Several unofficial World Records were set during Biblical times. This is a lighthearted look at those records, which I believe still stand today. God has always had an interest in sports, hasn’t He? Read the first verse in the Bible. It’s all about baseball—In the big inning”…Okay, so I misread that one. Enjoy the others.
Equestrian Events—II Kings 2:11. You have to admit, Elijah going up into Heaven in a whirlwind of fiery horses and chariots out does any event I have ever watched. I vote that a standing world record.
Swimming—II Kings 6:6. Elisha threw a stick into the water and made an iron axe head “swim” (KJV). I’ll grant you that speed in the water may not have been the primary miracle here.
Weight Lifting—Judges 16:3. A city gate, with frame and posts and all has to weigh a ton—literally! Samson not only clean and jerked them, He carried them for miles.
Wrestling—Genesis 32:22-32. We don’t know if it was refereed under Greco-Roman rules or not, but Jacob won the match. And He was wrestling with God! Technical points: off the charts, classification points: zero.
Diving—Jonah 1:13. He didn’t score very high on style points, but got the job done.
Fishing—Jonah 1:17. The sport bows to the greatest fisherman who ever lived. The largest fish on record. Nothing else is even close.
Marathon—I Kings 18:46. Elijah’s time wasn’t technically recorded, but he outran specially bred chariot horses over a course nearly the length of the standard marathon. That is impressive.
Rowing—John 6:21. Okay, I’ll give you the technical side of this that they didn’t row the distance. But they had gone 3-4 miles out to sea, about half way, and immediately reached shore after taking Jesus aboard. That’s really fast.
Marksmanship—Judges 20:16. I know, no bullets, but slinging a stone with that kind of accuracy is pretty amazing.