True Miracles
The Fellowship | December 3, 2019
The sea looked and fled,
the Jordan turned back — Psalm 114:3
During this season of miracles for both Christians and Jews, enjoy this collection of devotional teachings on the nature of God’s awe-inspiring signs and wonders. For more on miracles, download our complimentary Bible study.
Psalm 114 is part of six psalms that were originally sung after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. It is a psalm of praise describing the amazing events that followed their Exodus from Egypt. It describes the sea as “fleeing,” the Jordan “retreating,” and mountains “leaping like rams.” The sea fled when it parted in order to let the Israelites safely escape their Egyptian enemies. The waters of the Jordan retreated when they separated to let the Israelites through to the Promised Land. The mountains shook when God descended upon Mount Sinai in order to give Moses the Ten Commandments.
Psalm 114 recounts the many miracles that brought about the birth of the nation of Israel. But one miracle, in particular, deserves a closer look. The psalmist reveals that when the Israelites approached the Red Sea, it “looked and fled.” What did the sea look at that made it split?
Jewish tradition teaches that the sea observed the bones of Joseph, the son of Jacob, who had requested that the Israelites take his remains with them when they left Egypt. Something about the bones of Joseph caused the sea to react. But what? For the answer, we turn to Joseph’s greatest moment.
Joseph’s greatest achievement was not becoming the viceroy of Egypt. It wasn’t even his willingness to help out his brothers even though they hadn’t exactly treated him so nicely. Joseph’s greatest moment came when he refused the advances of the wife of his master.
After being sold into slavery in Egypt, Joseph found himself working in the home of Potiphar. Potiphar’s wife took a liking to him and tried daily to ensnare Joseph in sin. Against his grain, Joseph was able to refuse her offers. The Bible recounts his struggle: “‘How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?’ And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her” (Genesis 39: 9–10). Joseph fought against his natural desires, and he won.
Such self-mastery is an achievement like no other. The Jewish sages teach that when the sea viewed the remains of Joseph, it said, “If Joseph can go against his nature, I can go against my nature, too.” And it parted.
Friends, are you looking for miracles? We don’t need to wait for a sea to divide or mountains to leap. For miracles, we need to look no further than ourselves. Every day is a chance to bring the miraculous into the world. Are we drawn to gossip? Hold our tongues. Do we worry incessantly? Trust in God. Find the areas in which you come up short – and go beyond them. That’s a true miracle!