BBD 03.15.21 Knock on Wood (Classic)

#1 · March 17, 2021, 12:10 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on March 17, 2021, 12:10 pm
Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Classic from 2002

The Burning Bush Devotional

17 March 2021

Knock on Wood

Then Paul
stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, ‘Men of Athens, I perceive that
in all things you are very religious (superstitious - old KJV); for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your
worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.
Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you.’ -
Acts 17:22-23.

Superstition
can be a hazard to your health according to a study conducted by the University
of California-La Jolla. Their study shows that on the fourth day of every month
cardiac deaths increased seven percent in Japanese and Chinese Americans. This
is because in their languages the “number four” sounds just
like the word for “death.” In Japan and China avoidance of
the “number four” is much like the American avoidance of
the “number thirteen.”

Do you
sometimes “knock on wood,” avoid the “number
thirteen,” or have a horseshoe hanging over your doorway? Many people
including Christians persist in these practices, which could be thought of as
being superstitious. The word superstition is defined as “a belief or
practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, or trust in magic or
chance.”

The practice
of “knocking on wood” or “touching wood” is
done to hopefully ward off any evil consequences of boasting and is also used
as a charm to bring good luck. The origin of the practice is unknown but it is
thought that it came from pre-Christians rituals, which involved the spirits of
trees considered sacred like the ash, oak, hawthorn or holly. Also there is an
old Irish belief that knocking on wood will let the little people know that you
are thanking them for your good luck.

The
apostle Paul speaking to the people of Athens on Mars Hill noted that they had
a monument to the “Unknown God.” Actually the people of Athens were superstitious in that they had
monuments to every god they could think of and in their fear of leaving one out
even had a monument to an “Unknown God.” Certainly the people of Athens had a great fear of the unknown,
which came from their ignorance of the spiritual realities. Paul enlightened
them by telling them of the One true God.

The spiritual reality is that there is no need to “knock on wood,” avoid
the number thirteen, hang a horseshoe over your doorway or to do
any other superstitious practice (or, to wear green on St Patrick’s Day). To do so is to indicate that we believe much as the people of Athens
did that there are other gods than the One true God. To pray to God and then
later “knock on wood” to bring good luck simply indicates a
lack of belief in the true God. To believe in the One true God but believe we
have to have a horseshoe over our doorway to bring good luck or to protect us
is an affront to God. To believe as a Christian that God has less power to
protect us when the number 13 is involved is an indication of
a lack of faith.

Superstition
not only can have an effect on your physical health but on your spiritual
health as well. The apostle Paul said to the people of Athens and us as
well, “…we ought not to think that the Divine Nature
is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising.
Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men
everywhere to repent (Acts 17:31).”

Copyright © 2002 - 2020. Ed
Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On
June 8, 1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of
those first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent
to prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush website:

www.theburningbush.net

The Burning Bush websites are
celebrating 23 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the
Burning Bush Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to subscribers
across the world. At one time there were 18,000 subscribers in more than 70
countries to the devotional but that has now shrunk to around 9,000.

You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top right-hand corner of all of the pages.

Check out the Scripture Index being constructed for the Devotionals at
the Burning Bush website. The Links are in about the middle of the home page.
Topics for each devotional are now being added to the Index.

Please pray for God to touch and
bring about His will in these lives: Caleb Freeman, Buck & Barbara Wright,
Gwen P., James Perkins and his wife, Vonnie, Pat S., Evi Porter, Addison, JoJo,
Bailey and Nicky; Ralph and De Chapman; Hillary; Cody Stahlman; Patsy M.; Zoe
Marx; Brandy and Jadyn’s Dad.

Please pray for the coronavirus
COVID19 pandemic to come to an end. Pray for treatments and a cure for the
virus to be rapidly found and deployed. Pray for all those afflicted to be
healed and for our leaders to have supernatural wisdom and ability to lead us
through this pandemic.

Please pray for an end to the
rioting, looting, wanton destruction, and the racial hatred in the USA and that
it will be replaced with peace and love. May God help the USA! Many prayer
needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You
can also post your prayer requests there (Of
course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me. 03.18.18 I accepted the call to be the pastor of Fairview Baptist
Church in Elk City, Oklahoma. Please pray for me and for this church.).

You can contact Ed Wrather at
theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com

If you enjoy the devotional please
recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.

Devotion vs Devotional: We do our
devotions, we read devotionals.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo devotional group by
sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group (Because of time constraints
the devotional is only being sent now in html format) by sending a blank email
to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the
confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

--

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org

Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Classic from 2002

The Burning Bush Devotional

17 March 2021

Knock on Wood

Then Paul
stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, ‘Men of Athens, I perceive that
in all things you are very religious (superstitious - old KJV); for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your
worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.
Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you.’ -
Acts 17:22-23.

Superstition
can be a hazard to your health according to a study conducted by the University
of California-La Jolla. Their study shows that on the fourth day of every month
cardiac deaths increased seven percent in Japanese and Chinese Americans. This
is because in their languages the “number four” sounds just
like the word for “death.” In Japan and China avoidance of
the “number four” is much like the American avoidance of
the “number thirteen.”

Do you
sometimes “knock on wood,” avoid the “number
thirteen,” or have a horseshoe hanging over your doorway? Many people
including Christians persist in these practices, which could be thought of as
being superstitious. The word superstition is defined as “a belief or
practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, or trust in magic or
chance.”

The practice
of “knocking on wood” or “touching wood” is
done to hopefully ward off any evil consequences of boasting and is also used
as a charm to bring good luck. The origin of the practice is unknown but it is
thought that it came from pre-Christians rituals, which involved the spirits of
trees considered sacred like the ash, oak, hawthorn or holly. Also there is an
old Irish belief that knocking on wood will let the little people know that you
are thanking them for your good luck.

The
apostle Paul speaking to the people of Athens on Mars Hill noted that they had
a monument to the “Unknown God.” Actually the people of Athens were superstitious in that they had
monuments to every god they could think of and in their fear of leaving one out
even had a monument to an “Unknown God.” Certainly the people of Athens had a great fear of the unknown,
which came from their ignorance of the spiritual realities. Paul enlightened
them by telling them of the One true God.

The spiritual reality is that there is no need to “knock on wood,” avoid
the number thirteen, hang a horseshoe over your doorway or to do
any other superstitious practice (or, to wear green on St Patrick’s Day). To do so is to indicate that we believe much as the people of Athens
did that there are other gods than the One true God. To pray to God and then
later “knock on wood” to bring good luck simply indicates a
lack of belief in the true God. To believe in the One true God but believe we
have to have a horseshoe over our doorway to bring good luck or to protect us
is an affront to God. To believe as a Christian that God has less power to
protect us when the number 13 is involved is an indication of
a lack of faith.

Superstition
not only can have an effect on your physical health but on your spiritual
health as well. The apostle Paul said to the people of Athens and us as
well, “…we ought not to think that the Divine Nature
is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising.
Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men
everywhere to repent (Acts 17:31).”

Copyright © 2002 - 2020. Ed
Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On
June 8, 1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of
those first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent
to prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush website:

http://www.theburningbush.net

The Burning Bush websites are
celebrating 23 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the
Burning Bush Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to subscribers
across the world. At one time there were 18,000 subscribers in more than 70
countries to the devotional but that has now shrunk to around 9,000.

You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at http://www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top right-hand corner of all of the pages.

Check out the Scripture Index being constructed for the Devotionals at
the Burning Bush website. The Links are in about the middle of the home page.
Topics for each devotional are now being added to the Index.

Please pray for God to touch and
bring about His will in these lives: Caleb Freeman, Buck & Barbara Wright,
Gwen P., James Perkins and his wife, Vonnie, Pat S., Evi Porter, Addison, JoJo,
Bailey and Nicky; Ralph and De Chapman; Hillary; Cody Stahlman; Patsy M.; Zoe
Marx; Brandy and Jadyn’s Dad.

Please pray for the coronavirus
COVID19 pandemic to come to an end. Pray for treatments and a cure for the
virus to be rapidly found and deployed. Pray for all those afflicted to be
healed and for our leaders to have supernatural wisdom and ability to lead us
through this pandemic.

Please pray for an end to the
rioting, looting, wanton destruction, and the racial hatred in the USA and that
it will be replaced with peace and love. May God help the USA! Many prayer
needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You
can also post your prayer requests there (Of
course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me. 03.18.18 I accepted the call to be the pastor of Fairview Baptist
Church in Elk City, Oklahoma. Please pray for me and for this church.).

You can contact Ed Wrather at
theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com

If you enjoy the devotional please
recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.

Devotion vs Devotional: We do our
devotions, we read devotionals.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo devotional group by
sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group (Because of time constraints
the devotional is only being sent now in html format) by sending a blank email
to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the
confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org