For those who love – or at least, like the game of baseball, 1951 is one of those memorable, historical years. The National League pennant race pitted the Brooklyn Dodgers against the New York Giants. While the Dodgers were 13 ½ games in the lead by mid-August, the Giants were in last place, 13 ½ games behind.
From August 11, 1951, to this day in 1951, this was all going to change.
The Giants awakened from their slump like a hungry grizzly after hibernating all winter. They were hungry! With 44 games left in the season, they managed to win 37 of those games, tying them for first place with the Dodgers. Nobody saw that coming and the pennant race was on!
The National League tie-breaker was a best of three series. The Giants took the first game, 3-1. Game two was a disappointing loss that would have reminded the Giants of who they were at the beginning of the season. They lost with the Dodgers scoring 10-0. Game three was going to decide it all.
At the bottom of the ninth, the Dodgers held a 4-2 lead. It seemed inevitable that the Dodgers would be going to the World Series – that is, until Bobby Thompson hit a three-run walk off homer into the left field stands. “The Giants win the pennant!” radio announcer Russ Hodges howled. “The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!” He kept screaming until he lost his voice.”1
Historians and athletes famously call this “the shot heard round the world.”2 Others say that this hit, as well as the Giants’ rise from the bottom of the standings to win the pennant race, was nothing short of miraculous.
Really? Is this really a miracle?
Some form of this word appears 37 times in our Bibles. The first occurrence is in the book of Exodus as Moses and Aaron are getting ready to demonstrate the power of God before the Pharaoh. Exodus 7:9 says, “When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.”
The last occurrence is in Revelation 19:20 where it says, “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.”
Some of the most famous miracles seen throughout the Bible include the creation of the world, the dead being raised to life, those with debilitating infirmities healed and restored instantly, the water turned to wine, the 5,000 fed with a few loaves and fishes, and the miracle at Pentecost as the Holy Spirit descended and the disciples spoke in tongues – the languages and dialects of the people gathered in Jerusalem. The greatest of all the miracles is when a lost sinner receives the gift of salvation and in an instant is born again.
Hitting a home run when it’s really needed and winning a pennant seems a bit beneath the status of miracle as observed in the Bible.
GotQuestions Ministries says, “The biblical definition of a miracle would be something like this: “an event that involves the direct and powerful action of God, transcending the ordinary laws of nature and defying common expectations of behavior.” Miracles are extraordinary occurrences that can only be attributed to the supernatural work of God and demonstrate His involvement in human history. God employs miracles in the Bible to reveal Himself, His character, and His purposes to humans through phenomena that are not otherwise explainable. Miracles provide evidence of God’s presence and power in the world and demonstrate His authority on behalf of His servants.”3
Miracles are about God being glorified and magnified above all. When the Giants won the pennant, it was Bobby Thompson taking one curtain call after another as the fans rushed on the field and celebrated the win. God wasn’t celebrated.
Maybe an underdog team winning a ball game seems miraculous. However, it would seem best if we would reserve such Biblical words for more fitting circumstances where God has truly done a miracle in order to spotlight Himself. Should I say, “It would be a miracle if we would all agree to that?” Absolutely not! It’s not a miracle if we agree to this – though it might seem that way. Instead, it’s an act of our will and a conscious decision to do the right thing and glorify God.
John 2:11 shows us what the power of a miracle should accomplish. Today, let this devotional and Scripture make you alert to the truly miraculous workings of God and what it is intended to accomplish. “This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.”
1https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-shot-heard-round-the-world
2https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shot_Heard_%27Round_the_World_(baseball)
3https://www.gotquestions.org/definition-miracle.html
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