Purposes of signs

Signs are given to demonstrate God’s power

Deuteronomy 34:10–12 KJV 1900

And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, In all the signs and the wonders, which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.

See also Dt 4:34; Dt 6:21–22; Dt 7:19; Dt 26:8; 1 Ch 16:11–12; Je 32:21

Signs demonstrate the authority of God’s servants

Moses and Aaron

Exodus 4:1–9 KJV 1900

And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee. And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. And the Lord said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.

See also Ex 4:30–31; Ex 7:8–12; Nu 17:1–9; Ac 7:36

Elijah

1 Kings 18:36–38 KJV 1900

And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

Elisha

2 Kings 2:13–14 KJV 1900

He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.

Jesus Christ

Acts 2:22 KJV 1900

Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:

See also Jn 2:23; Jn 3:2; Jn 7:21; Jn 20:30

The apostles

2 Corinthians 12:12 KJV 1900

Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.

See also Ac 2:43; Ac 5:12; Ac 15:12

Signs may accompany the preaching of the gospel

Hebrews 2:3–4 KJV 1900

How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

See also Mk 16:20; Ac 8:6; Ac 14:3

Signs may warn the ungodly of impending judgment

Exodus 8:22–23 KJV 1900

And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth. And I will put a division between my people and thy people: to morrow shall this sign be.

The prophets often acted out their messages for greater effect:

Is 20:1–4; Eze 4:1–3; Eze 12:3–6; Eze 12:11; Eze 24:15–24

Je 44:29–30; Lk 2:34; Php 1:28

Signs may warn God’s people against rebellion

Numbers 17:10 KJV 1900

And the Lord said unto Moses, Bring Aaron’s rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.

See also Nu 16:38; Nu 26:10; Dt 28:45–46; 1 Sa 2:34; 1 Sa 12:16–18

Signs may encourage faith

By giving guidance

1 Samuel 14:8–10 KJV 1900

Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over unto these men, and we will discover ourselves unto them. If they say thus unto us, Tarry until we come to you; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up unto them. But if they say thus, Come up unto us; then we will go up: for the Lord hath delivered them into our hand: and this shall be a sign unto us.

See also Ge 24:10–14; Ex 13:21–22; 2 Sa 5:23–24; Mt 2:9–10

By giving assurance of God’s presence

Judges 6:17–22 KJV 1900

And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me. Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again. And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it. And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. Then the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight. And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face.

See also Ge 28:10–17; Ex 3:1–5

By encouraging the fearful and doubting

Isaiah 38:7–8 KJV 1900

And this shall be a sign unto thee from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he hath spoken; Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.

See also Dt 7:17–19; Jdg 6:36–40; 2 Ki 6:15–17

Signs need hold no terror for the godly

Jeremiah 10:2 KJV 1900

Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, And be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; For the heathen are dismayed at them.

See also Mt 24:6

Seeking signs

When seeking signs is acceptable to God

Isaiah 7:11 KJV 1900

Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; Ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.

See also Jdg 6:17; Is 38:22

When seeking signs is condemnned by God

Matthew 16:1–4 KJV 1900

The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.

See also Mt 12:38–39; Lk 11:16; Lk 12:54–56; Lk 23:8; Jn 2:18; Jn 4:48; Jn 6:30; 1 Co 1:22