God and Hurricane Katrina - Part 1

Hurricane Katrina has struck the Gulf Coast area with a destructive force never seen before in our country. Fellow citizens everywhere join in prayer and solidarity with the people of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana in their hour of need. Thousands have been touched by the power of this storm. The loss of lives and property is beyond understanding. The pain and suffering caused by Katrina cannot be expressed in simple words.

The media has provided a great service by giving the people of the United States and the world graphic views of the devastation caused by Katrina. Reporters risked their own lives to bring live pictures during and after the onslaught caused by Katrina. One reporter on Fox called the aftermath of the devastation “a natural disaster of biblical proportions.” A reporter on CBS called the devastation “apocalyptic” while another reporter on CNN, with tears in her eyes, said that she had seen “Armageddon.”

It is not surprising that members of the media are using biblical terminology to describe what is happening in these three southern states, for their descriptions of what is happening is very close to the biblical events that are behind the words they use.

For instance, when the reporter spoke of “a natural disaster of biblical proportions,” his words may be a reference to the great flood that happened in the days of Noah (Genesis 7), to the destruction by fire of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19), or even to the ten plagues that afflicted the people of Egypt during the Exodus (Exodus. 7-10).

When the reporter described the destruction caused by Katrina as “apocalyptic,” he was referring to the events that will happen in the last days before the second coming of Christ. These events are mentioned in the book of Revelation. The word “revelation” is a translation of the Greek word apokalypsis. The English transliteration of the Greek word is “apocalypse” and the adjective is “apocalyptic.” The apocalyptic disaster is described in detail in Revelation 15:1-16:21.

When the reporter saw the devastation caused by Katrina and said that she had seen “Armageddon,” she was referring to the battle of Armageddon, the final battle between the forces of good and evil that will happen in the last days (Revelation 16:16). In popular usage, the word Armageddon has become a reference to the catastrophes that will happen on earth near the end times. The word also refers to any great loss of life caused by natural disasters or wars.

The most amazing thing about those reporters who used biblical terminology to describe the devastation caused by Katrina is that most of them probably had no idea of the biblical context behind the biblical terminology. Here is why: what is the common theme behind “a natural disaster of biblical proportions,” “apocalyptic,” and “Armageddon”? The answer is: judgment!

The flood came as a result of the sins of the generation of Noah’s day. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of the immorality of the people who lived in those two cities. The plagues came as a judgment on Pharaoh and his people because of the oppression of the Israelites. The battle or Armageddon and the plagues of the book of Revelation will come as part of the final judgment upon the people who refuse to abandon their sins and acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Messiah.

Did the reporters say that Katrina was sent by God to judge a sinful city? I doubt it. They probably were just using words they learned in their studies. I am sure they did not see Katrina as a divine judgment upon the city of New Orleans.

There is a lesson for us here. The lesson we learn from this is that people must be careful about how they use words. A word spoken at the wrong time can be as sharp as a sword. The wise man said: “Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing” (Proverbs 12:18).

So, where was God in this tragic event? Next week I will discuss how natural events such as a hurricane can exist in this world created by a loving and caring God. Until then, let us pray to God and ask for grace and strength for those who are suffering because of the devastation caused by Katrina.

Other Posts on Hurricane Katrina:

God and Hurricane Katrina - Part 1

God and Hurricane Katrina - Part 2

God and Hurricane Katrina - Part 3

The Looting of New Orleans


Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary


Tags: Evil, Flood, Judgment, Hurricane Katrina, Natural Disaster, New Orleans, Pain, Suffering

Reaping Fruits of Joy

I am back! Today I returned from Louisville, Kentucky where I spent several days visiting old friends. The last time I visited Louisville was in 1983, the year I graduated from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

I spent five years at Southern Seminary working on my Ph.D. in Old Testament. While in seminary, I majored in three areas: Old Testament History, Biblical Archaeology, and Hebrew. My major professor was Dr. Joseph A. Callaway. Dr. Callaway was a great archaeologist. He spent many years digging in the ruins of the biblical city of Ai. In a future blog, I will give you a brief description of the work of my beloved professor.

During my visit to Louisville, I visited with Dr. Marvin E. Tate, a retired professor who taught Wisdom Literature at Southern. Dr. Tate is a scholar and a gentleman. When I arrived at his office at Southern Seminary, Dr. Tate was deeply involved in studying Psalm 68. Dr. Tate wrote the commentary on Psalms 51-100 in The Word Biblical Commentary series. At the present, he is revising his work in preparation for the publication of the second edition of his commentary.

Dr. Tate also wrote a supplement to the second edition of Psalms 1-50, a commentary written by Peter C. Craigie and published in the same series. Dr. Tate graciously gave me a copy of this revised commentary. I am planning to write a review of the commentary and of Dr. Tate’s supplement in October. I hope you will visit us again and read my review of Craigie’s commentary. I recommend these commentaries for your library. You can buy this book at:


On Sunday, August 21 my wife and I worshiped at St. Matthews Baptist Church, our home church during the time we lived in Louisville. In 1978 Kentucky Baptist Convention asked me to begin a Spanish church in Louisville. St. Matthews became the sponsoring church of this new work. I began a Spanish church at St. Matthews Baptist Church in Louisville and another at Stithton Baptist Church in Radcliff. Both churches are still active today. On Wednesday, August 24, my wife and I visited the Spanish Church and marveled at their new facilities. I was invited to teach the Bible study on the book of Nahum. I discovered that most people present that night had never read the book of Nahum.

As I think about my years as a student at Southern Seminary, I remember the words of the Psalmist: “Those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy” (Psalm 126:5). My professors sowed precious seeds in my heart and as a result, my love for the Old Testament grew. I sowed the seeds of the good news of Jesus Christ, and as a result, two churches were born. Paul said: “If you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:8-9).

So, let us sow for the glory of God.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Joy, Marvin Tate, Psalm 126

Welcome

Dear friends,

Today is my first entry. Wait for some more later.

Claude Mariottini

Blogging Begins!

Today ClaudeMariottini.com took another step towards being fully functional with the addition of my blog.

Look for my posts very soon!