Why Calamities?

Why Calamities?

The short, quick, and Bible answer is the verse before the famous one of II Chronicles 7:14—you know “If my people which are called by My Name will….then I will heal their land….”. II Chronicles 7;13 often ignored even with church members read 7:14, is within itself a sufficient answer as to Why Calamities if taken seriously:

“When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people,

if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (II Chronicles 7:13,14)

First of all Americans, especially church members who think they can do no wrong, do not want to believe “I” as in “When I shut up heaven…” is the Great and Almighty God, Creator of the Universe, and our Heaven Father, secondily the same demonic veil that prevents church members from seeing the Falling Away, call him the god of the Falling Away for Satan and his cohorts, fallen angels, in crime and havoc also skillfully hides in a big cover up that God sends calamities in order to chastise and discipline His people. It was true for the original of God’s people of the Hebrew nation, and it is equally true from God’s people today largely of the Gentiles. And thirdly, there must be an appreciation for all the implications of the words in 7:12 of “send pestilence among My people”, and as we do remember to put in your own mind the I for God in front of it as what is being said here is in no uncertain terms”

I SEND PESTILENCE AMONG MY PEOPLE

With the emphasis and focus on third aspects: (1) I God send; (2) Pestilence, and (3) the directed recepient is MY PEOPLE.

PESTILENCE in the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia is defined as—

pes'-ti-lens (debher; loimos): Any sudden fatal epidemic is designated by this word, and in its Biblical use it generally indicates that these are divine visitations. The word is most frequently used in the prophetic books, and it occurs 25 times in Jeremiah and Ezekiel, always associated with the sword and famine. In 4 other passages it is combined with noisome or evil beasts, or war. In Amos 4:10 this judgment is compared with the plagues of Egypt, and in Habakkuk 3:5 it is a concomitant of the march of God from the Arabian mountain. There is the same judicial character associated with pestilence in Exodus 5:3; Exodus 9:15 Leviticus 26:25 Numbers 14:12 Deuteronomy 28:21 2 Samuel 24:21; 1 Chronicles 21:12 Ezekiel 14:19, 21. In the dedication prayer of Solomon, a special value is besought for such petitions against pestilence as may be presented toward the temple (2 Chronicles 6:28). Such a deliverance is promised to those who put their trust in God (Psalm 91:6). Here the pestilence is called noisome, a shortened form of "annoysome," used in the sense of "hateful" or that which causes trouble or distress. In modern English it has acquired the sense of loathsome. "Noisome" is used by Tyndale where the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American) have "hurtful" in 1 Timothy 6:9.

Dr. Wolber of the Bible department at Ouachita would always say, “Just let the Bible say what it wants to say”, and summarizing all the Bible wants to say about what God sends to reprimand His people the key word is Calamities. You see that particularly in Psalm 91:6 above as “Here the pestilence is called noisome, a shortened form of "annoysome," used in the sense of "hateful" or that which causes trouble or distress.” And, of course you know the primaries today and even in America of calamities to be hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, drought or the opposite of flooding, and health problems. By the way, did you just think God was going to stand idly by and see you fiddle your life away with the cares of the world, and since He loves you and chastises you, not bring some discipline directly into your life!