Draft 3

YOU WON’T BELIEVE THIS GIFT
1/9/05; TSL #3 – Genesis 3; Gateway Sermon Notes

INTEREST

(Illustration: Salvation, General) Have you ever been in a situation that your thought was hopeless? The citizens of Baltimore thought so in 1812. You may remember from your history that the British were waging war again with the colonies but this time it looked as if they would succeed. The British were taking town and after town. Then they came upon Baltimore, and it was strategic. If they took Baltimore then the prize was theirs. They basically had the town in their sights. There was nothing there to keep them from taking the town. It looked hopeless for the citizens of Baltimore as well as our young country.

Something extraordinary happened in Baltimore that spring. Something that had never happened before the best people can tell. A hurricane, yes a renegade hurricane came in from the Atlantic and moved up the river next to Baltimore! And in that horrendous storm the British were not able to attack and it gave the Americans enough time to regroup, get their army going again and defeat the British. What seemed to be an impossible situation, one that was to surely lead to the enemies victory turned out quite the opposite.

This morning we come to see a situation that seemed quite hopeless. But this scenario was not merely about nations, but about God’s cosmic plan for all of time, space, matter, and human history. Let’s take a look at how God snatched victory out of the jaws of defeat.

NEED

We began this new series with that memorable passage in the New Testament where Jesus says in John 10:10, “I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.” And we commented how Christians often lack the abundant life. Many are filled with doubt, confusion, fear, defeat, anxiety, and conflict. They are experiencing anything but the abundant life! They live lives very dissimilar, very contrary to the normal Christian life described in the New Testament. Why is this? So we have embarked on a study to understand and live the normal Christian life - a life of abundance and victory and superperformance. By the way, the normal Christian life is also a life of suffering, but suffering does not negate the abundant, victorious, superperforming life. We will get to suffering in this series, but I just want you to know that we are talking of a life void of suffering life. That is neither the essence nor the goal of this life we describe

ORIENTATION
(I) We began in our first discussion with the idea of the possibility and power of God. The Lord provides power (Ephesians 3:20-21) for this kind of life. We learned four things about this power: (1) It is a power conceived by God; (2) It is a power beyond our dreams; (3) It is a power energized from within; and, (4) It is a power that glorifies God. God’s power is certainly unleashed within us and we will talk more about it and how it connects to this life in the coming days. (II) In our second study we talked about how God originally designed this life (Genesis 1). In order for us to understand this powerful Christian life we must know our original purpose and design. We were made in the imago dei of God – made specifically by Him and for Him. We are God’s creatures first and foremost and given a capacity that no other creatures have. We were the crown of the creation week, God’s special creatures made to have fellowship with Him and to glorify Him.

So far we have seen …

The possibility and power of this special life. Eph 3:20-21

God’s original intent and design. Gen 1:27

Today we go beyond the power and the original design of this life to the great obstacle to it. It seems there was a great cosmic malfunction in the plan of God.

I. GOD’S DESIGN WAS MARRED. 3:1-8

Verses 1-5. Here we find the successful incursion of Satan into the new world of man. This is both an historical event and an archetype of what has happened to every person who has lived. Because God respected man He gave him the dignity of free choice. Satan took advantage of man’s choice. “Lord God had made” indicates that the covenant keeping God of Israel was the Sovereign One who created the serpent, and thus had all that took place in the following narrative completely in hand. Initially the serpent or snake was a beautiful communicative creature that caused no alarm on the part of Eve. “Crafty” ( , arum, #6175) is only in Genesis 3:1 and Job 15:5 although a form of it is in Proverbs and indicates that it can be good – depending on the motives and goals. It has a wordplay connecting it with 2:25 “naked” ( , arummim, #5903) in 3:7,10,11 but not in 2:25 where it is #6174). It is used 6 times in Ezekial for shame, exposure, defenselessness, weakness, humiliation, and vulnerability. The idea is that Satan’s shrewdness took advantage of Adam and Eve’s naiveté concerning sin. They were “naked” to his “craftiness” (Satan was shrewd and found them nude – Reformed Bible). The Hebrew term “naked” means to be stripped of protective clothing – defenseless, weak, and humiliated. This was not the case before they sinned while in innocence, but only after. They didn’t know where the traps were. The temptation came from an unexpected subordinate source. Satan was a liar from the beginning (John 8:44). He boldly denied what God had said, and in essence was calling God a liar. The tempter suggested that God was jealous and was holding back from them. He suggested that God had ulterior motives and caused her to doubt God’s goodness. Compare 2:16 “freely” (imperfect with the infinitive absolute) with 3:2 “may” (omits the emphatic absolute) – Eve omits the statement by God that they were to eat to their heart’s content. She also exaggerates the prohibition saying that they were not to touch it either. And then she downplays the consequences by not repeating God’s emphatic infinitive about surely dying (2:17 and 3:3). Satan then uses the infinite absolute to deny what God emphatically stated (“not--you will surely die”). In lying Satan overstates the benefits of disobedience and understates the true consequences. Satan sought to alienate man from God (Genesis 3) and sought to alienate God from man (Job 1:9-11).

Verses 6-8. Once the woman was enticed with the physical practicality, the physical beauty, and potentiality to make one wise, she was drawn in (1 John 2:16). “Desirable” ( , nehmad) in verse 6 is the same word Exodus 20:17, “You shall not covet.” The result was anticlimactic and in an instant the creation was spoiled. The serpent of course, as a skilled liar was half right. As a result the woman and man became alienated from one another and from God. It appears that God made it His custom to come and visit with man daily and the most pleasant time of the day. But on this particular occasion things had changed drastically. This is not reverential fear as we are commanded in the Bible, but rather raw terror of being found out. Adam and Eve had traded life and order for death and chaos. They knew the corruption of good and evil (human conscience), but they did not know righteous fellowship with God. They could not blame environment or genetics.


GOD
EVE
SATAN
RESULT
God’s Goodness
“eat freely”
(2:16 – IA)
“may eat”
(3:20 – no IA)
“any tree?”
(3:1)
God’s Goodness Questioned
The Prohibition
“not eat”
(2:17)
“or touch it” (3:3)
-----
Prohibition Exaggerated
The Consequences
“surely die” (2:17 - IA)
“die”
(3:3 – no IA)
“surely not die!” (3:4 – IA / IA)
Consequences Denied

Relationship marked by …
GOD US

SEPARATION







A. Mind: Incapable of intimately knowing God. Ro 8:6-7; Eph 4:17-18; 1 Cor 2:14; 2 Cor 4:4

Romans 8:6-7. This is a contrast between the old life of the unbeliever and that of the believer. In describing the nature of the unbeliever Paul says that their mind is “set.” And that word “set” ( , phronousin) in the present tense and means to “keep on being mindful of or aspiring for.” The idea is a mindset, a disposition, a bent, a way of life.

Ephesians 4:17-18. Here again Paul contrasts the life of the unbeliever and that of the Christian. “Futility” here carries the idea ( , mataioteti, see Romans 1:21) of being void of a useful aim or goal. Because they rejected God’s revelation they were without a divine purpose or goal.

1 Corinthians 2:14. This passage speaks of the natural man as perceiving the things of the Spirit as “foolishness” that he cannot understand because they are spiritually appraised.

2 Corinthians 4:4. This verse says that “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving.” This does not mean that a person has no concept of God at all. It means that apart form the work of the Holy Spirit an unbeliever is incapable of intellect that leads to an intimate relationship with God.

B Will: Set against God. Ro 6:20; Gal 5:17; Eph 2:1-2; Jn 6:44, 65

Romans 6:20. Here Paul indicates that slavery to sin and slavery to righteousness are mutually exclusive. They could be either one or the other. When they were in unbelief they were slaves of sin – they were not free to do the things that would be in God’s realm and in true righteousness.

Galatians 5:17. Here we find that the things of the flesh are set against God. The will is set in the unbeliever and he is unable to do those things that would engender an intimate relationship with the Lord.

Ephesians 2:1-2. Paul speaks here of being “dead” in trespasses and sins. Dead people can’t communicate with and have a relationship with those who are alive, and such is the case for those who are dead toward God. This demonstrates an inability to do anything to have a relationship with God or to gain God’s approval.

John 6:44, 65. So here we have the application when it comes to coming to Christ and salvation. Jesus tells us two times that it is impossible for a person to come to Christ apart form the initiation of the Holy Sprit. It is the Holy Spirit that must regenerate a person, give them spiritual life and illumination and make the gospel clear.
C. Emotion: Dead toward God. Ro 1:25-27, 31; Eph 4:18-19; 2 Tim 3:2

Romans 1:25-27, 31. Here we find the full blown manifestation of the life that is incapable to relating to God. They now engage not just the mind and the will, but the emotions as well. This is worship of false gods, and the absolute pleasure of sin. In verse 31 it says that they are “unloving.” They cannot love and enjoy God because their emotions are dead toward Him and given completely over to sin.

Ephesians 4:18-19. Here we find callousness toward God. This is an insensitivity to really know, love and enjoy God. Instead the very opposite is taking place.

2 Timothy 3:2. Not only are they “lovers” of money, but also in verse 4 they are “lovers” of pleasure” rather than lovers of God. Their affections are elsewhere rather than on God.

(Illustration: Salvation, General) When we lived and pastored in the Little Rock area I conducted a funeral for an acquaintance of a family n our church. I did not know this man who died nor his family. But I conducted it for the family that attended our church and knew this family that had lost this loved one. The funeral was just a graveside service and happened to take place on one of the coldest days of that winter. It was cold for Little Rock standards – something like 10 degrees with a slight breeze blowing. I arrived at the cemetery in Little Rock (an old cemetery) and found folks gathering there. I bundled up with my suit on and an overcoat. I tried to stay as warm as possible, but when I got up to speak I struggled to keep my teeth from chattering and my legs shaking, and for that matter my whole body! People were sitting in the seats under the canopy, and standing out from the canopy all struggling to keep their composure in the bitter cold – all bundled up. But something struck me at that funeral concerning death. They had an open casket there at the gravesite. The gentleman was reposed for all of us to see. He was dressed in a nice suit, and looked as if he was sleeping. And do you know he wasn’t shivering? He wasn’t struggling against the elements to stay warm. And he didn’t have on any heavy clothing, or an overcoat or a scarf. You see what I am saying - Those who are dead are oblivious to the reality around them. And such is the case with Adam and every one that followed him. What would God do? The situation looked hopeless. God’s holiness would never be compromised in order to accommodate man’s sin. How could God go back on His word when he told them they would die and be separated from Him if they ate of the forbidden tree? On one side there was the sin of man and is absolute inability to save Himself, and on the other side of the chasm is an infinitely holy God who would not go back on His word or besmirch His absolute righteousness. There was no place for compromise and it appeared that man would be forever lost and that Satan had won. Man would be forever Satan’s and Satan had high jacked and commandeered God’s plan.

(Illustration: Salvation, General) Dwight Pentecost, in his book, “Designed to be Like Him” tells of fish that live in Mammoth Cave Kentucky, way beneath eh earth in that massive cavern. Pentecost relates that these fish can’t see. Their entire existence for hundreds, and perhaps thousands of years has been in the dark. They are not blindfolded; they haven’t temporarily lost their sight. They do not have the capacity, the inherent ability to perceive by way of sight. They are sightless.

So we find man (with Adam) as a sinner and completely incapacitated when it comes to his relationship with God.. The “image” is damaged, disfigured, spoiled, tarnished, and blighted. Man was totally helpless and in sin. He was completely without hope. He deserved nothing but the just condemnation of God upon Him. God was completely right in judging man for what he did. In fact, if God would not have condemned man He would have been less than God; He would have compromised His integrity.

II. GOD PROVIDED A REMEDY. 3:9-10, 20-24

But, we haven’t heard God’s entire original plan. God knew what Satan would do, and He knew what Adam and Eve would do, and He knew what we would do. He wasn’t surprised or caught off guard. When Adam and Eve fell you didn’t hear a cosmic “ooops!” out of heaven. God, in His infinite love and wisdom He implement a coherent and uncompromising plan. He prepared a plan that would address both the total depravity of man, and the absolute holiness of God. How would God do it? How would He pull it off? Nothing is impossible with God especially when it comes to His plan for the universe and the plan of redemption in particular.
Relationship Marked By …
US
GOD


CHRIST







Verse 3:9-10. Notice who comes calling for whom! This is an indication of God’s aggressive grace. God searches out man. He did not come in fury but in the same loving and condescending way that He had come in the past. Notice that one of the first manifestations of sin is fear. The fear is toward God, others, and life. Fear is trepidation about life. It is insecurity, because now man is on his own and out from under God’s complete protection and security. They answer in shame, remorse, fear, confusion, and blame, but not confession. Every time I fear I manifest one of the things that sin brought into the world. Fear is insecurity manifested. Ironically, “heard” is the Hebrew idiom for “obey,” which reflects the new conflicted nature of Adam.

Verse 3:20-24. Though man had sinned God provided a future for them. He gave them the benefits of common grace – marriage and children, career and provisions. God not only did not obliterate the race but promised children, among whom would be the seed who would crush Satan’s head (Genesis 3:15). The garments of skin indicate divine provision for that which Adam Eve did ineptly. The garments of skin are not to be lost on us as mere clothing. In the Hebraic literature they point unambiguously to blood sacrifice. This was a shadow of the reality that restored fellowship would require expiation – the shedding of blood for the forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22). In the Old Testament the shedding of an animal’s blood in sacrifice was to be an act of faith. According to the Book of Hebrews it was this faith that in the plan of God anticipated the ultimate and final sacrifice of the Son of God on the cross. By placing the garments on Adam and Eve were receiving God’s provision of blood sacrifice on their behalf. God used Satan’s very tool, death, to bring about His greatest victory that resulted in God receiving more glory through man’s redemption that He would have if man had never sinned in the first place! (Illustration: Salvation, General) In wrestling we have a technique called “action, reaction.” We use our opponent’s moves against him. For instance, from the standing position we can suddenly pull down on our opponent’s head. When he suddenly pulls back he has inadvertently exposed his legs. They are unprotected. We take advantage of that exposure by executing some sort of leg move. I have done this with success, as well as being the recipient of it! There is nothing more surprising to – in one moment jerking back – and then suddenly feel your opponent tied up in your legs and you be taken to the mat. God took Satan to the man – and He took him with what Satan thought was his ultimate strategy.
The guarding angel speaks of the guarding cherubim on each side of the Ark of the Covenant. “And live forever” speaks of the tree of life in the Garden of Eden that stopped aging – but now man had sinned and the residual effects would be physical death. And yet this too was a blessing, because in losing his body man would lose the embodiment of his sin and release him to receive a new and resurrected body. Ronald Allen points out the interesting fact that God did not uproot the tree of life, rather just guarded it (Nelson Study Bible, Genesis 3:24). Indeed, God had plans that paradise would be regained (Revelation 22:2). So the banishment was both an act of punishment and mercy. There was in redemption: toward sins a complete payment, toward separation a restored fellowship, and toward scarring a new capacity.

Yet, although there was provision for personal salvation the couple had come to a place of no turning back. All of nature had fallen with them and it was corrupt, spoiled and blemished. They too would never be the same, and what they became they passed on to all of their progeny, including you and me.

A. New Mind: Relates to God. 2 Cor 5:17-21; 1 Cor 2:16; Col 3:2

2 Corinthians 5:17-21. Being “in Christ” is to have a spiritual relationship with Christ, to be identified with Him in every way. “New creature” means a new creation brought about by the Holy Spirit. “The old life of slavery to sin and self has gone. The new life of devotion to Christ means that one has new attitudes and actions” (BKC, David Lowery). The old capacity is still there – but now there is a new, superior capacity.

1 Corinthians 2:16. Here in this passage we find that we have a new mind, “the mind of Christ.” This has to do with the gospel truth and experiential sanctification. We have this new capacity and ability that we did not possess before.

Colossians 3:2. Here we are exhorted to “set our minds” on the things above. Not only do we have this new capacity, but this capacity is to be exercised.

B. New Will: Chooses God. Ro 6:12-14, 18, 22; 8:2; Gal 4:31, 5:1

Romans 6:12-14, 18, 22; 8:2. Notice here the new ability of the believer. He or she is now able to resist the domination of sin. It is not that we have lost the old capacities; it is that we have a gain a new and superior capacity. God has not removed our ability to decide, for we still share that with Adam and Eve, it is just that we have the power and assistance of the Holy Spirit and a new superior ability. In Romans 8:2 it says that we have been “set free” and since it is the aorist tense it suggests a once and for all experience for each of us.

Galatians 4:31; 5:1. “The slave woman” was an image of the person who was driven away with no share of the riches or inheritance (Hagar and Ishmael). Believers are children of the free woman in the sense that they are partakers of the riches and inheritance that comes by virtue of Christ. They not tied exclusively to the old way of life.

Some might wonder, why didn’t God make it so there would be automatic victory for Christians? Why didn’t God make it so that there would be automatic victory over the sins we struggle with in our Christian walk, in our experiential sanctification? (1) And the answer to that is the same answer to why God allowed free will in the Garden of Eden. Why did God allow man free will as made in the image of God? He did it as the greatest compliment to man in contrast to the rest of the creatures of creation. He did it as a compliment thinking, this man shares a part of may our attributes, not absolute sovereign will like God, but real free will? (2) Not only was free will a compliment paid to man and reflected his value to God, it was also a means of bringing value to the relationship. How can there be genuine love if someone is forced to love? There can’t be. Part and parcel of real love, and a genuine and mutual relationship is the freedom to reject a another person. And God loved man so much, and honored him so much, as to give him the real ability to reject Him. Those who are Christians have made the free choice, within God’s efficacious election to have a relationship with God, and that brings value and virtue to the relationship. And just like man’s ability to choose in the Garden brought man honor and raised the value of the relationship with God, it does the same thing in our experiential sanctification. Because God has left us with a free will (one dominated and bent toward God) the struggle and fight speaks of the dignity and value God has given us. God love us and dignified us enough to allow a free will, and with that the struggle to live for Him. Without free will we would be like a rock, or a tree, or a frog, or a sunset – but not man. All of these glorify God because they are reflections of His creation, but none of them glorify God to the extent to which we as believers honor God in our struggles.

C. New Emotion: Loves and enjoys God. 1 Jn 4:19; 1 Cor 2:9; Jn 15:12-15

1 John 4:19. This verse simply says, “We love because He first loved us.” We now have this new capacity to love God and others in the Body of Christ because of the initiation of God’s love on our behalf.

1 Corinthians 2:9. Here Paul quotes that magnificent verse from Isaiah (Isaiah 64:4, 65:17) and ties it with our love for God.

John 15:12-15. Here is the memorable exhortation from the Lord Jesus that we are to love others. But the basis of that love is the way that the Lord has loved us. He has imputed to us a new capacity to love and it is a part of the life that He has given.


PRE-FALL “IMAGE”
POST-FALL SCARRING
REBIRTH & RESTORATION
MIND
Capacity to know God.
Incapable of knowing God.
New dominant ability to know God.
WILL
Capacity to choose God.
Incapable of choosing God.
New dominant ability to choose God.
EMOTIONS
Capacity to love God.
Incapable of loving God.
New dominant ability to love God.

The old capacity remains, just as strong, just as virulent. But, he is no longer the bully on the block. He doesn’t rule. He is not dominant. He raises his ugly head and does us damage but he no longer completely dominates. This is the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. It says that our salvation works itself out to one degree or another immediately and inevitably n the Christian life. The life of a Christian is marked by a new capacity, a new disposition, and a new bent that manifests itself in righteous, though imperfect obedience. So where is the divine power? How does it manifest itself? In many ways, but the first way is that God has given us the assurance that if we are really His, and really believed by grace through faith, and accepted His gift – that gift is irrevocable and relentless. And it is based on grace. So the same grace that saved me, is the same grace that works out the gift of salvation, assuring me that though I fall at times God will bring about a life that overall is marked by obedience and holiness. You see, the gift of conversion that justifies does just justify. It sanctifies as well, that came in the package at your conversion. Both are based on grace and acquired by faith and just as certain as our justification makes right with God positionally, our sanctification enables us to walk with God. God didn’t convert you by grace in justification and then say, “OK, great, now get out there and work really hard and maybe you will succeed in the Christian life.“ No, assures the general trend of our sanctification in our Christian lives and it is just as certain (though imperfect because of our freewill and old capacity) as our justification. (We’ll talk more about this next time as well as the different view of experiential sanctification. And I will show you from the Scriptures the wonderful assurance that we have of not only never losing our salvation, but also never losing the general God-ward trend of our experiential sanctification.)

(Illustration: Salvation, General) Take our “screen bean” graphic of the non-Christian on the left side of the chasm, separated form God. He has the ball and chain to which he is shackled. What happens to the ball and chain once he becomes a believer? Christ the Key unlocks him from the ball and chain and he is set free from it. But the ball and chain is not eradicated from his life. Because of his free will, the world, and his fleshly body that ball and chain is still in his life. It is like this: Let’s say this room illustrates my life. In my life before I became a Christian there was no intimated relationship with God. So in this room of my life there was no God, just me and my ball and chain (see that in your mind’s eye). And then my conversion took place and I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior. What happened to the room? Jesus came I and unlocked the shackle, and now in the room is God and there is the unfettered ball and chain. God dominates the room for all time and eternity. But God has given me a free will, and from time to time I will go over and hug that ball and chain. I am no longed tethered to it, nor do I have to stay near it in this room dominated by God, but at times I go back to the old way and hug that hideous thing. So the new life is not: “I no longer sin,” but “I no longer have to sin.” And
not only do I no longer have to sin, I have the assurance that the general trend of my life will not be the ball and chain any longer.

CONCLUSION

CENTRAL THOUGHT: Although God’s original design was stained by sin, God restored man through rebirth - providing freedom from the penalty and power of sin, and supplying a new inclination to please and obey God.

(Illustration: Salvation, Need For) This month our family took a vacation to California. A week ago yesterday we were in San Francisco, and like many visitors we took a tour of Alcatraz Island. Alcatraz, of course, is a small island in San Francisco Bay and it was made famous for housing the most notorious prisoners: people like Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, and the Bird Man. On the tour we heard many stories of life at Alcatraz. At one point we stopped in the cellblock where they kept prisoners in solitary confinement. They referred to it as “the hole.” I actually stepped into the solitary confinement cell! One prisoner said that when he was sent there they shut the thick door behind him and it was dark and silent. He pulled a button from his prison uniform, flipped it in the air, spun several times, and then proceeded to get down on the floor in the darkness and search for the button. He repeated this weird exercise over and over to pass the hours. He confessed that he did it to keep from going crazy. It gave him purpose and focus. But what stuck in my mind most of all at Alcatraz was the story from another prisoner. He had a cell located on the San Francisco side of the island. He said that in the night when all on the island was quiet, if he listened really well, he could hear the sounds of life in the city of San Francisco!

The island is a 1½ from shore, but he could hear voices and conversations, music and laughter. He said this was especially true on New Years Eve. He could hear the parties and the fun that were so close, yet so far away! And the man said that he was reminded in the night, behind those bars, of the life that he did not have. He only knew of it only if the midnight breeze brought it to him, but he never actually had it.

It was one thing to be locked up in a cell, but it was torture to be graphically reminded of what one did not have night after night! He could only wonder. Today, like with the woman, Jesus wants to turn our wonder into reality. Perhaps you are like the woman, incarcerated in your own wonder and philosophies of life, a prisoner of sin. Jesus Christ comes as the key to open up that cell door and take you across the turbulent divide between you and God and give you the eternal life God offers. Would you receive the life that Jesus offers today? Wonder about life’s purpose and meaning ends at the feet of Jesus.





Good Morning Nanty Glo!
Sunday, September 19 2004

Blacklick Valley Vikings win Homecoming Game 20-0 Now online: Vintondale Homecoming photo album Obituary: Domonic Previte, Gold Crown Market founder Caption added: Photo of NGVHS Class of '59 reunion Looking for Someone/Looking for You?
Washington Burning, the War of 1812
I recently saw a History Channel documentary on the “War of 1812,” a war fought between the United States and Britain, and often described as the forgotten war. The same name is often ascribed to the Korean War.
Until now, my knowledge of the “War of 1812” was extremely sparse. The causes of the conflict were:
(1) England stirred up the Indians against the American frontier settlers.(2) American ships were stopped and the crews were impressed to serve in the Royal Navy.(3) A ragtag Yankee army earlier captured York, the Canadian capitol at the time, and torched the government buildings. The British were eager to seek revenge.
The major land battles fought during this conflict were the invasion from the sea and the successful march of the British army to capture Washington and burn the White House and other major buildings; the bombardment by British naval vessels of Fort McHenry—where Francis Scott Key composed our National Anthem, the Star-Spangled Banner—in an attempt to capture Baltimore, and the Battle of New Orleans, where Andrew Jackson soundly defeated the British forces—an unnecessary battle since a peace treaty was signed a week earlier at Ghent, Belgium, ending the war.
Focusing on the British capture and burning of Washington, an unexpected ally came to the aid of the Americans. This questionable ally came in the form of a hurricane during the occupation by the British forces. The heavy rains helped to extinguish the flames of the burning buildings and caused havoc among the British troops. Quoting a conversation heard between a British Admiral and a Washington lady regarding the storm: The admiral exclaimed, “Great God, Madam! Is this the kind of storm to which you are accustomed in this infernal country?” The lady answered, “No, Sir, this is a special interposition of Providence to drive our enemies from our city.” The admiral replied, “Not so, Madam. It is rather to aid your enemies in the destruction of your city.” See this quote and story about this hurricane here.
Today, we sadly see the TV pictures of the destruction and flooding in Florida and the Southern States caused by the violent hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Ivan. We solemnly pray that we be spared any similar experience. Unless the reason is to draw people closer to the Almighty, there certainly is no benefit gained from the devastation and loss of life caused by these hurricanes.
In the case of the hurricane that struck Washington in 1814, it is a matter of conjecture if it was “An Act of God” that aided the Americans as the lady said, or whether the British Admiral esd more accurate when he said it helped him, our adversary.
In the spring of 1813, a flotilla of Navy ships set sail from Sackets Harbor under the command of Captain Isaac Chauncey, carrying an army of 1,700 troops under the command of General Zebulon Pike. Their mission was to capture Fort York , located at the western end of Lake Ontario (present day Toronto). Fort York was still under construction at that time, being defended by 700 troops, half of them local militia and Indians, under the command of Major General Shaeffe.
The American force advanced along the beach with the support of naval gunfire from Captain Chauncey's ships. General Pike's field guns landed and opened fire on British positions. The local militia began to retreat from the defensive works. General Shaeffe ordered his regulars to withdraw. Leaving the flag flying over the fort, he marched his men away towards Kingston, advising the militia commanders to make contact with the Americans and negotiate best terms for surrender that they could. He then sent men to set fire to a war ship under construction in the harbor and to blow up the stone powder magazine located in the fort.
Shaeffe had left the flag flying over the fort in order to fool the Americans into believing that the fort was still garrisoned. As the Americans made their way into the fort, the stone magazine exploded with such a force as to rain stone and timber down upon the Americans who were in its vicinity. General Pike's back and chest were crushed, 28 of his men were killed outright, and over 200 were wounded.
General Pike was carried out to Chauncey's flagship, the new U.S.S. Madison, where he died. General Henry Dearborn, a Revolutionary War Veteran, landed and took personal command ashore. At the end of the day, Fort York was in American hands. 150 British had been killed and 290 were taken prisoner. The Americans suffered 320 casualties, most of those caused by the exploding magazine. After five days, the Americans departed Fort York, burning it to the ground as well as local parliament buildings. From this victory, the United States began gaining naval control of the Great Lakes.
— Frank Charney


The Tornado and the Burning of
Washington, August 25, 1814

During the summer of 1814, British warships sailed into the Chesapeake Bay and headed towards Washington. The warships sailed up the Patuxent River and anchored at Benedict, Maryland on August 19, 1814. Over 4,500 British soldiers landed and marched towards Washington. The British mission was to capture Washington and seek revenge for the burning of their British Capitol in Canada, for which they held the United States responsible. A force of 7,000 Americans was hastily assembled near the Potomac River to defend Washington. During the afternoon of August 24, in 100°F heat, the two armies clashed. The British Army quickly routed the less disciplined American volunteers, mostly due to a series of American blunders and a new British rocket that did little damage, but unnerved the raw American troops with a very loud, shrill noise. President Madison and Secretary of State Monroe, who had led a group of officials to watch the battle, were almost captured in the confusion. It was noted that the 100°F temperatures added to everyone’s discomfort.
After the battle, the British Army marched quickly into Washington while American soldiers, United States government officials, and residents fled the city. There were no officials left in Washington from whom the British could seek terms of surrender. The British admiral ate dinner in the White House, then gave the order to set fire to Washington. Within hours, the White House, the Capitol, and many other public buildings and residences were burning.
On the morning of August 25, Washington was still burning. Throughout the morning and early afternoon, the British soldiers continued to set fires and destroy ammunition supplies and defenses around the city. As the soldiers spread fire and destruction throughout the city, the early afternoon sky began to darken and lightning and thunder signaled the approach of a thunderstorm. As the storm neared the city, the winds began to increase dramatically and then built into a “frightening roar.” A severe thunderstorm was bearing down on Washington, and with it was a tornado.
The tornado tore through the center of Washington and directly into the British occupation. Buildings were lifted off of their foundations and dashed to bits. Other buildings were blown down or lost their roofs. Feather beds were sucked out of homes and scattered about. Trees were uprooted, fences were blown down, and the heavy chain bridge across the Potomac River was buckled and rendered useless. A few British cannons were picked up by the winds and thrown through the air. The collapsing buildings and flying debris killed several British soldiers. Many of the soldiers did not have time to take cover from the winds and they laid face down in the streets. One account describes how a British officer on horseback did not dismount and the winds slammed both horse and rider violently to the ground.
The winds subsided quickly, but the rain fell in torrents for two hours. (There may have been a second thunderstorm that followed quickly after the first thunderstorm.) Fortunately, the heavy rain quenched most of the flames and prevented Washington from continuing to burn. After the storm, the British Army regrouped on Capitol Hill, still a bit shaken by the harsh weather. They decided to leave the city that evening. As the British troops were preparing to leave, a conversation was noted between the British Admiral and a Washington lady regarding the storm: The admiral exclaimed, “Great God, Madam! Is this the kind of storm to which you are accustomed in this infernal country?” The lady answered, “No, Sir, this is a special interposition of Providence to drive our enemies from our city.” The admiral replied, “Not so Madam. It is rather to aid your enemies in the destruction of your city.”
Hours later, the British forces left Washington and returned to their ships on the Patuxent River. The journey back was made difficult by the numerous downed trees that lay across the roads. The war ships that lay waiting for the British force had also encountered the fierce storm. Wind and waves had lashed at the ships and many had damaged riggings. Two vessels had broken free from their moorings and were blown ashore.
President Madison and other government officials returned to Washington and began the difficult process of setting up government in a city devastated by fire and wind. Never again would the British Army return to the city, and only rarely would Washington suffer damaging tornadoes.