Building the house of God in troublesome times

Ezra 5:2 - Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them.

Building the house of God arises from God’s revelation, 5:1.
  a. Haggai 1:1 

  b. Zechariah 1:1

Building the house of God requires leadership and cooperation, 5:1-2.
  a. Men of God rise up and encourage God’s people to work. Haggai 1:4-5, 7; 2 Timothy 4:2
  b. Leaders stand with God’s men (e.g. Zerubbabel, governor; Jeshua, priest) 5:2
  c. Workers started and did not cease, 5:5

Building the house of God incites opposition, 4:1-2, 5; 5:3.

  a. Zechariah 3:1

Building the house of God emphasizes the servant nature of the workers. Phil. 2:5ff.; Matt. 20:25-28; John 15:5; Zech. 4:6.
  a. Names are unimportant, 5:4, 10-11; Gen. 24:2, 9-10, et al.

Building the house of God exhibits the sovereignty of God, 5:12-13; 6:14, 22; Zechariah 4:6. God uses the wicked, indifferent, and others as:
  a. instruments of judgment, 5:12
  b. resources of blessing, 5:13-14

1 Timothy 3:15 - but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

Matthew 16:18 - And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

1 Corinthians 3:9 - For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.

The Rod of God and Moses

Moses and the call of God

• Exodus 4:2-4, 17 There is a rod in Moses’s hand
• Exodus 4:20 Moses’s rod is also the rod of God

The rod is associated with Moses’s stretched out hand, and Moses’s stretched out hand is associated with the stretched out hand of God. (Cf. Exodus 7:19; 8:5, 17; 9:22; 10:12, 21; 14:16, 26)

God uses what we have, and what we have belongs to God.

Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh

• Exodus 7:9-13 The rod becomes a serpent
• Exodus 7:14-20 The rod and rivers to blood
• Exodus 8:5-6 The rod and frogs
• Exodus 8:16-17 The rod and lice
• Exodus 9:22-23 The rod and hail
• Exodus 10:12-13 The rod and locusts
• Exodus 10:21-22 The rod and darkness

God judges Egypt and its gods. He demonstrates his sovereignty and power, using Moses, Aaron, and the rod of God and Moses.

Moses and the journey into the wilderness

• Exodus 14:15-28  The rod, Moses, the Israelites, and the Red Sea
• Exodus 17:5-6 The rod, Moses, and the water from the rock in Horeb
• Exodus 17:8-13 The rod, Moses, Joshua, Aaron, Hur, and the Amalekites
• Numbers 20:7-11 The rod, Moses, and the water from the rock, the second time

God divides the Israelites from the Egyptians. The God who brings them out will bring them through (Hebrews 7:25). God quenches the thirst of his people, both physically and spiritually (John 7:37). The rod of God and Moses demonstrates the work of unity. We are laborers together with God (1 Corinthians 3:9). We can and do misuse what God has given us. With greater light comes great responsibility (Luke 12:48).

Concluding thoughts

In Moses’s hand, God used a dry stick. The rod was not a magic wand, but a demonstration of the power of God. God also answered prayer, instead of Moses using the stick. Compare Exodus 10:18-19, for example, where God answered Moses’s earnest prayer with a miracle. Put what we have in our hand in the hand of God. Shamgar had an ox goad (Judges 3:31). Ehud had a dagger in his left hand (Judges 3:15). Gideon and his army had only trumpets and lamps (Judges 7:19). Dorcas had a needle and thread (Acts 9:39). Ezekiel prophesied to dry bones and they lived (Ezekiel 37:1-14)

Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. Zechariah 4:6

God’s thoughts and our thoughts

Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

• Proverbs 11:24 There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.
• Proverbs 24:17 Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:
• Matthew 19:30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.
• Matthew 23:11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
• Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
• Luke 14:11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
• Luke 17:33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
• Acts 20:35 It is more blessed to give than to receive.
• Romans 3:26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
• Romans 6:22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God.
• Romans 8:36-37 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
• 1 Corinthians 1:27-28 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are.
• 2 Corinthians 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
• 2 Corinthians 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
• Philippians 3:7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
• James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.

Nothing in all the vast universe

“Nothing in all the vast universe can come to pass otherwise than God has eternally purposed. Here is a foundation of faith. Here is a resting place for the intellect. Here is an anchor for the soul, both sure and steadfast. It is not blind fate, unbridled evil, man or Devil, but the Lord Almighty who is ruling the world, ruling it according to His own good pleasure and for His own eternal glory.” 

Arthur W. Pink, in The Sovereignty of God

A Demon’s Guide to the Election

A Demon’s Guide to the Election: How C.S. Lewis addressed national division

“...we will not serve this moment or any righteous cause well unless we keep certain things straight. We must not confuse the end with means. We must not confuse the King of Heaven and earth with the princes of this world. We must not confuse the potential of politics with the hope of resurrection.”

Since all the downward tracts of time

The football world is in turmoil about an ill-advised statement by former coach and analyst Tony Dungy. Dungy was making a point about the football future of the Dallas Cowboys, rather than extolling the virtues of their quarterback’s injury. The comment was not intentionally malicious, but the blowback has been swift and harsh.

While others are focusing on that, I turn to the idiom itself. The idiom apparently originated in a hymn by James Hervey. Written earlier, it was first published in 1746, in Reflections on a Flower-Garden, In a Letter to a Lady. The poem is set amidst the prose asserting, “that God is unerringly wise” and “does not overlook thee.” Hervey advocated accepting whatever God choses to bestow – allowing that things which do not appear to be blessings may well be “blessings in disguise.” The hymn usually appears in the form below, though often beginning, “Since all the varying scenes of time.”

1. Since all the downward tracts of time
God’s watchful eye surveys,
O! who so wise to choose our lot
Or to appoint our ways?

2. Good when He gives, supremely good,
Nor less when He denies;
E’en crosses from His sovereign hand
Are blessings in disguise.

3. Why should we doubt a Father’s love,
So constant and so kind?
To His unerring, gracious will
Be every wish resigned.

James Hervey (1714–1758) was an Anglican clergyman and writer. Influenced by John Wesley and the Methodists, he ultimately became a thorough-going Calvinist and remained in the Anglican communion. Next is how the poem appears in “Reflections on a Flower-Garden.”

Since all the downward Tracts of Time
God’s watchful Eye surveys
O! who so wise to chuse our Lot,
And regulate our Ways?

Since none can doubt his equal Love,
Unmeasurably kind;
To his unerring, gracious Will,
Be ev’ry Wish resign’d.

Good when He gives, supremely Good;
Nor less, when He denies;
E’en Crosses from his sov’reign Hand
Are Blessings in Disguise.

Current chatter aside, there truly are many Blessings in Disquise.

What is Praise?

WHAT IS PRAISE? by Mark Osgatharp

“The voice of the Lord makes the hinds to calve, and discovers the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.” Psalm 29:9

Praise is speaking about the fact that God is the one who makes baby deer to be born at His command. If it is glory that God makes the “hinds to calve”, how much more when He makes a human baby to be born! Believe the ramifications of this one little verse of this one little Psalm and you will be overwhelmed by the presence and power of God Almighty! You will cry out with the seraphim, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.” Isaiah 6:3

It has been my observation that many Christian people think that the creation is running on auto pilot. As if God formed the creation, put it in place and that it operates on perpetual motion. From a scientific perspective this is an absurd position. In the material world there is no such thing as perpetual energy. Crackpot inventors have tried for years to come up with a perpetual motion machine. They never have and never will because every form of energy will eventually deplete itself. Which is precisely why evolutionists claim the universe will eventually run out.

The consistent, clear and copious Biblical doctrine is that God is in constant and perpetual supervision and empowerment of the physical world. Even when animals, evil mean and evil angels are doing bad things, God is still so directing them as to accomplish His will.

This doctrine, though thoroughly Biblical, is repugnant to man because it forces us to deal with God as He is. It forces us to deal with the fact that God is responsible for injecting abject misery into our lives as well as the good things we enjoy.

It is easy to say “praise God” when He sends a soft rain on our thirsty garden. But it is difficult to actually praise God and verbally acknowledge He is the one who made our child sick unto death.

Think deeply on the ramifications of this truth.

[Cf. Job 1:21 and Job 2:10.]

My times are in thy hand

“My times are in thy hand,” writes the Psalmist David (Psalm 31:15). The antecedent of “my” is David, found in the superscription “A Psalm of David.” The antecedent of “thy” is the Lord God, found in verse 14. David’s times, he recognizes, are in God’s hands. David’s times are the incidents of life, such as guarding the sheep, facing Goliath, running from Saul and Absalom, inflicted with chills from which he died.

David’s times are unique, his very own. However, the truth “my times are in thy hand” is applicable to every unique member of the human race. You and I can take it up and say with full assurance, “my times are in God’s hands” – “In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12:10).

We all share generalities in common, such as “A time to be born, and a time to die” (Ecclesiastes 3:2). The dash in between belongs to each uniquely, the race that God has set before him or her (Hebrews 12:1). Be we males or female, black or white, rich or poor, Jew or Gentile, Americans or Chinese, our times – uniquely and individually – are in God’s hands. Since David knew and was assured that he was in God’s hands, he could pray with calmness and confidence to God for deliverance.

One day the dash will come to a close, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and the wages of sin is death (Romans 3:23; 6:23). It is appointed unto men once to die (Hebrews 9:27). Cancer or coronavirus, car wreck or heart attack, stillbirth or old age atroke, the time comes when, like Elisha, we will meet the thing whereof we die ( 2 Kings 13:14).

In life, by creation, every creature is in God’s hands. However, only some are uniquely in God’s hands for both time and eternity – his sheep who hear his voice (John 10:26-27). “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.” (John 10: 28-20).

Sovereign ruler of the skies,

Ever gracious ever wise!

All my times are in thy hand—

All events at thy command.

Plagues and death around me fly;

Till he bids I cannot die:

Not a single shaft can hit

Till the God of loves sees fit.

O thou gracious, wise, and just,

In thy hands my life I trust.

Have I something dearer still?

I resign it to thy will.

(Isaac Watts)

Why Mary? (Repeat)

Why Mary? (Repeat from December 2005)

Why did God choose Mary to be the mother of Jesus? Most look for something in Mary who is or for something she did. “She was a young Jewish virgin.” “She was holy.” “She was receptive.” And on it goes. Out of all the women who have ever lived, was she the only receptive holy young virgin? Out of all the young unmarried Jewish women in her day, was she the only receptive holy young virgin? Why did God choose Mary? The Bible does not say. The wrong answer has made Mary the object of worship and special adoration.

The birth of Jesus Christ happened as much according to the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God as his crucifixion. He came in the fullness of time – God’s time – to the right people in the right place. He fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies of his first advent.

Why did God choose Mary? The Bible does not say. Nevertheless, this we know. The angel announced to Mary, “thou hast found favour with God.” The Greek word for favour is “charis”, which is translated “grace” well over 100 times in the Bible. Mary became the mother of Jesus by GOD’S unmerited favour, his eternal choice, and his unlimited power. It was nothing that Mary did. It was nothing that she was. God extended grace. Oh, how the natural man recoils from this being an unconditional choice on God’s part. However, God did not ask Mary if she, a young unmarried Jewish virgin girl who had never known a man, wanted to be the mother of the Saviour. He chose her. He called her. The Holy Ghost came upon her, she conceived and brought forth a Son and called his name Jesus – “for he shall save his people from their sins.”

How like God’s choice of Mary is his choice to save poor undeserving sinners. It is nothing they do. It is nothing they are. God extends grace. Thank God for his grace!

Election, predestination, free will

Election, predestination, free will are complicated, but probably more complicated because we make it so. Kind of like kneading dough, if you do not know when to stop you mess it up and the bread is not good. What we do in going over and over and over these doctrines is that we make a mess of them. In a sermon on Jacob and Esau, Charles Spurgeon said God “saves man by grace, and if men perish they perish justly by their own fault. ‘How,’ says some one, ‘do you reconcile these two doctrines?’ My dear brethren, I never reconcile two friends, never. These two doctrines are friends with one another; for they are both in God’s Word, and I shall not attempt to reconcile them.” That is a good approach.

The Bible uses “elect” and “election” more than “predestination” or “free will”. Free is never used in the King James Bible as an adjective that modifies will. Almost every time it is an adjective – “freewill” – that modifies offerings, and once (Ezra 7:13) a noun that refers to Jews making a choice to go back to Jerusalem as opposed to the king decreeing which individuals would return. In the case of offerings, the offering that is “free” or chosen by the offerer as opposed to making an offering prescribed by law.

Elect does not always refer to the same kind of thing being elect. Sometimes it refers to the Jews as a chosen people, sometimes to the saved, and sometimes to Jesus Christ (Isaiah 42:1). There may be other types of references as well. Predestinate is used in the Bible four times, but the same idea also appears in words such as determined before, foreordained, and ordained before. We can tell from the Bible that there are things ordained beforehand (predestinated) by God. The chief argument among Christians seems to be over whether God predestinated only a select few (the elect) to be saved and then passed over the rest. Those who emphasize predestination say, “Yes.” Those who emphasize free will say, “No.” Somehow, this all works out in the mind of God – whose thoughts are higher than our thoughts – and will remain a mystery to us as long as we are in the flesh trying to figure it out. This is an intriguing discussion. We can discuss it “forever” – because we never figure it out. There are some obnoxious people on both ends of the spectrum who have it all figured out (to their own satisfaction) and think all the rest of us are Lilliputians.

Concerning free will, to a large degree Americans are influenced by our social constructs around freedom and liberty, and want everything to be fair in a way we see as fair. Biblically, mankind cannot be said to have a free will. That only applies to God, who can do anything he pleases. Man operates within the confines of his nature, which is sinful. Therefore, the Bible teaches than man is sinful, does not please God, does not seek God, and so on. Man, by both his nature and his will, is a child of wrath. If God did not seek man, man would never seek God. Yet, man is not absolutely passive in salvation, as some versions of predestination hold him to be. Rather, when God seeks man, convicts him of sin, and draws him by the Holy Spirit, man can seek and find God. He can repent and believe in Jesus Christ.

The Water and the Word

For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Isaiah 55:10-11

The water and the word do not derive from man, but come down from God out of heaven. God’s thoughts and ways are distinct from man’s thoughts and ways (Isaiah 55:8-9; and man’s need to be repented of, verse 7; also cf. Proverbs 14:12). “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17).

The water and the word serve God’s sovereign purpose. “But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased” (Psalm 115:3). The “Father which is in heaven…maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). Compare 1 Samuel 12:18, Job 5:8-10, Psalm 107:20, Psalm 147:15-18. “The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it” (Psalm 68:11).

The water and the word bring life, refreshing, and sustenance. Compare Psalm 65:10, Isaiah 57:15, John 6:63, John 10:10, Acts 14:17, and Ephesians 5:26. As the rain and the snow nourishes the earth that it may bring forth life and the sustenance of life, so does the word of God as he sends it forth. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live” (John 5:25).

God actively controls his creation

Several years ago (about ten to be exact) I wrote a post on God’s pleasure and man’s free will. The primary take-away for readers seemed to be about limited atonement and unconditional election – even though I actually wrote about God operating sovereignly in his universe and his prerogative – even when it bumps up against man’s “free will.” Perhaps there is a fear that admitting this fact will break down one’s argument against limited atonement and unconditional election. I do not know. Though initially the incredulity of “who doesn’t believe God is sovereign” was cited, things quickly proved, in my opinion, that many people believe God cannot and does not operate sovereignly in his universe – if that operation violates their philosophical train of thought. The evidence for God moving, turning and/or changing the will of man was dismissed as using “a few select verses,” “a few verses here and there,” even though about three dozen scriptures were referenced. Even if a “few” those verses are, nevertheless, inspired historical accounts of God dealing with people. They reveal something about the character and work of God. If these verses do not truly record his dealings, we are adrift on a sea near treacherous rock and shoal. Scripture itself should transcend the grid we place over scripture to interpret it.

The inspired grammar of the Bible plainly shows that God did actively, not passively, change and/or control men’s thoughts and actions – deliberately, not accidentally. In revisiting the subject, I present the following texts for your consideration.

God stopped Abimelech from sinning.
Genesis 20:6 And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.

In connection with the common way pregnancies occur, God still controls the outcome.
Genesis 29:31 When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.
He also controls the outcome when “with men it is impossible.”
Luke 1:34-35 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

God meant (chashab, planned, ordained) the evil committed against Joseph by his brothers to bring about good.
Genesis 50:20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

God hardened Pharaoh’s heart against the Jews, that He might deliver Israel and destroy the Egyptians.
Exodus 4:21 And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.
It is a popular reply that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart after Pharaoh hardened his own heart. However, God said (several times) he would and did harden Pharaoh’s heart long before any mentions of Pharaoh hardening his own heart.

God turned the heart of the Egyptians against Israel, before and after Moses came.
Psalm 105:25 He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtilly with his servants.
Exodus 14:17 And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.
The Egyptians did not make a free will decision to drown in the Red Sea. God hardened their hearts to follow Israel to die in the sea.

God hardened Sihon’s heart and made him obstinate, and then judged him.
Deuteronomy 2:30 But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him: for the LORD thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day.

The Lord delights in destroying/judging when it is needful.
Deuteronomy 28:63 And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.

The Lord hardened hearts of the Canaanites.
Joshua 11:19-20 There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon: all other they took in battle. For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the LORD commanded Moses.

God sent an evil spirit between the men of Shechem and Abimelech, ending in the punishment of both for the murder of 70 people.
Judges 9:23-24 then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: that the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren.

The Lord blinded Hophni and Phinehas in conjunction with bringing judgement upon them.
I Samuel 2:25 If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the Lord would slay them.

God, using Satan, provoked David to number Israel.
II Samuel 24:1 And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.
I Chronicles 21:1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.

The Lord intervened in the counsel of Hushai and Ahithophel, resulting in the judgement/death of Absalom (and ultimately the suicide of Ahithopel).
2 Samuel 17:14 And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the Lord had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the Lord might bring evil upon Absalom.

God was in control of Ahab’s death – He determined the cause, the events, and the instrument.
I Kings 22:23 Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee.
I Kings 22:34 And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am wounded.
God also kept Jehoshaphat from being killed. II Chronicles 18:31 - And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore they compassed about him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; and God moved them to depart from him.

God turned the heart of the Assyrian king to favor the people of Israel.
Ezra 6:22 And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the LORD had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

The Lord by His counsel stops, changes, brings to nothing the counsel of man.
Psalm 33:10-11 The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.

Kings – not just Abimelech, Pharaoh, Sihon, and Darius – are in the Lord’s hands.
Proverbs 21:1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.
Romans 9:18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

The Assyrian king was a mere rod in the hand of God.
Isaiah 10:5 O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.

The Lord makes “evil” (calamity, war, suffering).
Isaiah 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

God will keep from departing.
Jeremiah 32:40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.

The coming to pass of both the bad and the good depend on God and not man.
Lamentations 3:37-38 Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?

God will cause them to walk in His statutes.
Ezekiel 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. (Cf. Phil. 2:12-13)

God blinded the eyes and hardened the hearts of some of those to whom Isaiah preached, as well as some to whom Jesus preached and preformed miracles.
Isaiah 6:9-10 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
John 12:40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.

God intends that some hear, not understand, neither be converted nor forgiven.
Mark 4:11-12 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

Pilate’s governmental authority was both given and restrained by the power of God above.
John 19:10-11 Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above…

The counsel and foreknowledge of God determined the act of crucifixion, even though the doers of the act were wicked.
Acts 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Acts 4:27-28 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.

God gave some up to uncleanness and over to a reprobate mind.
Romans 1:24-28 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient

Some did not obtain what they sought because because God gave them not the abilitiy to see or hear, but rather a spiritual slumber.
Romans 11:7-9 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:

God blinded Israel (at least temporarily) to bring in the Gentiles.
Romans 11:25-26 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob

The suffering of Christians at the hand of evildoers (who are sinning) is according to God’s will.
1 Peter 4:19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. (Cf. 3:17)

God puts in the heart of ten kings to give their kingdoms to the beast, to hate the whore, to make war on the Lamb.
Revelation 17:16-17 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

We live, go here and there, do this or that, as the Lord wills.
James 4:15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. (Cf. Acts 18:21; 21:14; I Corinthians 4:19; 16:7; Hebrews 6:3; Proverbs 16:1, 9, 33; 19:21; Jeremiah 10:23, et al.)

Nothing takes place outside of God’s purpose and governance.
Amos 3:6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it? (Cf. Matthew 10:29)

All things that exist do so at the pleasure of God.
Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
God does not take pleasure in evil in a positive sense, but it exists for a purpose. However wielded for his purposes, it without questions results in his own glory and the ultimate good of his people.

In addition, these verses lay down the principle of God’s absolute sovereignty.
Psalm 76:10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.
Psalm 103:19 The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.
Psalms 115:3 But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.
Psalms 135:6 Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.
Proverbs 16:4 The Lord hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.
Proverbs 19:21 There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.
Isaiah 43:13 Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?
Isaiah 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
Isaiah 64:8 But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
Jeremiah 18:6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
Daniel 4:35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Romans 9:21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
Ephesians 1:5 having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Ephesians 1:11 in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

The Sovereignty of God

We often write and speak of the sovereignty of God. Most dictionaries define “sovereignty” as something like “the quality or state of having supreme power or authority.” It is a word we use to describe an attribute of God, that he is all powerful over all. Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? who will say unto him, What doest thou? (Job 9:12) Nevertheless, the word itself is not found in the Bible I use, the King James Version. Words that express this same truth include “Almighty” and “dominion.” What may not be expressed in one word that we commonly use is expressed in many words. Below are Bible verses that express the truth in various ways.

God is sovereign over life and death (and hell). 

• See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. Deuteronomy 32:39
• And it came to pass about ten days after, that the Lord smote Nabal, that he died. 1 Samuel 25:38
• And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth... John 11:43-44
• I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Revelation 1:18

God is sovereign over pregnancies, births, the senses, and even disabilities of mankind.

• When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. Genesis 29:31
• And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord? Exodus 4:11
• For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works... Psalm 139:13-14
• But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. Isaiah 64:8

God is sovereign in his purpose, his pleasure, his counsel.

• I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. Job 42:2
• But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. Psalm 115:3
• and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? Daniel 4:35
• in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: Ephesians 1:11 

God is sovereign over man’s actions.

• And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. Exodus 7:3
• ...Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the Lord would slay them. 1 Samuel 2:25
• There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand. Proverbs 19:21
• Man’s goings are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own way? Proverbs 20:24
• Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: John 19:11

God is sovereign in the affairs of nations.

• For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another. Psalm 75:6-7
• The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. Proverbs 21:1
• Who raised up the righteous man from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? he gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow. Isaiah 41:2
• At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; Jeremiah 18:7 

God is sovereign over his creation, such as the plant, insect, and animal kingdoms.

• And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee. Exodus 23:28
• And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the Lord: therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which slew some of them. 2 Kings 17:25 
• My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: Daniel 6:22
• And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. Mark 11:21

God is sovereign over his creation, such as inanimate objects, the elements, and the weather.

• He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers. Psalm 78:16
• Moreover he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staff of bread. Psalm 105:16
• When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures. Jeremiah 10:13
• ...the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. Nahum 1:3 
• ...Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him! Matthew 8:26-27 

God is sovereign over circumstances and coincidences.

• And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech. Ruth 2:3
• And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am wounded. 1 Kings 22:34
• So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?...Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, and take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king’s gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken. Ezra 6:6,10
• The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:33
• Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. Matthew 10:29

God is sovereign over salvation, including events of the crucifixion.

• Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin... Isaiah 53:10
• No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. John 10:18
• Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Acts 2:23
• For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. Acts 4:27-28

The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all. Psalm 103:19

Who Moved David?

Who moved David to number Israel?

God did. 2 Samuel 24:1 And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.[i]

Satan did. 1 Chronicles 21:1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.

The sentence in 2 Samuel 24:1 attributes directly to God the things that come under his sovereign control. Men will use whatever expressions necessary to soothe their own consciences and support their own beliefs. “God caused it” on the one hand, or “God permitted it” on the other. Even the stout predestinarian Baptist John Gill equivocates in his commentary, writing, “he moved David against them; not the Lord, but Satan, as may be supplied from 1 Chronicles 21:1.” Nevertheless, in whatever ways one wishes to speculate, the statements are still that both “God moved David” and “Satan provoked David” to number Israel.

God’s anger was kindled against the nation Israel for some sin or sins committed, which are not here named. The sin in 2 Samuel 24 verse 1 is not a reference to the numbering, which takes place only after the kindling of God’s righteous anger. Here God does not expose Israel’s “secret sin,” to tell us what it is, but rather judges them with a sin that is public, obvious, and alarming prior to its execution. Matthew Henry writes, “It is certain that it was a sin, and a great sin; but where the evil of it lay is not so certain.” We can be sure that David’s purpose in numbering the people was sinful, if we accept the Bible as written.[ii] Joab immediately recognized it as a wrong (v. 3; 1 Chronicles 21:3). David quickly grasped that after the fact and freely admitted it was wrong (v. 10).

The situation of both God and Satan inciting David to number Israel finds a close parallel in the book of Job, in the first two chapters.[iii] Even though Satan was the immediate cause for Job’s suffering, we find Job saying, “the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away” and “shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” These statements of Job are followed by biblical commentary: “In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly” and “In all this did not Job sin with his lips.” Even in the conclusion the inspired author wrote “Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him…” (Job 42:11).[iv]

God’s authority, sovereignty, and providence extends over the affairs of men and the actions of Satan. The word can speak of God, Satan, and man performing the same act. We intuitively perceive that there is a “reasonable” explanation, but (if we are honest) are frequently flummoxed floundering to find it. These acts of God, men, and devils are intricately interwoven, sometimes cryptically concealed and otherwise mysteriously moved. May we accept that there are puzzling aspects of this incident of the numbering of Israel that we are not able to understand fully in our present state of existence. It is better to live with the enigma than to twist the Bible to make its plain statements incomprehensible. Though there is sin and sorrow in this world, God will accomplish his purpose (Isaiah 14:24) and work together good for his people (Romans 8:28). We can know that assuredly.

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[i] Summary of 2 Samuel 24: Israel sinned. God was angry. God and Satan moved David to number Israel. David sinned in numbering Israel. God judged Israel. David fell on the mercies of God. God revealed the way of relief and then withdrew his hand of judgement when the relief was applied.

[ii] Numbering of itself was not sinful. God twice commanded Moses to number the Israelites. The first occurred in the second year after they came out of Egypt (Numbers 1:1-3,19). The second occurred near the end of Israel’s wanderings in the wilderness (Numbers 26:2-4,63-64). The book “Numbers” even receives its title from these two occurrences. Perhaps David violated the legal instructions concerning number the people (cf. Exodus 30:12-16) or placed his trust in the strength of numbers rather than God (cf. Isaiah 31:1). Perhaps there is some implication of pride in David’s statement “that I may know the number of the people.”

[iii] In both cases leading up to Satan’s troubling of Job, Satan implores God with “put forth thine hand now.” See Job 1:11 and Job 2:5. Yet in both cases it is Satan who directly “puts forth his hand.” See Job 1:12 and Job 2:7.

[iv] “Evil” here is used in the sense of “calamity,” referring to all the things that came upon Job, from the loss of property, to the loss of children, to the loss of health. As in 2 Samuel 24:1, the book of Job attributes directly to God the things that come under his sovereign control.

God is trying

I often hear the word “trying” used as a verb attached to the noun “God.” It comes out in a phrase “God is trying…” Such as, “God is trying to tell you something.” Or, “God is trying to get your attention.” When used in the way it has the idea “to attempt.” It occurs to me that God doesn’t “attempt” to do anything. Either he does or he doesn’t (e.g. cf. Jeremiah 32:17, Matthew 28:18). I searched the Bible to see if I could find the idea of “God trying.” I did not. I found another meaning of the verb “try” – to put to the test – used in conjunction with the noun “God.” As in, “God tries a person” or “God tries the heart.”

1 Chronicles 29:17 I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto thee.

Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

Zechariah 13:9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.

Even in this case of God “trying,” it is the person and not God who is the primary benefactor. 

James 1:2-3 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

1 Peter 1:6-7 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: