Study Six: The Supernatural Means

STUDY SIX

The Supernatural Means

Read Daniel 2

When God guided by means of the pillar of cloud and fire, by the star of Bethlehem, by visitations of angels, by the word coming through visions and dreams and prophets and even through an insulted donkey, in most cases these were not signs that had been asked for. And when they were asked for, as in the case of Jehoshaphat and Ahab, they were not accepted.

Supernatural phenomena were given at the discretion of the divine wisdom. It is not for us to ask that God guide us in some miraculous way. If, in his wisdom, he knows that such means are what we need, he will surely give them.

Visible Signs

Key thought: If we are ever tempted to wonder whether God can possibly communicate with people who seem to us remote and unlikely prospects, if we doubt his ability to choose a method to suit the individuals involved, if we think of world events as rather haphazard and of specific points in time and space as hardly worth his notice, it will do us good to remember those mysterious strangers and that star.

The Bible provides two important examples of visible signs that helped guide the people of God. One is described in Exodus 13:21 and 40:36–37. Another is described in Matthew 2:9–10. What were these signs?

How did each sign specifically guide the people for whom it was intended to their destination?

Do you believe that God can still use visible signs if he so chooses? Why or why not?

Why do you suppose that such signs were rarely used, even in Bible times?

Audible Signs

Key thought: There are many occasions recorded in the Bible when “the word of the Lord came”—a voice, clearly heard, clearly understood, clearly identified.

Study 1 Kings 17:1–6. This passage records an instance when the word of the Lord came to Elijah. What specific guidance did God give Elijah?

Did God fulfill his promise to Elijah?

What benefits did Elijah receive by listening to the word of the Lord?

Later, the Lord provided Elijah with further audible guidance. According to 1 Kings 17:8–9, what did God say to Elijah?

Did Elijah obey (v. 10)?

What were the results of Elijah’s obedience to this divine guidance (vv. 10–16)?

Angels

Key thought: A study of both the visible and the audible manifestations of angels in the stories of the Bible will probably surprise most of us, for they are not as rare as we usually think of them. However, they came quite unexpectedly (it was not that the man or woman to whom they came had been praying for a supernatural visitor, or even for guidance), and the message they brought was often a startling one.

The first time an angel appeared to a human being, according to the biblical record, it was to an outcast Egyptian servant woman, Hagar. This event is recorded in Genesis 16. Why was Hagar running away from her home?

What guidance did the angel give Hagar?

Who was Hagar’s son?

Genesis 19 records the appearance of two angels to Lot, Abraham’s nephew. Was Lot aware at first that they were angels?

What does this tell you about their appearance?

Why was Lot so hesitant to follow their urgent instructions?

In Judges 13 an angel appears to the parents of Samson. What instructions did this angel give Samson’s parents concerning their son?

How did Manoah, Samson’s father, realize that this man was an angel (vv. 6, 20, 21)?

Compare the appearance of angels to Lot with their appearance to Manoah and his wife.

Read Hebrews 13:2. What does this say about man’s ability to recognize angels?

What does the author of Hebrews believe the visits of angels should teach us concerning hospitality?

Dreams and Visions

Key thought: Since Freud interpreted dreams as coming from the depths of man’s subconscious, signifying his fears, anxieties, and suppressed desires, we have almost forgotten the possibility that God might take over the subconscious long enough to show a man something he might not see while conscious. In simpler times men assumed that dreams showed not the darkness of their own hearts but the light they needed.

Two closely interrelated dreams are recorded in Genesis 41. What are these dreams?

What lifesaving plan of action resulted from heeding these dreams (vv. 33–36)?

Why was this plan of action so important to the well-being of the Israelites? (See Gen. 45:10–11; 50:20–21.)

Daniel 2 contains a record of a dream given to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar refused to reveal his dream to those he asked to interpret it. Why do you suppose he did this?

According to verse 11, what did the Babylonian wise men recognize about the origin of dreams?

When Daniel was brought in to interpret the dream, whom did he acknowledge as the giver of dreams (v. 28)?

Acts 16:6–10 provides an interesting account of the way in which God provides guidance. What prevented Paul and his companions from preaching in Asia and Bithynia?

How did God finally show Paul that he was to go to Macedonia?

Macedonia was west of where Paul was at the time. Some scholars believe that had God allowed Paul to travel where he wanted to go, the gospel would have spread in an easterly rather than a westerly direction, and Asia, rather than Europe, would have been Christianized. Do you agree? Why or why not?

Prophets

Key thought: How often we read this artless introduction in the Old Testament: “The word of the Lord came to me saying. . . .” We are not told how the word came, or how they knew it was the Lord who spoke, but it came, and they knew who was speaking, and they put down what he said.

According to 2 Peter 1:20–21, where does prophecy originate?

First Peter 1:10–12 provides further information on the nature of prophecy. Do prophets always fully understand their message?

Whom do prophets serve?

God frequently used prophets to provide guidance. One particularly interesting illustration of this is found in 2 Samuel 7:1–17. According to this passage, what did King David plan to do?

What did the Lord reveal to Nathan, the prophet, and how did this change David’s plan?

Did the Lord immediately reveal his will to Nathan?

What does this tell us about the importance of waiting on the Lord until he reveals his will to us?

Applying God’s Truth to Your Life

Several instances of modern-day supernatural guidance are described on pages 76–77, 80–81. Have you ever experienced God’s guidance through supernatural means? If so, describe your experience.

Whether or not you have experienced God’s guidance through the supernatural means of dreams, prophecies, and the like, throughout your life God has guided you. Describe a recent occasion when you have been especially aware of God’s guidance.

What is the most important lesson that you have learned from this study on supernatural guidance?

To Do This Week

Pray that you will be especially sensitive to the means by which God is guiding you. Each day try to identify a way that God has provided guidance in your life.

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