Hebrews 1:1, “God, after He spoke long ago to
the fathers in the prophets in many portions and
in many ways,”
Have you ever thought about the “many ways”
through which God spoke to people “long ago”?
He even occasionally used animals to get His
point across!
For instance…
God used frogs, flies, and locusts to
humble the Egyptians, Exodus 8,10
• He used frogs, 8:1-15
• He used gnats, 8:16-32
• He used locusts, 10:1-20
God used a talking donkey to
teach Balaam, Numbers 22
Israel had been released from Egyptian bondage, gotten
the Law at Sinai, and were fighting their way to Canaan.
God helped them and they slaughter Sihon and Og. They
were camped in Moab opposite of Jericho, 21:33 – 22:1.
Balak, king of Moab, persistently
sought Balaam, a prophet, to
curse Israel, vv.2-21
Balaam eventually went with
those sent by Balak, v.21
But God used a talking donkey to
get Balaam’s attention, vv.22-35
God used two milk cows to
teach the Philistines, 1Samuel.6
In the last days of Eli’s judgeship, Israel fought against
and was defeated by the Philistines, 4:1-2.
The idolatrous mindset of Israel led them to think taking
the Ark of the Covenant into battle would help, but the
Philistines again won, and took the Ark, 4:3-11!
The Ark brought plagues upon the
Philistines, chp.5.
They decided to send it back, and
devised a plan, 6:1-9.
The Lord used the cows to
manifest Himself to them, 6:10-15.
God used a whale to convince Jonah,
Jonah 1-3
God sought to warn Nineveh to repent through Jonah, 1:1-2.
But Jonah fled the opposite direction on a ship, 1:3.
So, God caused a great storm to batter the ship, and
eventually Jonah was thrown overboard, 1:4-16.
Then God made a whale to
swallow him! 1:17
After three days and
nights, God convinced
Jonah to obey Him and go
preach to Nineveh, 2:1 –
3:4!
God even used a worm to further teach
Jonah a valuable lesson, Jonah 4:7
When the king and people of Nineveh heard God’s message
through Jonah, they believed and repented, 3:5-9.
Then God spared them, 3:10.
But Jonah got angry and
pouted, 4:1-5.
God first made a plant to grow
to shade Jonah, 4:6.
Then God made a worm to eat
the plant, 4:7-8.
God used the worm to teach
Jonah a valuable lesson, 4:9-11.
Now, if God can use:
 Frogs, gnats, and locusts to manifest His power to a
foreign king and nation,
 A talking donkey to get His message across to a
prophet,
 Two milk cows to give witness to a heathen nation,
 A whale to convince a rebellious prophet to obey,
 And a worm to show the worth of each and every
person’s soul,
What can he do with a Christian like
you who understands all these
things? cp. Matthew 10:31
The truth is:
 God can do a lot through each and every one of us, if
we wouldn’t bury our talents, Matt.25:18ff.
 And He will accomplish His purposes through us, if we
will just cooperate, Phil.2:12-16.
 Surely we, being in the image of God, can:
 Manifest God’s power better than frogs, gnats, and
locusts! Matt.5:16ff
 Talk to someone about God’s wishes better than a
donkey! Matt.18:15ff
 Teach about the one true God better than a couple of
milk cows! 2Tim.2:2
 Help a rebellious person better than whale! Gal.6:1
 Explain the value of each and every soul better than a
worm! Matt.16:26
“Yes, we can!”
 But the real question is:
Will we?
 Their souls and ours depend on it, Matt.10:32.
Let’s get busy- time is wasting!