Only God is awesome

PP: And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. ( 1Kings 17:4 )

Topic: The awesomeness of God

Theme: Only God is awesome

Introduction:

In recent times,the term “awesome” "something which inspires awe"has been randomly applied to various aspects of our culture. Consequently the word awesome, has become a common slang expression among English speakers. Popularized by North-Americans,the word “awesome” is said to be the word Americans use to describe everything from food, to clothing, to relationships, to movies, even songs. In modern thinking, therefore the word “awesome” falls alongside such phrases as: cool, amazing, sweet, sexy , hot, etc. Thus, when making reference to cultural activities such as : Music, and Art, which includes: poetry, songs, paintings, performances, novels, etc, it is customary to-hear such phrases as: “awesome” “sublime” “out of this world” “Blew my mind”. These terms are superlative in nature and as such are intended to express the highest quality or degree of a thing. This means that the form of the adverb or adjective being used is greater than any other possible degree of the given descriptor. e.g : good better best, sweet sweeter sweetest, bright brighter brightest, pretty prettier prettiest. However, a survey of human history shows that use of words signifying awesomeness was originally intended to convey the idea, that what is being, experienced, witnessed or contemplated impresses the mind with a such a sense of grandeur power that it inspires an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, or fear. One dictionary says that the word “awesome” originated in English language around 1590s, and meant "profoundly reverential”.

What is even more interesting is that prior to the 13^th century and the Theological impact of renowned Theologian Thomas Aquinas such terminology signifying “awesome” if used at all seems to have been reserved primarily for The Divine/God the creator and and not the created/works of men hands.

Francis A Schaeffer in tracing the origin of modern man says that before Aquinas' revolutionary theological … which brought the use of such concepts into the domain on mankind, that man's thought processes up to that time had been 'Byzantine'.

(Importance of Understanding of Byzantine period to our study)

Founder and Editor-in-chief of the Ancient History Encyclopedia. Jan van der Crabben says of Byzantine : The Byzantine Empire was the successor of the Roman Empire in the Greek-speaking, eastern part of the Mediterranean. It was Christian in nature. Byzantium was the name of a small, but important town at the Bosphorus, the strait which connects the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean to the Black Sea, and separates the continents of Europe and Asia. In Greek times the town was at the frontier between the Greek and the Persian world. In the fourth century BCE, Alexander the Great made both worlds part of his Hellenistic universe, and later Byzantium became a town of growing importance within the Roman Empire. By the third century CE, the Romans had many thousands of miles of border to defend. Growing pressure caused a crisis, especially in the Danube/Balkan area, where the Goths violated the borders. In the East, the Sasanian Persians transgressed the frontiers along the Euphrates and Tigris. The emperor Constantine the Great (reign 306-337 CE) was one of the first to realize the impossibility of managing the empire's problems from distant Rome. Constantinople So, in 330 CE Constantine decided to make Byzantium, which he had refounded a couple of years before and named after himself, his new residence. Constantinople lay halfway between the Balkan and the Euphrates, and not too far from the immense wealth and manpower of Asia Minor, the vital part of the empire.  "Byzantium" was to become the name for the East-Roman Empire. After the death of Constantine, in an attempt to overcome the growing military and administrative problem, the Roman Empire was divided into an eastern and a western part. The western part is considered as definitely finished by the year 476 CE, when its last ruler was dethroned and a military leader, Odoacer, took power. Christianity. In the course of the fourth century, the Roman world became increasingly Christian, and the Byzantine Empire was certainly a Christian state. In the course of the fourth century, the Roman world became increasingly Christian, and the Byzantine Empire was certainly a Christian state. It was the first empire in the world to be founded not only on worldly power, but also on the authority of the Church. Paganism, however, stayed an important source of inspiration for many people during the first centuries of the Byzantine Empire.  When Christianity became organized, the Church was led by five patriarchs, who resided in Alexandria, Jerusalem, Antioch, Constantinople, and Rome. The Council of Chalcedon (451 CE) decided that the patriarch of Constantinople was to be the second in the ecclesiastical hierarchy. Only the pope in Rome was his superior. After the Great Schism of 1054 CE the eastern (Orthodox) church separated form the western (Roman Catholic) church. The centre of influence of the orthodox churches later shifted to Moscow. Thus up to this period, in terms of a dominant world view, humanity lived in what was generally a very “Christian” (if only in name) World.

So much so that,the heavenly things were all-important , and were so holy that they were not pictured realistically. Only Symbols were portrayed . An example can be found in looking at one of the later Byzantine Mosaics in the bapistry at Florence, it is not a picture of Mary you will see, but a symbol representing Mary. On the other hand, simple nature -trees and mountain- held no interest for the artist, except as part of the world to be lived in, Schaeffer says Mountain Climbing for instance simply had no appeal as something to be done for its own sake. In fact Mountain climbing among other things began with a renewed interest being placed on nature. So according to Schaeffer prior to Thomas Aquinas there was an overwhelming emphasis on the heavenly things, and they were: “very far off” “Very Holy” and “pictured only as symbols” with “little interest in nature itself” in fact it would not be until the work of the artist “ Cimabue (1240-1302) teacher of Giotto (1267-1337) that humanity would begin to see a shift in the art in which depictions of nature/ the created began to rival depictions of the Creator/Grace. ( More of that later)

Only God is awesome: Nature and Grace:

What was it that Thomas Aquinas Did which caused depictions of nature to rival depictions of the divine which bring us to our topic today and in to the discussion on awesomeness. What was Aquinas' contribution which some, believe led to the real birth of the humanistic Renaissance? I will attempt to simplify the debate. Thomas Aquinas, comes on the scene right after of the Byzantine period, in which everything divine was 'par excellence' and man was 'depraved' introduced a new strain of theology which saw mankind being elevated from the once totally fallen depraved state, and “partially' or almost fully restored, to nearly his former glory. Aquinas taught that that contrary to earlier beliefs that man was totally fallen and thus totally depraved; that man was only partly fallen thus he was only partially depraved. Aquinas introduced what became known as a partial fall. He insisted that when man fell only his “will, represented by his body fell, but his intellectual representative of his soul,was not fallen but remained intact. According to Schaeffer, as a result of this “incomplete view of the biblical fall” man's intellect became autonomous. In one realm man was now independent and autonomous.

To be fair I must point out that not everyone agree with Schaeffer analysis of Aquinas' theology. Some argue that Aquinas never believed that the intellect was entirely unaffected by the fall. Neither did he believe that the intellect fell to the level of "total depravity" as insisted by Martin Luther and John Calvin. In his Summa Theologiae Aquinas argues that in-spite of the fall, some truths about God can still be known by reason, but that 'revelation' is still necessary because the conditions consequent on the fall makes this knowledge more difficult for all and nearly unattainable for many: he continues that "Even as regards those truths about God which human reason could have discovered, it was necessary that man should be taught by a divine revelation; because the truth about God such as reason could discover, would only be known by a few, and that after a long time, and with the admixture of many errors.". Thus is rejecting total depravity he points out that despite the fall, even the will hasn't fallen so far that men cannot perform virtuous acts "in a restricted sense" "It is possible by means of human works to acquire moral virtues, in so far as they produce good works that are directed to an end not surpassing the natural power of man: and when they are acquired thus, they can be without charity, even as they were in many of the Gentiles. But in so far as they produce good works in proportion to a supernatural last end, thus they have the character of virtue, truly and perfectly; and cannot be acquired by human acts, but are infused by God. Such like moral virtues cannot be without charity." In other words, for an act to be truly virtuous, it must be motivated by the theological virtue of charity, but even without this an act can be imperfectly but really virtuous if guided by the intellectual virtue of prudence. Thus it is a consequence of the incomplete fall of the intellect that the will hasn't fallen completely either; of course, it has fallen far enough to require the theological virtues for salvation.

In summary of the debate however, one must conclude that Schaeffer's analysis is correct because based on current teaching as maintained by the catholic Church; humans retained a free but wounded will after the Fall. In their view, humans free will is deriving from being made in God's image. So even though he is fallen he is still somewhat autonomous. Accordingly, the Catholic Church condemned as heresy any doctrine asserting "since Adam's sin, the free will of man is lost and extinguished". This insistence attributed to Martin Luther's excommunication, and also formed the genesis of the debate between Martin Luther and Erasmus out of which we have the seminal work 'Bandage of the will' by Luther. Thus Catholic teaching today still disagrees with the Protestant doctrine of total depravity. Hence it was this rejection of Total depravity by Aquinas and the insistence on only a partial fall that would lead to the subsequent Philosophical and Theological difficulties because independent and autonomous humanity began to flex his unchained intellect to the point where Nature and things produced by the flesh would began a steady rise eventually eclipsing the divine things in contrast to the situation during the Byzantine period. As Schaeffer puts if Nature eventually enveloped Grace. As even things man-made have now become awesome.

This seemingly benign teaching at the time in fact was more potent and powerful than men realized. In fact it was this teaching that made the way for the Renaissance and has also brought us to the current place of our study where other things claim to be awesome.

Only God is awesome: The Renaissance.

Autonomous theology in relation to fallen man, if it may be described as such, led to the development of what we now call Natural Theology in which man, having a partially intact intellect could pursue study of God outside the realm of the scriptures using reason. The result according to Schaeffer was that mankind entered an autonomous era in which the autonomous principle of philosophy became free and separated from revelation. Why? Because humanity, who is made in the image and likeness of God with an intellect which is not totally fallen need no longer wait for revelation/inspiration according to a biblical prescription but mankind is now able through using intellect and reason to arrive at answers to questions which for centuries may have plagued his mind but which may have been neglected or relegated to places of unimportance during the Byzantine era. In a sense, The elevation of natural instinct to the place reserved for the Divine was not totally new but appears to be a harping back to the time referenced by Paul in the Book of Romans 1: 1-31. In his text Paul Charges the Romans that: Sinful man had in his intellectual pursuits had dethrone the creator to serve the creature.

Gods Wrath Against Sinful Humanity ( Romans 1: 18-31)

18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Thus Autonomous Theology spawned a revolution and a revitalization of some of the egotistic/self-loving tendencies which were under the Babylonian, Medes & Persians, Grecian and Roman Empires which pre-dated the Byzantine period. And so as Schaeffer points out 'Philosophy' which means “love of wisdom” began to take wings, as it were, and fly off wherever it wished, without relationship to the scriptures.

Soon this tendency began to enter the arts, and as mentioned earlier the first person to be influence was Cimabue. According to Italian Historian Giorgio Vasari, Cimabue is generally regarded as one of the first great Italian painters to break from the Italo-Byzantine style, although he still relied on Byzantine models.The art of this period comprised scenes and forms that appeared relatively flat and highly stylized. Cimabue was a pioneer in the move towards naturalism; his figures were depicted with more lifelike proportions and shading. Even though he was a pioneer in that move, his Maestà paintings evidence Medieval techniques and characteristics. he was the teacher of Giotto,the first great artist of the Italian Renaissance.

As Schaeffer points out, during their work “Instead of all the subjects of art being above the dividing line between nature and grace in the symbolic manner of the Byzantine, Cimabue and Giotto began to paint the things of nature as nature. He notes that whereas at first they was a tendency to paint the lesser things in the picture naturalistically , but to continue to portray Mary for example as a symbol, but this change when Dante great Italian Poet 1265-1321 began to write in the way that these men painted. Dante's “Divine Comedy” may be an example:

On the surface, the poem describes Dante's travels through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven; but at a deeper level, it represents, allegorically, the soul's journey towards God. At this deeper level, Dante draws on medieval Christian theology and philosophy, especially Thomistic philosophy and the Summa Theologica of Thomas Aquinas. Consequently, the Divine Comedy has been called "the Summa in verse". Thus suddenly as Schaeffer points out everything starts to shift on the basis that Nature began to be important. Note also how Church Teachings and Traditions rather than scripture alone, as in the days of the Scribes and Pharisees, begins to shape men's views.

As is pointed out though interest in nature as God made it , is good and proper and to be appreciated, the teaching of Aquinas opened a door for autonomous philosophy, based on the idea that mankind was nit totally fallen, which would prove the undoing of the respect and appreciation for scripture and the creator as the only subjects who should really be awe inspiring . Thus throughout the Renaissance from the time of Dante to Michelangelo,Italian sculptor, painter, architect, poet, and engineer, nature became gradually more totally autonomous. Schaeffer says: “It was set free from God as the humanistic philosophers began to operate ever more freely. By the time the Renaissance had reached its climax nature had eaten up grace”

One may therefore conclude, that the Renaissance, brought human intellectualism to the fore in a way that:the Egyptians under the Pharaohs had failed to accomplish; and all that Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar had failed to accomplish, and all the Medes under Darius had failed to accomplish, and all the Chaldean's under Belshazzar had failed to accomplish and all the Persians under Xerxes had failed to accomplish, and all that Greece under Alexander, the Great had failed to accomplish and all that Rome under the Emperors had failed to do, The Renaissance with autonomous man and non-fallen intellect had accomplished.

The Renaissance properly defined:

Art and Culture historian Carl Jacob Burckhardt in 'The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy' (1860) points out that: The Renaissance: from French: Renaissance "re-birth", Italian: Rinascimento, from rinascere "to be reborn") was a cultural movement that profoundly affected European intellectual life in the early modern period. It is believed to have started following the migration of Greek scholars and texts to Italy following the Fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. It is worthwhile to remember that while the former Byzantine Empire under Constantine and his descendants had been predominantly Christian the Turks were basically Sunni Muslim. Beginning in Italy, and spreading to the rest of Europe, by the 16th century, the influence of the Renaissance was felt in literature, philosophy, art, music, politics, science, religion, and other aspects of intellectual inquiry. Renaissance scholars employed the humanist method in study, and searched cultural texts for realism and human emotion in art. This was a marked difference from the medieval scholars who preceded them, who had focused on studying Greek and Arabic works of natural sciences, philosophy and mathematics. However, a subtle shift took place in the way that intellectuals approached religion that was reflected in many other areas of cultural life. As a cultural movement, The Renaissance encompassed innovative flowering of Latin and vernacular literatures, beginning with the 14th-century resurgence of learning based on classical sources, which contemporaries credited to Petrarch, the development of linear perspective and other techniques of rendering a more natural reality in painting, and gradual but widespread educational reform. In politics, the Renaissance contributed the development of the conventions of diplomacy, and in science an increased reliance on observation. Historians often argue this intellectual transformation was a bridge between the Middle Ages and Modern history. Although the Renaissance saw revolutions in many intellectual pursuits, as well as social and political upheaval, it is perhaps best known for its artistic developments and the contributions of such polymaths as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. who inspired the term "Renaissance man".

The vital principle we need to take note of therefore , is that coming out of the Renaissance where nature has eaten up grace or things Holy/Divine are now viewed as almost parallel in importance to things natural; artistic depictions begin to reflect the radical change.

One very notable miniature entitled “Grandes Heures de Rohan painted about 1415, depicts/tells the following story. It is a miracle story of the period. It Shows Mary and Joseph and the baby fleeing into Egypt. They pass by a field where a man is sowing seed, and a miracle happens. The grain grows up within an hour or so and is ready for harvesting. When the man goes to harvest it, pursuing soldiers come by and ask , How long ago did they ( Mary Joseph an the Infant) pass by.? He replies that they passed when he was sowing the seed and so the soldiers turn back. The point to note in this painting however is not so much the story but the way in which the miniature is laid out. In this depiction the figures of Mary Joseph the baby a servant and the donkey are at the top of the picture and dominant in size whereas the the bottom of the picture shows the very small figures of a man wielding the sickle and the soldiers. This was a total representation of the Nature and Grace. This however would be among the final of the older concepts of this kind of representation. Because in Northern Europe Van Eyck opened the door to nature in a real way. He began to paint nature as nature and is credited with painting the first real moonscape in 1410. In the piece dubbed “Jesus' baptism” there is a river in the background, , a real caste, real houses, signifying that nature had become important. The next step-came in 1435 when Van Eyck painted the Madonna of the Chancellor Rolin currently in the Louvre in Paris, the significant feature is that the chancellor facing Mary is the same size as she is. Mary is no longer remote, the chancellor is no longer a small figure, as he would have been the case in early paintings, In this portrayal he is the same size as Mary he is equal to Mary. Schaeffer reasons that from this point onward there would be a struggle to resolve the balance between nature and grace which is what has brought us to the topic we are discussing today. At this time a painter by the name of Mosaccio steps into the picture, he is regarded as being best painter of his generation because of his skill at recreating lifelike figures and movements as well as a convincing sense of three-dimensionality. “By introducing true perspectives and true space. For the first time, light come from the right direction. In his paintings shadows fall properly in relation to the light. Though he died young at age 27, together with Van Eyck, Mosaccio emphasis on nature was such : “as could have led to painting with a true biblical viewpoint” (Schaeffer) But as we shall see, the better man become at his craft the less significant Grace became. Thus in a few years artist who would never have considered paining Mary in a natural way but would have painted only a symbol of her began to do otherwise. Furthermore when Filippo Lippo painted the Madonna in 1465 there was a startling change . He depicted a very beautiful Girl holding a baby in arms , which a landscape undoubtedly influenced by Van Eyck BUT what was amazing was that the painting was not Mary the mother of Jesus rather the girl he painted as Mary was his mistress, a nun he had abducted by the name named Lucrezia Buti, the beautiful daughter of a Florentine named Francesco Buti. According to Schaeffer no one would have dared to do this before, and at so this stage Nature is killing grace. But worse was yet to come, as in France, Fouquet around 1450 painted the king's mistress Agnes Sorel as Mary and everyone knew it was the kings mistress BUT even worse he painted her with one breast exposed. “whereas before it would have been Mary feeding the baby Jesus , now it is the kings mistress with one breast exposed, and Grace is dead.(Schaeffer) Researchers say of Agnes Sorel that her beauty “captivated the king”. It is therefore easier to understand how she was considered the first officially recognized royal mistress. She was the subject of several contemporary paintings and works of art, including Jean Fouquet's Virgin and Child Surrounded by Angels.

The important point being mad here is that when nature is made autonomous it is destructive. In an autonomous realm the lower elements always eats up or destroys the higher ones. As in Pharaoh's dream interpreted by Joseph, The lean kine always eat up the fat kine, the lean ears of wheat always eat up the fat ears of wheat. Cain always kills Abel. Fallen unregenerate man, no mater how beautiful he paints, no matter how wonderful he sings, no matter how beautifully he speaks, His fallen nature intellectually and otherwise is deceitful and desperately wicked above all things and cannot be trusted. Placed on the same realm, no mater how careful we try to be, without the ever abiding and influencing power of the Holy Spirit Mankind's sinful nature always disposes displaces his higher nature. The lust of the body and souls will always conquer the spirit. Consequently, man in-spite of his wonderful intellectual and artistic pronouncements is not really beautiful after all.

Thus by the time of Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael who represented significant shifts in philosophical thinking, with the emphasis of Platonic philosophy as opposed to Aristotelian thinking as proposed by Aquinas, we come to the institution of ideas and ideals as universals. Both these philosophical prepositions maintained the concept of autonomous man whereas the Reformation which gave birth to protestantism emphasized the “The whole man had been made by god , But now the whole man is fallen, including his will and intellect . In contrast to Aquinas it insisted that only God is autonomous.

Thus we come to the height of the Renaissance/ revival of interest in art, and culture, which incidentally collides with the reformation. In this confrontation, because of the doctrine of a partial; fall, in which man's intelligence being free is to reason its way to salvation, thereby paralleling Grace. whereas on the other hand, the Reformation stressing the total and complete fall of man, lays stress on Grace-Gods unmerited favor as a work of Christ. But with the emphasis on reason and natural Theology the work of man's hands the Renaissance is elevated above Grace which is totally independent of the believer. the only way to God. through Christ the Reformation

Note whereas we cherish the work of the Renaissance in emphasizing the importance of culture, music and art in our daily living, we strongly opposed the vie as taught by venerable church father Aquinas about a partial fall which elevates the work of man's hand to such equal status with God , where the terms used to describe the work of man's hands are also used to describe God. God is a jealous God and his glory he will not share with another therefore any created work that supposedly rivals God is an affront. Today we have millions of people who scoff at God, but will look at the work of man's hands and call, them priceless, Do we understand what priceless means. In God's economy among men, only the souls of men are priceless: for what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world, including all the work of the Renaissance and the Reformation and lose his own soul?( Mark 8:36) Only the word of God is priceless,( John 17:17) “Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth. And (Psalms 119:105): “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and light unto my path.” only God;'s son sent to die for us is priceless. But because we consider temporal things priceless, today in Museums and galleries, and National Treasuries across the globe untold trillions are spent on preserving artifacts, architecture, and other discoveries in places where sometimes millions of human beings are dying of hunger and living in poverty while we fight to preserve costed relics while allowing the priceless souls of men to die. Yes artifacts should be preserved,(that is how we got our Bible, from preserved scrolls,) but more importantly, we need to preserve lessons of Gods Goodness, Grace a legacy for generations to come.

So yes man is good, even great, But Never Awesome. ONLY GOD IS AWESOME Come with me to I kings to see what Awesome Looks Like.

In the book of I kings chapter 17: there is a battle which ensues between the forces of God and Evil. Good in human terms is represented by the prophet Elijah on one side and Evil is represented by King Ahab, his wife Jezebel and the prophets of Baal on the other. During the course of the prolonged confrontation, at one stage God instructs the prophet Elijah to hide from the onslaught of Queen Jezebel who because of a pronouncement of Gods curse upon the land through the prophet Elijah , took it upon herself aided and abetted by her husband to kill all the prophets of Jehovah and search for Elijah to kill him too. In dealing with this immediate threat God's temporary advice to the prophet Elijah is to : “Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.” (1Kings 17:3-6)

Now the question may be asked Why does a Powerful Awesome God, who has just given a man the power, to shut up heaven that there would no rain, tell him to hide as opposed to sending him throughout the coast of Israel calling men to repentance based on the powerful word he had just delivered? But we will concern ourselves with that reasoning another time, for now we want to take a  look at the Awesomeness of God based on what he does instruct the prophet to do, which is Go to Cherith, I have “Commanded” The Ravens, to feed thee. i.e . I God, Awesome God, have commanded the ravens to to against their every instinct and bring you food. I God have done it, Why because I am Sovereign. I reign supreme. The reason why only god is awesome is because Only he is sovereign. Only God reigns supreme. God alone has to power to make everything he says come to pass. He is a law unto himself. (Psalms:135; 6-7): Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places. 7 He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries.

As A.W Pink Says: of this passage: He(God) prohibited His people, from eating ravens , classifying them among the unclean, yea , to be an 'abomination' to them Lev: 11:15 and Deuteronomy: 14:14. Yet He himself made use of them to carry food unto His servant.

It must also be noted that God demonstrated his sovereignty and supremacy when he employed Pharaoh's own daughter , to succour infant Moses, at Pharaoh's expense.

Exodus:2:5-10 : “And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. 6And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children. 7Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? 8And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother. 9And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it. 10And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.

God also demonstrated his Sovereignty and supremacy when he compelled a lying dishonest prophet to bless when he was paid to curse. (Numbers 23:11-20)

I11 And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether. 12And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD hath put in my mouth? 13And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence. 14And he brought him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar. 15And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet the LORD yonder. 16And the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus. 17And when he came to him, behold, he stood by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath the LORD spoken? 18And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:

19God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

20Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.

God also demonstrated his sovereignty and supremacy when In the middle of the night he moves the heart of the king to favor a man to whom the King's chief General despised and also caused the proud and great General to fall before the meek and weak servant of God.

Esther 3:5-6 5And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath. 6And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai.

Esther6: -13 On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king.

2 And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus.

3 And the king said, What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him.

4 And the king said, Who is in the court? Now Haman was come into the outward court of the king's house, to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him.

5 And the king's servants said unto him, Behold, Haman standeth in the court. And the king said, Let him come in.

6 So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?

7 And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king delighteth to honour,

8 Let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head:

9 And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour.

10 Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, and take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king's gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken.

11 Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour.

12 And Mordecai came again to the king's gate. But Haman hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered.

13 And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends every thing that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.

Only God is awesome he alone won the victory over:Over death hell and the grave

When Paul made his defense before Agrippa Paul says to Agrippa and his audience including Festus who had earlier been disbelieving of religious claims including the resurrection of Christ ( Acts 25:19)

“Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?”

1. Elijah raised the son of the Zarephath widow from the dead (1 Kings 17:17-22).

2. Elisha raised the son of the Shunammite woman from the dead (2 Kings 4:32-35).

3. A man was raised from the dead when his body touched Elisha’s bones (2 Kings 13:20, 21).

4. Jesus raised the son of the widow of Nain from the dead (Luke 7:11-15).

5. Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead (Luke 8:41, 42, 49-55).

6. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44).

7. Many saints rose from the dead at the resurrection of Jesus (Matt. 27:50-53).

8. Jesus rose from the dead (Matt. 28:5-8; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:5, 6).

9. Peter raised Dorcas from the dead (Acts 9:36-41).

10. Eutychus was raised from the dead by Paul (Acts 20:9, 10).

Who'd be found worthy
In the heavens or the earth
To pay the debt of sin for everyone
Who could win the victory
Over death hell and the grave
The Lion of the tribe of Judah
Jesus Christ the Son
He alone is worthy
To worship and adore
The Lamb of God victorious
Our risen Lord
He purchased our redemption
Our righteousness is He
Exalt the name of Jesus
He is worthy
He purchased our redemption
Our righteousness is He
Exalt the name of Jesus
He is worthy
Exalt the name of Jesus
He is worthy
He is worthy
He is worthy
He is worthy
Worthy worthy

Elijah resurrected the son of Zarephath's widow

1 Kings 17:17-24 (KJV)
17 And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him.
18 And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?
19 And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.
20 And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?
21 And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again.
22 And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.
23 And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth.
24 And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.

1. Elisha resurrected the son of the great Shunammite woman

This interesting account is recorded in 2 Kings 4. The Shunammite woman had no children. For a woman to be barren in those days was a great source of shame. The word says that her husband was old, which would imply he was unable to produce seed. However, because the Shunammite woman was genuinely kind and generous to the prophet Elisha, he told her she would have a child in one year's time. God healed her and her husband and she conceived and gave birth to a son.

Later on while working out in the fields something disastrous happens to her son (a head injury or possibly heat stroke) and he dies. The Shunammite woman hastily went to the prophet Elisha, and she insisted he go to her son and raise him from the dead.

2 Kings 4:35 (KJV)
35 Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.

2. A dead man comes back to life when he touches Elisha's bones

Kings 13:21 (KJV)
21 And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.

Even after he was dead, the anointing still remaining in Elisha's bones raised someone from the dead. Earlier in 2 Kings 2:9, Elisha had boldly requested that he receive a double portion of Elijah's anointing. However, after Elisha died it looked like it was too late for him to raise twice as many people from the dead as Elijah.

Who would have ever thought that touching Elisha's bones could raise someone from the dead; certainly not the men that were burying him! Clearly the seeds of faith we sow in the brief time we are in this world continue to grow and accomplish things even after we are long gone.

1. New Testament

   1. Jesus resurrects the widow's son at Nain

Luke 7:13-15 (KJV)
13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.
14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.
15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.

2. Jesus raises Jairus' daughter from the dead

Matthew 9:25 (KJV)
25 But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.

See also Mark 5:42, and Luke 8:55

3. Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead

John 11:43-44 (KJV)
43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave-clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

4. Many saints resurrected at Jesus' crucifixion

Matthew 27:52-53 (KJV)
52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

5.  Christ's resurrection

Matthew 28:5-7 (KJV)
5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.

See also Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-11, and John 20:1-10

6. Peter raises a female disciple named Tabitha from the dead

Acts 9:36-42 (KJV)
36 Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and alms deeds which she did.
37 And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber.
38 And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them.
39 Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.
40 But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
41 And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive.
42 And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord.

7. Paul raises Eutychus from the dead

Acts 20:9-12 (KJV)
9 And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.
10 And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him.
11 When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.
12 And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.

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