Contrary to a popular perception, the Bible is not full of records of miracles. Most of the historical sections of the Bible deal with plain, non-miraculous, living. There are a few groupings of miracles which are centred on significant events. The beginning of the universe naturally is replete with miracles – from nothing comes nothing and so for the universe to come into being required an almighty fiat of God. From dead matter comes no life and so the beginning of man, animal and plant life likewise required miraculous intervention by God.
The rescue of the nation of Israel from Egyptian slavery incorporated a series of miraculous interventions by God, but once the people were settled in the promised land miracles were remote. We have a few centred on the ministries of Elijah and Elisha, and then Daniel and his friends, but by and large that pretty much covers it as far as the old testament is concerned.
The other significant cluster of miracles is found at the beginning of the New Testament. John the Baptist did no miracles, but Jesus and His disciples did many. However, these ceased in a generation or so, there being no further need. It has been almost two thousand years since a genuine miracle has been seen on the earth (I say genuine since I know people use the term miracle very loosely to describe something either unexpected or initially inexplicable or perhaps even something greatly appreciated: and such things are numerous, but they do not constitute genuine miracles which are a violation or suspension of the laws that govern the universe.)
We might ask whether miracles are possible, and the answer will differ depending upon one’s worldview. An atheist, for instance, would say they are impossible, there being nothing in nature to produce them. He could point to the orderly and repetitious functioning of the universe as proof of this. (It is worth noting that atheists do believe in miracles – nothing gave rise to the universe and dead matter gave rise to life – this is non-scientific and miraculous) A theist would naturally say the opposite since the God who made the world is superior to the world and perfectly capable of suspending or modifying the natural laws put in place at the beginning. The problem here is this: Is my experience in my lifetime adequate to answer such a question? I wasn’t present at the Creation, nor when the Jews were rescued from Egypt, nor was I alive in the first century in Palestine. I am dependent upon witnesses of the time to answer the question. An old-time blacksmith heard that they were going to make iron ships – he tossed a horseshoe into a bucket of water saying “They’ll never float!” His experience with iron and water was too narrow!
Miracles are impossible for man, but are miracles easy for God? Obviously they are. If He can span a universe by simply speaking it into existence, then any fiddling of the governing laws would be child’s play. Then why isn’t the history of the world fertilised with more miracles?
There was always a point to miracles. Miracles were a means to an end, not an end in themselves:- Sick people healed miraculously got sick again: hungry people fed miraculously from a boy’s lunch got hungry again; people raised from the dead died again. Essentially they were to do what necessitated when no other way was possible (eg. creation; rescuing a nation of slaves from a superpower). Another reason was to provide bona fides for the perpetrators of the miracles (Heb. 2:1-4; Acts 2:22). As Jesus Himself said ” if you don’t believe my words then believe me for the works that I do” (John 5:36; 10:38). Nicodemus made the connection (John 3:1ff).
The original laws that God designed to govern the universe are quite adequate for the purposes that God has for the world. This is a perfect world for what it was designed to do – provide a challenging habitation for man and a proving ground for eternity. There has to be a compelling reason to introduce a miracle. Once the purpose for the miracle had been achieved, the miracle ended. For example in Joshua 5:12 it is recorded that the supplying of manna ceased when the children of Israel entered the promised land for the land itself supplied their needs. Miracles were essential for the infancy of the church, but the time came when they ceased (1 Cor. 13:8-13), the completed word having been confirmed by such (Heb. 2:2-4).
The operation of the world according to natural and dependable laws is important for our being able to plan and order our lives. If miracles came along happenstance on a regular basis they would prove to be more of a nuisance than anything else. Even miracles have repercussions. When Peter was miraculously rescued from the jail, such a marvellous event put the jailers lives at risk (Acts 12:19). And what about the raising of Lazarus. This miracle had quite an impact, but weighed against it were other considerations: did Lazarus want to come back from a better place to this old sinful world, eventually get sick again and have to die twice? Not only that, his being raised put him under the threat of death from the chief priests (John 12:10). I wonder if he appreciated that? And of course it was this miracle that hastened the death of Jesus Himself (John 11:46-53).
The Bible is not miracle-mongering. It records those necessary miracles which demonstrated that God was at work and providing the evidence to show that His spokesmen spoke the truth. We do not have a record of all the miracles that Jesus did, but the ones that have been recorded for perpetuity were written that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God: (John 20:30,31). And it is in His words that we find life (John 6:63).