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Post by Cindy on Mar 16, 2022 10:50:03 GMT -5
Let's look at the famines in the Bible and see what God did and what the people did that was both wrong or right too:
1. The famine in Palestine that caused Abraham to go into Egypt. Gen. 12:10
2. The famine in Palestine that caused Isaac to go into Philistia. Gen. 26:1
3. The famine in Palestine that caused Jacob’s eleven sons to go into Egypt. Gen. 41:54–57; Psalm 105:16; Acts 7:11.
4. The famine in Palestine that caused Naomi to go into Moab. Ruth 1:1
5. The famine in David’s day, caused by Saul’s bloodstained house. 2 Sam. 21:1
6. The famine in Elijah’s day, caused by the sins of Ahab and Israel. 1 Kings 17:1; 1 Kgs 16:29–33; 1 Kgs 18:1–2; Luke 4:25
7. The famines in Elisha’s day:
a. First famine, resulting in Elisha working a miracle of purifying some poisonous stew. 2 Kings 4:38, 2 Kings 4:42–44
b. Second famine, resulting in the Salvation of a city through four lepers. 2 Kings 6:24–25
c. Third famine, resulting in a woman, a servant, and a king knowing that there was still a prophet of God in Israel. 2 Kings 8:1–6
8. The famine in Jerusalem, caused by Nebuchadnezzar’s siege. 2 Kings 25:2; Jer. 14
9. The famine in Nehemiah’s day, resulting in a sermon by Nehemiah and an ensuing revival of the people. Neh. 5:3–13
10. The famine in Paul’s day, resulting in help being sent by outside Christians to the believers in Judea. Acts 11:28
11. The famine in the Tribulation, which will contribute to the death of millions. Rev. 6:5–8; Matthew 24:7; Mark 13:8.
Willmington’s Book of Bible Lists
Here's a few not included in that book:
Famine in the time of Isaiah; Siege (poetic description) Isa 51:19
Famine in the time of Jeremiah; Siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. Jer 44:13; Jer 52:6; Lam 5:10
Famine in the time of Joel. Drought or locusts (Joel 1:4). Joel 1:10–12
Famine in the time of Ezekiel (predictive utterance). Siege brought by God’s judgment (Ezek 14:13); Ezek 7:15
Famine in the time of Amos; God’s judgment for Israel’s unfaithfulness. Amos 4:6–9
Famine in the time of Claudius (Paul visits Jerusalem) Acts 11:27–30; Acts 12:25
Descriptions and threats of famine in the Major Prophets are too numerous to list.
Faithlife Study Bible
The prodigal son (Luke 15:14); is a parable about famine
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Post by Cindy on Apr 8, 2022 10:56:16 GMT -5
You know, just looking over this list casually, it shows me that when a famine happened, God always rescued those who belonged to Him in one way or another. In many of them, He simply sent them to another region where there was no famine and they stayed there until the famine was over. He did that in numbers 1-4. In the third though He sent Joseph to Egypt and we know that story.
As for #5 -The famine in David’s day, caused by Saul’s bloodstained house. When it started, David prayed and asked the Lord why it was happening and the Lord told him. So David corrected the wrong done by Saul and the Lord ended the famine.
6. The famine in Elijah’s day, caused by the sins of Ahab and Israel. Again we're told the reason for it was sin and we're shown that God had birds feed Elijah and told him to go to a widow at Zarephath where He miraculously made sure they had enough food through the famine.
Looking at 7. The famines in Elisha’s day, speaks for itself. a. First famine, resulting in Elisha working a miracle of purifying some poisonous stew. God miraculously feeds His hungry people.
b. Second famine, resulting in the Salvation of a city through four lepers. Again due to the serious sins of Israel and their wicked King. But God fed His people and ended it by the wicked Kings death (not due to hunger though) and the people were saved.
c. Third famine, resulting in a woman, a servant, and a king knowing that there was still a prophet of God in Israel. 2 Kings 8:1–6. In this one the Lord tells His people to leave because a famine is coming and they do.
In 8, The famine in Jerusalem, caused by Nebuchadnezzar’s siege. Again of course this is another judgment of God against their sin. In the end the people were taken away to Babylon where there was of course plenty of food.
In 9, The famine in Nehemiah’s day, God had Nehemiah help the poor so no one had to go without food.
10 is The famine in Paul’s day, which God warned the people about and caused many people to send money and food to those who needed it. The bible tells us about the money Paul raised for those in Jerusalem, and history tells us about other Christians or those who hadn't heard about Jesus yet, but were "God fearers" as they were called then, sending large amounts of food and money so the people would be able to eat.
Number 11 is what will happen during the Trib which is of course a judgement of God and His wrath against all the sins of mankind. However, I feel sure that the Lord will do the same for any who belong to Christ that He has done in the past and that they will have food.
The next one, the famine in the time of Joel was again due to the sins of the people. Let me share what one of my commentaries say about this one which is in Joel 1.
Joel gives us four instructions to follow when we find ourselves in difficult circumstances, instructions that should be heeded by individuals and nations. Hear (Joel 1:1–4). Listen to God’s Word and let Him interpret events for you. God raises up people to encourage us to turn to Him for help. Awake (Joel 1:5–7). When Joel looked at the dying vines and trees, he addressed the drinkers and told them to wake up and weep. But they should shed tears not because the wine is gone but because their sins have brought judgment on the land. Lament (Joel 1:8–18). The fields, orchards, vineyards, flocks, and herds were all ruined; and Joel called for the farmers to lament (Joel 1:11) and for the priests to repent (Joel 1:13–14). It is time to seek the Lord! Cry out (Joel 1:19–20). The prophet set the example by crying out to God for His mercy and help. Perhaps he claimed God’s promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14. It is not enough for us to weep over the sad consequences of our sins; we must also weep over our sins. With the Word
Another one says: The message of Joel can be summarized in three simple statements. (1) Calamities are God’s warning of judgment to come. (God judges sin.) (2) Heed these warnings, and return to God with all your heart. (God demands full commitment.) (3) When you return to God, God’s fullest blessings will be poured out on you and on all people. (God blesses those who commit themselves to Him.) The teacher’s commentary
In the famine in the time of Amos we again see the judgment of God for the sins of the so called religious in Israel. They kept saying why wouldn't God help them while they were doing their sacrifices etc, but they were also continuing to live in unrepented sin. In fact, they sound like the ones Jesus yelled at! Again, based on what we've seen in all the others, we can be sure that any who were truly saved, were given food in one way or another by the Lord. He either had them leave, or He provided for them another way.
last of all is the story of the prodigal son, in which he winds up hungry due to a famine (which is always a judgement). We know what happened, he realized his sin and returned to his father in repentance and love and of course, had plenty to eat then.
So what can we learn from all these different stories about famines? First that it's always a judgement against sin. Second that God provided for those who were really His either by warning them to move until it was over, or providing food for them miraculously, or through the kindness of others moved to do so by the Lord, or like with Joseph, warning about the famine and sending someone in advance with the knowhow to make sure there'd be enough for everyone during it.
To me it looks like God always takes care of those who belong to Him, no matter what's going on or how bad it is. Our human nature (sin nature) wants to rely on ourself instead of God and we come up with lots of excuses to do so. I'm not saying that if God tells you to buy some extra groceries you shouldn't. I'm saying make sure it's from God.
One way that's easy to tell if it's from God is if you want to buy extra but have to not pay a bill you owe to do so, that's not how God works. He tells us to pay our bills in full and on time. If you have to do anything illegal or immoral in order to buy extra, again, it's not from the Lord. If you are doing it out of fear, that's not of God. Obedience yes, fear no. Also, if the Lord wants you to have extra, He will supply the means for you to get it and to store it. Remember though, that if the Lord wants you to have extra, He is not having you get that just for yourself. He always tells us to do for others even before ourself, so realize that if He told you to do that, then He will be sending other people to you so you can give them some food. (give, not sell.) That's how God works.
I'm also not saying that people shouldn't shop once a month or once a week or however they normally do. Whatever your normal way of shopping is fine. I know people who shop once a month except for perishables which they pick up as needed. Personally I usually shop once a week but try to have enough on hand so I can skip a week if necessary, if one of us isn't feeling well. God gave us common sense and we should use it. But, we should talk to Him about it first too.
If the president were to announce today that we were about to have a famine, how we react would say a lot about our faith. it doesn't matter if we're poor or if we have lots of money. God knows what we need even before we do, and we CAN trust Him!
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383 
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Post by fearnot on Apr 14, 2022 12:10:39 GMT -5
Thank you for posting....also loved the video.
I had heard that before, but could not remember what pastor did it, nor where to find it.....so thank you again.....I put it in the 'hear later'....which is how I save you tube videos :)
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Post by Cindy on Apr 22, 2022 10:34:00 GMT -5
Thank you for posting....also loved the video.
I had heard that before, but could not remember what pastor did it, nor where to find it.....so thank you again.....I put it in the 'hear later'....which is how I save you tube videos :)
I've been noticing something else lately about the unsaved (which includes many who go to church and aren't really saved). I'm speaking about people who are unsaved and who don't go to God's Word to search for the truth, or ask the Lord to give them wisdom to know the Truth and discern lies, and of course, don't continue in His Word daily.
What I've been noticing is that when that person believes one lie, they will invariably find more lies to believe. It seems to continue until practically all the believe is lies. What's worse is that the first lie they believe might be something about the world, or maybe a conspiracy theory, or a popular (but wrong) lie that's going around on social media. As they pick up more and more lies though, the lies start to include other people, including family members. They begin to believe lies about the people they love, until eventually, their love for those people turns cold. I've been dismayed to watch this happen to people. I guess it's all part of the depraved mind that God has given the unsaved people over to as judgement for their sin. (Rom 1:28). It's both amazed me and sickened me to watch this happen to people. Part of me wants to shake them and tell them to open their eyes to reality, but I know they simply can't see reality and won't be able to unless God draws them and saves them. Then He can help them see the truth. But unless that happens, they're trapped in their lies.
Seeing this also makes me realize again how blessed I am to be able to know the truth and be set free from all the lies being told. Which reminds me of yet something else I've noticed, which is that there are now lies being told about everything and everyone. No one is immune to having lies told about them, but those who are saved can know the truth by asking the Lord and seeking it. It reminds me of James 3:13–18 where God tells us how to tell the difference between the worlds wisdom and godly wisdom. Those scriptures, plus asking the Lord to show us the truth about whatever it is, and asking Him to help us discern when something is a lie, and continuing in His Word daily, is the only way to judge if what we're hearing is truth, or a lie, or a conspiracy theory (which is just another label for a lie).
At first I thought maybe what I was seeing was only happening to a few people, but I don't think so anymore. It seems to be everywhere and affecting everyone who's not really saved. I guess maybe this is another of those mini previews of the Tribulation we're seeing. It reminds me of these scriptures too:
“The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” (2 Thessalonians 2:9–12)
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Apr 25, 2022 13:12:28 GMT -5
I guess one thing even President Trump got right was 'fake news'
It's hard to know anymore,
what is the truth in the news....
which may be one more log to fuel conspiracies.
And then a lot of not most entertainment seems to be not so veiled,
propaganda....like it 'seems' Disney wants to be more 'equal and fair' to
transgenders etc. and are putting more such characters in their movies, cartoons etc.
Not to mention schools...it seems like there are more lies etc. being produced by administrators and teachers. Unless the kids are telling us lies and conspiracies about what they are being taught?
I feel so bad for the kids today.
And I used to trust the medical community explicitly
but now I have some doubts....
I am not thinking big pharm is trying to kill off millions
( if not billions of people in order to save the planet)...
But I still wonder about what they might be willing to 'overlook' during a world wide emergency...
and
perhaps make a great profit.
But as for 'Christians?' in the church
I keep thinking of this verse:
For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God;
and if it begins with us first,
what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
1 Peter 4:17
And
I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.
Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes,
will He really find faith on the earth?”
Luke 18:8
I am not sure if I am getting what you said...but those two verse have been on my mind lately
I think of so many false 'Christian' ( NOT) gospels
For example Hillsong: the global charismatic Christian megachurch based in Australia,
seems to have many strange doctrines but is a huge huge mega church!
and Bethel also seems to be wayward?
Life seems to be spiraling down so fast, it is some times hard not to feel sad and discouraged.
I know God is still on the throne, and these things must happen...
Which reminds me of this verse:
Allow both to grow together until the harvest;
and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers,
“First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up;
but gather the wheat into my barn.
Matthew 13:30
I was thinking of another verse
and just forgot it
old age sigh!
And I may be totally missing your point anyway. :(
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Post by Cindy on Apr 26, 2022 11:05:08 GMT -5
No, you're not missing what I was saying. Besides I'm not sure that I was being very clear about it anyway. But what you said was clear and quite true as well.
I know that when Jesus comes again, (at His second coming) that He will find very few people who have faith in Him. That's what that verse in Luke is saying - that those who are truly saved are in the minority now, and although there will be a great revival during the Tribulation, by the time of His return, few will still be alive.
I was thinking though of the verse I posted, how people seem to love lies and can't seem to discern what is true and what isn't. We know that the Bible teaches that only those who are really saved and have read, and applied the Bible to their life, can see the real truth, and discern when something is a lie. (and that's not talking about just what's in the Bible, but is about all of our life. It's why we know when a government official is lying, or a doctor or medical official or just a local newspaper or a friend.
Sadly I've been watching someone I know who I thought was saved many years ago. At first they even showed signs of a change in their life and behavior. I could tell they were growing in their faith. But that only lasted for a few years. Then, very slowly, and only little by little, old behaviors started returning, until eventually, after a couple more years, they went completely back to their old way of life. The only thing they kept doing was going to church on Sunday. But the Church they were going to was not a good one. It's called "Next level" and is so much like the world you can't tell the difference. So, after going to that church for a couple of years, they then stopped even going to church. Now they're back to the way they were before they decided to follow Christ.
What I've noticed is that this all started when they were growing in their faith but they believed a lie. That's when the growth stopped and shortly thereafter began reversing. It seems like each step backward happened after believing in another lie or spreading the first lie they believed. They've collected quite a few lies by now, including many lies Satan has made part of the worldview of the unsaved.
It's just shown me that the more Truth we accept from God and His Word, the more we're drawn to truth about the world. But it's also true that the more lies we accept from Satan, the more lies we're drawn to about the world, as well as about God and His Word. When a person is saved, Truth is their Lord, for Jesus is the Truth. For those who aren't saved, lies are their Lord as Satan is a master liar.
Obviously Satan does his best to turn someone away from the Truth. That's why it's so important to know God's Word and to always forgive those who hurt us and love everyone, so we don't give Satan a foothold in our life.
I also believe though that even if a person has been turned from the Truth, that God can still save them (if they weren't already saved) or can draw them back to Himself if they really were saved before.
I think one big reason Satan's so successful is because people don't spend the time they should in His Word daily, and therefore their minds aren't as renewed as they could be, or not renewed at all even. Another big weapon Satan has are all the conspiracy theories that are around. They've been proven to quite literally be addicting, so it's hard to people to stop reading about them once they start. And once someone reads about one conspiracy theory, they're soon reading about another and then another, etc. It's all part of the addiction. It's getting really bad now with all the lies we have to deal with.
And yes, it's in the medical field today too. I know a very good doctor who told me years ago how harmful the injections in your spine are. But a couple of years ago, the hospital he works for got a pain doctor, and now the good doctor is forced to recommend the very injections that he knows cause more damage then good. But it's either do that or lose his job. I won't be surprised when he leaves. And that's just one example of the lies told today in the medical field. There are many, many others.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Apr 27, 2022 10:06:02 GMT -5
Excellent...Thank you.
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Post by Cindy on Apr 27, 2022 10:08:24 GMT -5
Thanks for allowing me to say write more about what I was trying to say before... it really helped me to clarify it in my own mind.
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