The world recognizes that there are circumstances which arise from a higher power than any known to man. It is common practice to expressly exempt from human obligation (unless otherwise specified) any loss or failure to perform Certain duties which arises from an "act of God." It is a legal term and is used by avowed infidel and atheist, and Christian alike to cover "such an extraordinary interruption of the usual course of events that no experience, foresight, or care which might reasonably have been expected could have foreseen or guarded against it, as lightning, tempests, etc." (-Webster's International Dictionary). It is an admission, however inadvertent, that man is but a creature after all, and that there is a Supreme Being who is above him and One who does not give account of His ways.
The ingenuity of men has been called upon to guard against such acts as would produce great exigencies. That progress has been made in this direction is admitted; for instance, men can now track down a hurricane in its early stages, and with some accuracy predict its movements in advance so as to warn men at sea and on land to make all preparations for a wind of a certain expected velocity at a stated hour. They cannot stop the hurricane, but much loss of life and property has been averted by advance warnings, and such preparations as men can make. By anticipating where floods may come, and building flood control dams upstream, many floods have been prevented, although the best forethought of men is often shortsighted indeed, and proves to be inadequate. The power of wind, water, and fire is dreaded, and justifiably so, for each has proved time and again how puny man really is. They are forces that often defy every effort of men to conquer them. Even the tiny, beautiful snowflake, when accompanied by God's hosts of them, have brought all men's great works to a complete standstill, and silenced all his noises.
Men compare themselves with themselves and are not wise, but when God "bringeth the wind out of His treasuries" (Psalm 135:77He causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries. (Psalm 135:7)), and sends the "treasures of the snow" and "treasures of the hail" ( Job 38:2222Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, (Job 38:22)) upon the earth, and "prepareth rain for the earth" (Psalm 147:88Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains. (Psalm 147:8)), "whether for correction, or for His land, or for mercy" ( Job 37:1313He causeth it to come, whether for correction, or for his land, or for mercy. (Job 37:13)), man appears in his relative insignificance. "Verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity." Psalm 39:55Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah. (Psalm 39:5).
There is another "act of God" which emphasizes man's finitude and narrow limits; that is, an earthquake. We know we are going to have more earthquakes, but seismologists cannot foretell when or where they will occur.
Some areas of the world have them frequently, but no spot of the earth's surface can be said to be free from the possibility of a quake, and even in the areas where they are the most common, the ablest seismologist cannot predict when they will occur, nor where the epicenter of the shake will be. Some time ago we read the statement of one seismologist who said that the nearest approach they had to being able to predict when the next earthquake will take place would be to say that the longer it has been since the last one, the closer it is to the next one.
When the earthquake shook Southern California on July 21, 1952, one of the leading universities which had installed the latest and most expensive equipment for measuring such quakes had just shut down their instruments for some adjusting. If they had known that the worst earthquake in California in 46 years would come, they surely would not have chosen that time to have the equipment out of operation.
Seismologists rate earthquake intensity by a mathematical scale with 10 as a peak. The disastrous quake of San Francisco on April 18, 1906, was rated as of 8.25 intensity; the one in Southern California on July 21, 1952, was rated as 7.5, and was said by some to have been much more energetic in continuing motion. In the mercy of God, the epicenter of the recent quake was out in or near the Mojave Desert in largely uninhabited territory; if it had been in downtown Los Angeles- the center of more than 4,000,000 population—in all probability it would have been one of the worst disasters in history for loss of life and property. God speaks and warns, but at present He is showing mercy even in judgment. As it was, a small town of 3,000 population, Tehachapi, was nearest to the epicenter, and 11 were killed there, and every structure in town was either damaged or ruined. A lesser quake 35 days later which centered near the city of Bakersfield killed 2 and injured 32, while causing property damage of $30,000,000.
All man's bravado leaves in a second of time when God shakes the earth. When all is well and easy, some may deny that there is a God, but let God shake the earth under them and their dormant consciences suddenly become active and they give way to fear and trembling, and many cry out to God for mercy. The effect is often quite transitory and when the shock is passed people go on in forgetfulness of God as before. What a solemn verse is found in Psalm 9: "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God." v. 17.
The July earthquake in California brought into sharp contrast just a little of the power of God with man's greatest ability to unleash power. The United States Government has been using the Nevada desert as a proving ground for atomic weapons. Some of these explosions of man's greatest achievement have broken a few windows in the city of Las Vegas less than 100 miles away, but when God shook the earth and all man's works upon it approximately 100,000 square miles were affected. Who can measure the power that could shake such a large area? It is beyond human calculation. When the law was given, His "voice then shook the earth: but now He hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven." Heb. 12:2626Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. (Hebrews 12:26). This is a quotation from Hag. 2:66For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; (Haggai 2:6) where it is prophesied that God will shake all things before bringing in His order, but the Spirit of God in quoting it in Hebrews says that it is a promise—a promise of judgment to prepare the way for God's Christ.
Earthquakes are often mentioned in Scripture. The first one is in 1 Kings 19. In that instance Elijah was being taught a lesson. He was thinking much of himself and of great demonstrations to prove who the Lord was. The Lord allowed him to experience a strong wind that rent the rocks, then an earthquake, and then a fire; but when all these were passed there was a still small voice. In the presence and quietness of the still small voice the Lord spoke to him. This chapter has been greatly misused, and we are told that a preacher used it for his text after the San Francisco earthquake and fire in 1906, saying, "The Lord was not in the earthquake" (v. 11). Such an interpretation of the scripture is tampering with the Word of God, for God is in every earthquake, as in many, many other things, to reach men's consciences. The point in the verse is that God had to teach Elijah that these manifestations of power were not everything, but rather God speaking in power to his soul, though in a still small voice.
Whether this was so or not we cannot say, but we do know that at that time he was stricken with leprosy and remained a leper until the day of his death.
Another earthquake rent the rocks when the Lord gave up His Spirit on the cross (Matt. 27:51, 5451And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; (Matthew 27:51)
54Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. (Matthew 27:54)), testifying to a great transaction having taken place; and still another great earthquake gave testimony to the power that raised Him from the dead (Matt. 28:22And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. (Matthew 28:2)).
Special places have been shaken by God in marking His approval or disapproval of certain acts. In the early days of the Church when the disciples prayed "the place was shaken where they were assembled together" (Acts 4:3131And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:31)), thus assuring them of God's power being exercised on their behalf in the proclamation of the gospel, and their witnessing to the resurrection of Christ. Then in Acts 16 the prison where Paul and Silas were bound was shaken. This produced a great shaking in the soul of the jailer and ultimately led to his conversion through the preaching of the gospel by Paul. It also secured the release of Paul and Silas.
Earthquakes will mark the closing days of man's wickedness. When God gets ready to speak to this world that crucified His Son He will shake many things, the earth among them. "Great earthquakes shall be in divers places" (Luke 21:1111And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. (Luke 21:11)), not only in California or Japan. And as terrifying as great earthquakes are, men will actually prefer them in a coming day. They will call to the rocks and mountains to fall on them and hide them "from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb." Rev. 6:1616And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: (Revelation 6:16). How different is the account we heard of a Christian who calmly sat on his porch during a rather severe earthquake and remarked that he was glad he had a God who could shake the earth.
Christian readers, our God and Father is the One who can shake the earth, and who will shortly shake all things. May we rest quietly and confidently in His loving and wise hands, knowing that all things work His will and serve His might.
"Through waves, through clouds and storms,
God gently clears the way;
We wait His time; so shall the night
Soon end in blissful day.
"He everywhere hath sway,
And all things serve His might;
His every act pure blessing is,
His path unsullied light.
"When He makes bare His arm,
Who shall His work withstand?
When He His people's cause defends,
Who then shall stay His hand?
"We leave it to Himself
To choose and to command,
With wonder filled, we soon shall see
How wise, how strong His hand! "
We comprehend Him not,
Yet earth and heaven tell
God sits as sovereign on the throne
And ruleth all things well."