from the history recorded in the Bible that very few of the descendants of David actually did this; most of them turned their backs to God and followed the corrupt and evil ways of this world.
26. "Now therefore, O God of Israel, let Thy word, I pray Thee, be confirmed
which Thou hast spoken to Thy servant, my father David.
NASB
God may have confirmed this to Solomon, but we also know that because the
descendants didn’t want to walk before God, He gave them into the hands of
their enemies.
We should not be following the worldly ways of the people recorded in the
history in the Bible; we are to follow the teachings of Jesus, and the
heavenly will of God.
Keep these things in mind as we look at Psalm 96:1-6…
1. Sing to the LORD a new song;
Sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Because most people don’t live in God’s heavenly will and continue to further corrupt creation, causing more and more pain, suffering, and death to millions of human beings and billions of animals every year, they are causing those suffering individuals to lose their hope and joy so they don’t feel like singing to the Lord.
2. Sing to the LORD, bless His name;
Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.
These suffering individuals are being deprived of good tidings and they can
easily lose sight of God’s salvation.
The people who do these evil things to others are working against God and
His heavenly will; and in our opinion they are working for the devil and his
minions.
3. Tell of His glory among the nations,
His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.
We surmise that relatively few of these suffering animals and humans are
able to tell of God’s glory or His wonderful deeds; for all they see is
pain, suffering and death.
And the people who are causing all this suffering and death also have the
power over death, but they are using it to cause even more suffering and
death.
4. For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods.
5. For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the LORD made the heavens.
The people who live in the corrupt and evil ways of this earth are really worshipping the idols of money and lust, and as a result, more and more animals suffer and die, and our warring madness is rampant.
6. Splendor and majesty are before Him,
Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.
NASB
This is true, but we all need to see it.
We need to rise above the corrupt ways of this world and begin to help free
creation from its present corruption.
If people believe that hunting and fishing are enjoyable activities, it is
proof that they are serving the devil and not God, for the one who enjoys
bloodshed and killing is Satan.
God’s creation intent and heavenly will is that there be no death, which is
further proof that those who cause suffering and death, and those who
support it with their money, are not children of God, but children of the
devil.
We are to seek the Lord our God with all our heart and soul.
We are to repent of the worldly ways around us and those we may have been a
part of, and we are to seek God and His heavenly will.
We have the power over death; we have the power to prevent human caused
death.
Amen.
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