BBD 04.24.06 Swallowed Alive

#1 · April 24, 2006, 11:41 am

Quote from Forum Archives on April 24, 2006, 11:41 am
Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>

Try out the new website at www.theburningbush.net

The old website is at www.theburningbush.org

Several devotional booklets are now available for free download in PDF
format at the new site. Just click on the "Free Book Downloads" link.

Join the Burning Bush Prayer Group! Send and receive prayer requests and be
a part of a great ministry. More than 400 wonderful people make up this
group. To join send an email to: BBPG-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

The Burning Bush Devotional

Welcome to the 1,356 new subscribers since November 1, 2005!!

04.24.06

Swallowed Alive

And Moses said: "By this you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all
these works, for I have not done them of my own will. If these men die
naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of all
men, then the LORD has not sent me. But if the LORD creates a new thing, and
the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to
them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand that
these men have rejected the LORD." Now it came to pass, as he finished
speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, and the
earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all
the men with Korah, with all their goods. So they and all those with them
went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished
from among the assembly. Then all Israel who were around them fled at their
cry, for they said, "Lest the earth swallow us up also!" - Numbers 16:28-35.

Imagine the headline, "Earth Swallows Man!" Of course, we think, things like
that just happen back in the days of the Old Testament. Sadly, a
twenty-seven-year-old man northeast of Sacramento, California has been
swallowed by the earth. A sinkhole suddenly opened up around 9:30pm near the
kitchen of his home and he fell ten feet into the hole. Rubble covered up
the man and he was killed. Thankfully, his wife who was also in the home at
the time was not injured. She called 911 but there was not anything anyone
could do to save her husband. A Placer County Sheriff's Department
spokesperson, Dena Erwin, says, "It's unbelievable. From the front of the
house, it's absolutely normal. Then, in the middle of the house, is this
enormous hole." The hole is now 30 feet wide by 20 feet in depth and is
still growing. The home has been condemned.

Why was Korah and many others swallowed up by the earth? Korah and the 250
other leaders who joined him, sinned by challenging the authority of Moses.
Moses was God's chosen leader. They were also trying to usurp God's chosen
leadership of the Levitical priesthood. It was a warning then and it is now
to be very careful when challenging the authority of those who have been
placed in leadership positions by God.

Was the man in California who was swallowed up by the sinkhole guilty of
challenging God's chosen leadership? I doubt it. Was he guilty of some other
sin? I do not know. However, it is a powerful reminder that we are not
guaranteed the living of life to a ripe old age. We are not necessarily safe
from disaster even in our homes.

Life is very fragile and we should always be aware that it could end very
suddenly. In the book of James we are told, "Come now, you who say, 'Today
or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and
sell, and make a profit'; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow.
For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and
then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall
live and do this or that (James 4:13-15).'"

Knowing that our lives are so fragile and that sudden disaster can come upon
us we should be careful to make the best use of the time we have been given.
"Carpe diem" the Latin words for "seize the day" is an excellent motto for
Christians. Seize this day and every day not for yourself but for the Lord.
Then, you will not be worried about the earth swallowing you up. Instead,
you have the peace of a life well lived in the will of God.

Copyright © 2006. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
on a non-profit basis with source credited. 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.

The Crossmap Christian Search and Portal is a wonderful resource. I would
like to encourage you to visit this great site at www.crossmap.com. Crossmap
has added the Burning Bush Devotionals to their site. You may visit
Crossmap's sister website, the online version of the Christian Post at
www.christianpost.com.

If you have a Christian website you are invited to add the link to my free
links at the Burning Bush website. The Bravenet free links is near the
bottom of the front page www.theburningbush.org.

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

Streaming Videos of our services including my sermons are posted at:
www.theburningbush.org/fbcswvideo.html

There is now a webpage available at associate.com where the devotionals are
archived associate.com/groups/burningbushdevo. There is a complete
archive at the Burning Bush website and the address for the archive is
www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You may subscribe to the pure text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-subscribe@welovegod.org and you can unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushdevo-unsubscribe@welovegod.org

You may subscribe to the html text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-subscribe@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-unsubscribe@welovegod.org

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Prayer Group. Send and receive prayer requests
to over 400 members. Send a blank email to: BBPG-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Inspirational Group. Send and receive
inspirational material to over 100 members. Send a blank email to:
bbinspire-subscribe@welovegod.org

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Restoration and Recovery Group for those with
addictions or recovering from addictions. Receive devotionals and
inspirational material directed toward those with addictions. Send and
receive prayer requests. Over 200 members. Send a blank email to:
tbbrr-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Subscribe to the Intercede Life Group and pray for and help in practical
ways those who need help. To subscribe send a blank email to
interclife-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>

Try out the new website at http://www.theburningbush.net

The old website is at http://www.theburningbush.org

Several devotional booklets are now available for free download in PDF
format at the new site. Just click on the "Free Book Downloads" link.

Join the Burning Bush Prayer Group! Send and receive prayer requests and be
a part of a great ministry. More than 400 wonderful people make up this
group. To join send an email to: BBPG-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

The Burning Bush Devotional

Welcome to the 1,356 new subscribers since November 1, 2005!!

04.24.06

Swallowed Alive

And Moses said: "By this you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all
these works, for I have not done them of my own will. If these men die
naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of all
men, then the LORD has not sent me. But if the LORD creates a new thing, and
the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to
them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand that
these men have rejected the LORD." Now it came to pass, as he finished
speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, and the
earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all
the men with Korah, with all their goods. So they and all those with them
went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished
from among the assembly. Then all Israel who were around them fled at their
cry, for they said, "Lest the earth swallow us up also!" - Numbers 16:28-35.

Imagine the headline, "Earth Swallows Man!" Of course, we think, things like
that just happen back in the days of the Old Testament. Sadly, a
twenty-seven-year-old man northeast of Sacramento, California has been
swallowed by the earth. A sinkhole suddenly opened up around 9:30pm near the
kitchen of his home and he fell ten feet into the hole. Rubble covered up
the man and he was killed. Thankfully, his wife who was also in the home at
the time was not injured. She called 911 but there was not anything anyone
could do to save her husband. A Placer County Sheriff's Department
spokesperson, Dena Erwin, says, "It's unbelievable. From the front of the
house, it's absolutely normal. Then, in the middle of the house, is this
enormous hole." The hole is now 30 feet wide by 20 feet in depth and is
still growing. The home has been condemned.

Why was Korah and many others swallowed up by the earth? Korah and the 250
other leaders who joined him, sinned by challenging the authority of Moses.
Moses was God's chosen leader. They were also trying to usurp God's chosen
leadership of the Levitical priesthood. It was a warning then and it is now
to be very careful when challenging the authority of those who have been
placed in leadership positions by God.

Was the man in California who was swallowed up by the sinkhole guilty of
challenging God's chosen leadership? I doubt it. Was he guilty of some other
sin? I do not know. However, it is a powerful reminder that we are not
guaranteed the living of life to a ripe old age. We are not necessarily safe
from disaster even in our homes.

Life is very fragile and we should always be aware that it could end very
suddenly. In the book of James we are told, "Come now, you who say, 'Today
or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and
sell, and make a profit'; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow.
For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and
then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall
live and do this or that (James 4:13-15).'"

Knowing that our lives are so fragile and that sudden disaster can come upon
us we should be careful to make the best use of the time we have been given.
"Carpe diem" the Latin words for "seize the day" is an excellent motto for
Christians. Seize this day and every day not for yourself but for the Lord.
Then, you will not be worried about the earth swallowing you up. Instead,
you have the peace of a life well lived in the will of God.

Copyright © 2006. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
on a non-profit basis with source credited. 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.

The Crossmap Christian Search and Portal is a wonderful resource. I would
like to encourage you to visit this great site at http://www.crossmap.com. Crossmap
has added the Burning Bush Devotionals to their site. You may visit
Crossmap's sister website, the online version of the Christian Post at
http://www.christianpost.com.

If you have a Christian website you are invited to add the link to my free
links at the Burning Bush website. The Bravenet free links is near the
bottom of the front page http://www.theburningbush.org.

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

Streaming Videos of our services including my sermons are posted at:
http://www.theburningbush.org/fbcswvideo.html

There is now a webpage available at associate.com where the devotionals are
archived associate.com/groups/burningbushdevo. There is a complete
archive at the Burning Bush website and the address for the archive is
http://www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You may subscribe to the pure text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-subscribe@welovegod.org and you can unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushdevo-unsubscribe@welovegod.org

You may subscribe to the html text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-subscribe@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-unsubscribe@welovegod.org

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Prayer Group. Send and receive prayer requests
to over 400 members. Send a blank email to: BBPG-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Inspirational Group. Send and receive
inspirational material to over 100 members. Send a blank email to:
bbinspire-subscribe@welovegod.org

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Restoration and Recovery Group for those with
addictions or recovering from addictions. Receive devotionals and
inspirational material directed toward those with addictions. Send and
receive prayer requests. Over 200 members. Send a blank email to:
tbbrr-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Subscribe to the Intercede Life Group and pray for and help in practical
ways those who need help. To subscribe send a blank email to
interclife-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.