Earthquakes, Plague, Drought, Floods, Fire – Oh My God! by Myra Kahn Adams for Town Hall
Thanks for joining us. Today we study what Scripture says about natural disasters, drought, pestilence, and plague.
Could God prevent natural disasters and pestilence from happening? Does He cause them to happen? Those are tough questions that I know loyal readers will answer in the comments section.
Let’s begin with an account of the Bible’s first epic natural disaster, enacted by God, who boldly proclaimed His objective reasoning:
Now is your chance to support Gospel News Network.
We love helping others and believe that’s one of the reasons we are chosen as Ambassadors of the Kingdom, to serve God’s children. We look to the Greatest Commandment as our Powering force.
“The LORD said, ‘I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them’” (Genesis 6:7). Yikes!
Lord reveals His plan:
“‘I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish’” (Genesis 6:17).
What motivated God’s extreme action?:
“The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled” (Genesis 6:5-6).
Notice how God twice states that He “regrets” making the human race. Question to ponder: Does God feel that way now given the prevailing trends shutting Him out of our culture and diminishing His importance?
Nonetheless, when God was regretful, “Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:8). So, He instructed Noah in the science of wildlife preservation and watercraft architecture, starting in Genesis 6:9 and Chapter 7.
There is a passage in Deuteronomy where God explained how His people would find “favor in the eyes of the Lord” to receive His blessings of flourishing livestock and rain for the crops. God would also provide wine, oil, and all the provisions needed to thrive in ancient times if they obeyed Him:
