Saturday had been an extremely busy day for Randy Smith. He had wanted to get to the Peterson's rummage sale but every time he tried to go, the phone rang with another problem he had to go take care of. As he returned home from his last trip of th day, the sun was going down and he knew he wouldn't make it to the sale.
Sunday after church, Randy went
looking for one of the Peterson's to see how the sale went and to see
if they still had anything left for he was hoping to pick something
up for both Louie and the boys orphanage that his family supported.
It didn't take long before he ran smack dab into Bill, sending both
Bill and himself to the ground.
“That was weird.” Bill mumbled to
himself as Randy helped him back on his feet. “Well, sort of,”
Randy said, “I don't usually knock people over but of all the
people here to run into, you're the very one I was looking for.”
“Oh, Hi.” Bill responded as if he wasn't even there. “So,”
Randy said, “How did everything turn out yesterday?”
“Weird.” Bill responded shaking
his head. “Weird?” Randy questioned “Yeah.” Bill said still
shaking his head. “How could a rummage sale be weird?” Randy
asked. “Not the rummage sale.” Bill said looking up at Randy,
“Harold's room.” “Well,” Randy laughed, “I suppose it would
be weird to see Harold’s room completely clean.”
“Yeah,” Bill replied, “It would
be, but it isn't.” “What do you mean?” Randy responded a bit
puzzled, “I thought you cleaned it out.” “We did.” Bill
answered, “And that's part of what makes this so weird.” “Makes
what weird?” Randy said even more puzzled. “Harold's room is a
complete disaster!” Bill said. “It's as if a tornado hit it.”
When Randy heard that he started
looking all around the sanctuary, “I didn’t know Harold was
coming home.” he said as he looked hoping to find Harold. “He
didn't” Bill said, “You're not going to find him.” Well,”
Randy said even more puzzled, “If Harold’s still at the
monastery, how come his room is a disaster?”
“I don't know.” Bill said shaking
his head again. “When I went to bed last night it was clean. When
I got up this morning I walked by his room and it was as if it had
never been cleaned.” “That is weird.” Randy said in agreement.
“Tell me about.” Bill said, “I've been trying to figure it out
all morning.”
“By the way,” Randy said changing
subjects a little bit, “Did you sell everything or do you still
have some of Harold's stuff left?” “Yeah,” Bill replied, “But
all I have left is the weird stuff.” “Maybe I'll stop by and
look at it later, and maybe I cn help you re-clean Harold's room.”
“Sounds great.” Bill said, shook Randy's hand and than walked off
mumbling “Weird” over and over again.
Afterward Ben-hadad king of Syria
mustered his entire army and went up and besieged Samaria. And there
was a great famine in Samaria, as they besieged it, until a donkey's
head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and the fourth part of a
kab of dove's dung for five shekels of silver.
2 Kings 6:24-25 (ESV)
Things were not looking good for
Samaria. The Aramian army surrounded the city and food was almost
gone. What would you do? Blame God and kill His servant? At least
that's what Israel's king decided but something weird was about to
happen.
Elisha said, "Hear the word of
the LORD: thus says the LORD, Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine
flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a
shekel, at the gate of Samaria." Then the captain on whose hand
the king leaned said to the man of God, "If the LORD himself
should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?" But he
said, "You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not
eat of it." Now there were four men who were lepers at the
entrance to the gate. And they said to one another, "Why are we
sitting here until we die? If we say, 'Let us enter the city,' the
famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we
die also. So now come, let us go over to the camp of the Syrians. If
they spare our lives we shall live, and if they kill us we shall but
die." So they arose at twilight to go to the camp of the
Syrians. But when they came to the edge of the camp of the Syrians,
behold, there was no one there. And when these lepers came to the
edge of the camp, they went into a tent and ate and drank, and they
carried off silver and gold and clothing and went and hid them. Then
they came back and entered another tent and carried off things from
it and went and hid them. Then they said to one another, "We
are not doing right. This day is a day of good news. If we are silent
and wait until the morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now
therefore come; let us go and tell the king's household." …
Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Syrians. So a
seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for
a shekel, according to the word of the LORD. Now the king had
appointed the captain on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the
gate. And the people trampled him in the gate, so that he died, as
the man of God had said when the king came down to him.
2 Kings 7 (ESV)
We don't know everything and there are
things that God will keep from us. In Daniel 12:4 and 9 Daniel was
told shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the
end. And to Go your way for the words are shut up and sealed
until the time of the end. (ESV) In the N.T John was told similar
words in Revelation 10:4 "Seal up what the seven thunders
have said, and do not write it down." (ESV)
Deuteronomy 29:29 Reminds us that The
secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are
revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all
the words of this law. (ESV) For as Proverbs 25:2 states, It
is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to
search things out. (ESV)
I can see at least two reasons for us
not receiving knowledge and I'm sure there are more.
- Knowledge is withheld because can't handle it - John 16:12 I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. (ESV)
- Knowledge is withheld so we may Walk by faith not by sight - 2 Corinthians 5:7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. (ESV)
There are reasons for everything even
if we can't figure them out. Things may seem weird, we can try to
understand and maybe we will but then again.... What did happen to
Harold's room? What did happen to the Syrian army?
Here's Something To Ponder
- What are some of the weird things that you know of but can not explain?
- Are you willing to trust God even if it may seem weird?
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