This chapter which tells us of the occasion when Moses and Elijah turned up on top of a mountain to have a chat with Jesus brings several questions into my mind. Why did Jesus only take three of His closest disciples? What did He want them to see that day?
David, the writer of this psalm, understood that God would bring Victory to His faithful ones who trust in Him. David had learned very early on in His life that God could be depended on to protect the innocent. He learned that in the sheep fields when he was young.
This suddenly is one of the most well known and preached about in our churches. What we do not hear so much is that it was not just the disciples and close friends of Jesus who experienced this world changing day. But the whole town! Everyone heard what was said.
I like this verse, because I have experienced these sorts of things. Our move to France as a family with young children in 1983 was definitely not our idea. It was from God! Many said this whole thing would be a blessing. But it did not start out that way.
As Paul helped in collecting wood, he inadvertently picked up a snake hidden among the branches, driven out by the warmth of the fire. This man of faith did not panic as many of us would do. He just shook it into the fire and continued what he was doing.
For more than 2000 years now, the Kingdom of God on earth has been growing. People have been hearing about the Saviour, and telling others He is coming soon. But we are all still waiting. Many people are frustrated that Jesus has not yet returned as He said He would.
How tragic it is that satan has never given up on trying to kill off believers. But it is also tragic to hear about the sudden tragedies all over the world: floods, earthquakes, invasions. It seems that far too regularly these tragic events are being reported on our news media.
Most of this chapter is talking of the end of the world, and can be depressing to read, especially if we allow ourselves to become distracted by the worrying words: wars, earthquakes, famines, pestilence! Most of these things have already happened many times before we were born. They continue today.
This sounds like a severe warning from Paul in his first letter to Thessalonican christians. He had visited this Greek city on his second missionary journey, and had converted several listeners in the synagogue there. But he had been forced to leave because the Jewish leaders rose up against him.
Reading the Old Testament tells us that God was frequently having to reprimand His children as they strayed from the truth and did things the way they thought best. This often played into the hands of enemy nations who had been prompted by greed or fear to attack the Israelites.
EN 
FR