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Today: Psalms 78:56-72; Acts 21:1-26; 2 Kings 3; 2 Kings 4:1-37
Acts 21
The Holy Spirit told many disciples that Paul would be imprisoned if he went to Jerusalem. A lot of them assumed this to be a warning that Paul should NOT go to Jerusalem.
The message was true. But it didn’t mean that Paul should avoid Jerusalem at all. At the same time the Holy Spirit was also instructing Paul to GO to Jerusalem, even though he would indeed be imprisoned there.
It is interesting to see how the Holy Spirit was telling the same true message to many people, yet its meaning was being understood in different ways by the various disciples. This is a good example to remember when it appears that God-fearing believers disagree about the Holy Spirit’s leading.
2 Kings 4
In our reading from Acts yesterday we saw God raise a boy back to life through Paul. Today in 2 Kings 4, God raises the Shunammite woman’s son back to life through Elisha. Nothing is too difficult for God! He is LORD over everything, even death!
Everyone knows about Lazarus. But there are many more instances of God raising people back to life from the dead in the Bible. Elijah the prophet raised the widow of Zerephath’s son from the dead (1 Kings 17:17-24). Elisha the prophet raised the Shunammite woman’s son (2 Kings 4:18-37). A dead man thrown into Elisha’s grave came back to life when his body touched Elisha’s bones (2 Kings 13:20-21). Jesus resurrected the widow of Nain’s son (Luke 7:11-17), Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8:40-56), and Lazarus of course (John 11). Peter raised Dorcas back to life. Paul raised Eutychus. And then resurrections of many saints occurred when Jesus died (Matthew 27:50-53). And certainly the greatest resurrection was Jesus Christ Himself.
I too was raised from the dead, when I was 30 years old. I died and my soul left my body. I remember traveling through the hospital corridors. Then I saw my body lying on a table in the ER before God brought me back to life. I can say from personal first-hand experience that God is indeed LORD over even death!!
