Sunday: Our Sovereign God
Daily Lesson for Sunday 16th of February 2025
“God is sovereign,” the youth pastor taught his middle school group. “That means He controls everything that happens.” One puzzled middle schooler replied, “So God was in control when my dog died? Why would God kill my dog?”
Trying to answer this question, the youth pastor replied: “That’s a tough one. But sometimes God lets us go through hard times so that we’re prepared for even more difficult things in the future. I remember how hard it was when my dog died. But going through that helped me deal with an even more difficult time later when my grandma died. Does that make sense?”
Image © Rolf Jansson at Goodsalt.com
After a long pause, the middle schooler replied, “So God killed my dog to prepare me for when He’s going to kill my grandma?”—Marc Cortez, quoted in John C. Peckham, Divine Attributes: Knowing the Covenantal God of Scripture (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2021), p. 141.
People sometimes assume that everything that occurs happens just as God wants it to. Whatever happens in the world is precisely as God wanted to have happen. After all, God is almighty. How, then, could anything occur that God does not want to occur? Hence, no matter what happens, no matter how bad, it was God’s will. That, at least, is what this theology teaches.
Read Psalms 81:11-14; Isaiah 30:15,18; Isaiah 66:4; and Luke 13:34. What do these texts say about the question of whether God’s will is always being done?
While many people believe that God must always get what He wants, the Bible tells a quite different story. Again and again, Scripture depicts God as experiencing unfulfilled desires. That is, what happens often runs counter to what God states that He actually prefers to happen. In many instances, God explicitly declares that what is happening is the opposite of what He wants. He willed one outcome for His people, but they chose another instead. God Himself laments: “ ‘My people would not heed My voice. . . . Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! I would soon subdue their enemies’ ” (Psalms 81:11,13-14, NKJV).
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Think through the implications of any theology that attributes everything that happens to God’s direct will. What kind of deep problems, especially in the context of evil, would such a theology create? |
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Einstein spent a fair bit of his life trying to develop a unified field theory that would explain much of physics with a single set of equations. (Mind you, these equations would have involved tensors and even Einstein had difficult with those) He failed and even today, it is still an open area of research. It is sometimes titled "the search for the theory of everything".
In our efforts to describe the battle between "Good and Evil", the complexity defeats us and we end up contradicting ourselves, often by redefining words and phrases in an attempt to sound logical. The illustration in today's lesson is fairly typical and it is easy to see how the nuances of meaning of "control", "allowing", and so on can easily become contradictory.
I am reminded that in the height of a battle, events are often confusing. It is sometimes hard to tell who and where the enemy are. An explosion near you could be a deadly attack, or "friendly fire". In the aftermath, the analysts will sit down and work out who did what and why this or that happened, but in the battle, we do not have the luxury of calm analysis.
We are in a battle between "Good and Evil" that is just as confusing and our analysis is limited to a very small horizon. I am not saying we should not do the analysis, but we should bear in mind the limitations of our vision. Job and his friends tried to do the analysis and God ended up showing them how little they really knew.
Here are a couple of take-aways:
Thank you Maurice Ashton for your profound thoughts!
Your reflection captures the tension between seeking understanding and acknowledging our limitations. Just as Einstein wrestled with unifying physics, we struggle to reconcile the battle between good and evil. In the heat of conflict, clarity is elusive, and our analyses are often incomplete. Job’s story reminds us that some answers are beyond us, and humility is wiser than dogmatic certainty. While thinking deeply is valuable, sometimes the most profound response to suffering isn’t an explanation but presence, empathy, and action.
One of the challenges in trying to understand God’s sovereignty in relation to our free will is, “how can God work through our free will to accomplish His purpose without manipulating our will, in which case how could our will then be free? In 1 King’s 19:18 The Lord tells Elijah He has reserved 7,000 who have not bowed the knee to baal. What are the odds that exactly 7,000 freely chose to not serve Baal and then on top of that God said He did it? In Jeremiah 35:19 God tells Jonadab the son of Rechab that because of his obedience that he “shall not want a man to stand before Him forever.” I take this to mean that there will always be someone of the Rechabite posterity who will freely choose to serve God. And yet it is God Who decreed it.
What does the sovereignty of God mean? It means that He has the ultimate authority (right to act), power (ability to enforce), and control (ability to direct) over the universe. While God is supreme over all things, His nature compelled Him not to do all things. For instance, God cannot lie (Titus 1:2), cannot sin (Habakkuk 1:13), and cannot force anyone to love Him. God does not always get what He wants because He respects free will. However, it is essential to note that God works through free will to accomplish His divine plan. His divine will must come to pass. For instance, Jesus is coming back again, no matter what happens. God’s sovereign power and authority will establish his eternal kingdom. God has decreed certain things which must happen. Therefore, God reserves certain things that will never be interfered with by anything whatsoever because this is God’s divine plan.
What spiritual lessons we ought to learn from God’s sovereignty?
1. God’s plans are dependable and reliable ((Proverbs 3:5-6). God can be completely trusted because He is in control no matter the circumstances.
2. It is very safe to surrender our will, plans, and desires to the will of God. God’s will over our lives is for our ultimate well-being.
3. God’s sovereignty assures us that the suffering we go through is not random, but God has a divine purpose for us (Romans 8:28). This gives inner peace that a loving God is working behind the scenes for our ultimate good.
4. God’s sovereignty reminds us to humble ourselves before God who controls all things. We are dependent on God Almighty (Psalm 46:10).
5. No matter how chaotic life might seem, ultimately victory belongs to our God. It is desirable to align our free will to the divine plan of God (Psalm 99:1, Ecclesiastes 12:13, Revelation 21:1-4).
While Jesus was on earth, He surrendered to the sovereign will of God the Father. He lived in complete obedience, humility, and submission to the divine plan of God (John 6:38, Luke 22:42, Philippians 2:8, John 5:19, John 17:4).
“For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.” - John 6:38
The illustration on story of the youth pastor and the middle schooler about the death of the dog poses some issues about the sovereignty of God that I would request more light about:
i) Human free Will v.s divine predestination
ii) Determinism
iii) Divine justice and fairness
A more balanced biblical perspective sees God as sovereign but not the direct cause of every action. He permits free will and, in His providence, weaves even human rebellion into His ultimate plan (Genesis 50:20). This preserves both His justice and love, giving hope in the midst of suffering.
The website “Got Questions” offers this helpful metaphor/visual explanation of God’s sovereignty:
I am comforted to know that everything and anything that happens is, at the very least, “allowed” by God. He knows it all and for those who choose Him, love Him and make themselves available to His working, I can trust that He does work everything out for our good, in His own timing and way (Romans 8:28).
The Sovereignty of God is connected to His Omniscience. For us finite humans it is difficult to grasp these concepts. Only a Sovereign, Omniscient God can bring good out of the tragedies of life. He sees the end from the beginning while we hardly see the beginning. He works all things together for our good. (Romans 8:28) That doesn't mean that everything is good or even God's will. God alone can take those things that are intended by the enemy to break us, and turn them around to make us. (Genesis 50:20)
I believe that only in eternity will we be able understand the ways of God. Isa. 55:8-9 points out the gulf between God's ways and thoughts and ours. Yet even in those moments when I don't understand Him, I am learning to trust Him, knowing that one day it will all make sense.
The lyrics of this song illustrate to me perfectly what trusting God’s Sovereignty and Omniscience means. Indeed, "He can settle any sea, but it doesn't mean He will!"
Sometimes He Calms the Storm
Song by Scott Krippayne
Sometimes He Calms the Storm lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group
God did not create evil, but He allows people to choose evil if they want. It is difficult to understand that my daughter can choose wrong, while I know the consequences. Imagine God, watching millions choosing evil. He must suffer much more than me.
To be honest, I don't see a connection between the illustrations and the Bible verses, unless we believe that God let the dog (and the grandma) die because the individuals were rebelling against Him. Although we can think this way (especially if we have a picture of a God who is quick to mete out punishment on us), it's unlikely this is the case. The dog died because in a world of sin, animals die. The grandma likely died for the same reason.
I guess it is not God's will that either die - He created so that living thing would not die. Still, sometime he heals dogs and sometimes He heals grandmas, so the will question is valid on some level. And we know that it's not true that the righteous get their dogs and grandmas healed and the wicked don't. Sometimes it may even be the opposite. So we are still left with a lot of questions.
Probably we need to just humbly accept we don't have answers and leave it at that. James goes to the scaffold and Peter is rescued. Why? John Huss goes to the stake and Luther is protected. Why? One dictator is brought down another isn't. Why? We don't know and guessing is fruitless. God is constrained to some extent. He is also sovereign. How these work together are not for us to really understand. Perhaps these questions will be answered during the millenium.
The story of Joseph in the Bible (Genesis 37–50) is a powerful demonstration of how man's free will and God's sovereignty can coexist. Joseph's brothers acted out of their free will when they chose to sell him into slavery, motivated by jealousy and hatred. They were not coerced by God; rather, they made their own moral decisions, for which they were responsible.
Yet, despite their harmful actions, God's sovereignty is evident throughout the story. God used their choices to fulfill His greater plan. Joseph's rise to power in Egypt, after enduring slavery and imprisonment, ultimately positioned him to save many lives during a severe famine, including the very brothers who wronged him. This is best summarized in Joseph’s words to his brothers in Genesis 50:20: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."
This shows that human beings have the freedom to make choices, even sinful ones, but God, in His sovereignty, can work through and beyond those choices to fulfill His purposes. God’s plan is never thwarted by human actions, but neither does it negate human responsibility.
God is absolutely sovereign over all things (Isa 45:5-7; 46:9-11; Ps 103:19; 115:3; 135:6; Dan 4:17,34,35; 1 Tim 1:17; 6:15,16). God created all things for His purposes, for His glory (Isa 46:9,10; Rom 11:33-36; Col 1:16,17; Eph 3:9-11). God is in charge of everything. He controls everything. He will consummate everything. He governs history in every minute detail.
None of His creation asked to be created. The creator is obligated to keep or maintain His creation viable, all of it, from beginning to end. Therefor God must plan for every day or minute or second from beginning to end before He actually creates. And God said exactly that: “Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient time things which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose/counsel will stand, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure,’”(Isa 46:9,10). Job grew to acknowledge God’s sovereignty: “I know that you can do all things, that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”(Job 42:2)
“In the infinite wisdom of the Lord of all the earth, each event falls with exact precision into its proper place in the unfolding of His divine plan. Nothing, however small, however strange, occurs without His ordering, or without its particular fitness for its place in the working out of His purpose; and the end of all shall be the manifestation of His glory, and the accumulation of His praise.”(Benjamin Warfield). “Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world” (Acts 15:18). Not even a sparrow falls to the ground without God.
When Christ needed the temple tax He sent Peter to catch a fish with enough shekels in its mouth for both of them. He stilled a storm with a word “Hushhh, be still.” Jonah needed cover from the sun and God instantly produced a tree for cover and then employed a worm to ruin it.
God wanted Joseph in Egypt to save lives and He employed Joseph’s wicked brothers for that purpose (Gen 45:7,8; 50:20). He sets up kings and puts down kings. He converted Nebuchadnezzar, king of kings, by His will.
God created Adam as a type of the one (Christ) coming (Rom 5:14) so that the image of God in Adam was inferior to that in Christ who was born of God and was God’s exact image (2 Cor 4:4; Col 1:15; Heb 1:3). Adam was in no way equal with God. What attribute was given to Adam that somehow limited or restricted God’s sovereignty? He was possessed of attributes of God to a human level so that he might rule lower creatures. He was made lower than angels. Did God have to make an appointment to see Adam in the cool of the day since Adam, because of his “free will”, might not have wanted to be disturbed at that time? Being made in the image of God I would think he he was possessed of a mind and will that freely manifested love and all the qualities that came from God.
Eve sinned because she believed the serpent. God did not give the pair options to choose. They were free to eat of all the trees of the garden except one. Their freedom was therefore limited or restricted. The forbidden tree was not an option to choose. Eve was convinced by the serpent that the tree was good for food. That’s why she ate it. She had no desire to die. She didn’t choose death. She was convinced that she would become wise like God. That tree was good for food and pleasant to the eyes as all the other trees (Gen 2:9), and a tree to make one wise. Although the tree was good for food etc, God forbade eating of it as a test of obedience. He never said, however, that they should not touch it, which gave Satan the opening for deception. It was not “free will” that has us in this way.
Kenny, This is pretty hard-line calvanistic predestination and I have a hard time fitting that into the whole idea of reaching out to others with the Gospel, If life is as rigidly controlled as you suggest, then we are simply automatons in a matrix game played by a big kid in his gaming room.When Joshua asked the Isrealites to choose who they were going to serve, was that just a play-piece in a game of chess? Or, were the people really able to make a free choice and choose their own side in the battle between good and evil?
This premise that God's Sovereignty means that he controls everyone and everything, negates true free will and turns it into an illusionary type of freewill, while turning all of his creation into puppets controlled by the grand puppeteer. It also means that God planned or caused evil to exist in the first place. We must remember that his Omniscience, or foreknowledge doesn't equate foreordination. In other words, just because he knew something was going to happen a certain way, doesn't mean that he designed or desired it to happen.
Provision was made for sin before the foundation of the earth, of how the Godhead would deal with it when it would arise. "Correlation doesn't equate to causation," which is what your premise appears to suggest.
Yes, God knows all things through his Omniscience, but it's a quantum leap to suggest that his Sovereignty causes all things, good or bad. His Sovereignty allows for all things to happen
under the the principle of freewill as well as the fulfillment of Romans 8:28, in that he can turn all things around for our good and his glory. To suggest that God causes evil to happen so that he can come to the rescue and look like the "good guy" is suggesting that God is like an arsonist firefighter setting fires so that he can come to people's rescue and be the hero by saving them and putting out the fire that he himself set. It directly charges God with causing the evil that exists or ever has existed. That idea makes a holy and righteous God into a sadistic, megalomaniac with the same or worse evil tendencies than Satan. That's a bridge too far for me to cross over.