The Sovereignty of God

The Sovereignty of God by Arthur W. Pink Introduction Who is regulating affairs on this earth today, God or the devil? That God reigns supreme in heaven is generally conceded, that he does so over this world is almost universally denied, if not directly, then indirectly. More and more are men in their philosophizing and theorizing relegating God to the background. Take the material realm. Not only is it denied that God created everything by personal and direct action, but few believe that he has any immediate concern in regulating the works of his own hands. Everything is supposed to be ordered according to the impersonal and abstract laws of nature. Thus is the creator banished from his own creation. Therefore we need not be surprised that men in their degrading conceptions exclude him from the realm of human affairs. Throughout Christendom, with an almost negligible exception, the theory is held that man is a free agent and therefore lord of his fortunes and the determiner of his destiny. That Satan is to be blamed for much of the evil which is in the world is freely affirmed by those who, though having so much to say about the responsibility of man, often deny their own responsibility by attributing to the devil what in fact proceeds from their own evil hearts. Mark 7, 21 through 23. But who is regulating affairs on this earth today? God or the devil? Attempt to take a serious and comprehensive view of the world? What a scene of confusion and chaos confronts us on every side. Sin is rampant. Lawlessness abounds. Evil men and seducers are waxing worse and worse. 2 Timothy 3, 13. Today everything appears to be out of joint. Thrones are creaking and tottering. Ancient dynasties are being overturned. Democracies are revolting. Civilization is a demonstrated failure. Half of Christendom was, but recently, locked together in a death grapple. And now that the titanic conflict is over, instead of the world having been made safe for democracy, we have discovered that democracy is very unsafe for the world. Unrest, discontent, and lawlessness are rife everywhere, and none can say how soon another great war will be set in motion. Statesmen are perplexed and staggered. Men's hearts are failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth. Luke 21, 26. Do these things look as though God had full control? But let us confine our attention to the religious realm. After 19 centuries of gospel preaching, Christ is still despised and rejected of men. Worse still, He, the Christ of Scripture, is proclaimed and magnified by very few. In the majority of modern pulpits, He is dishonored and disowned. Despite frantic efforts to attract the crowds, the majority of the churches are being emptied rather than filled, and what of the great masses of non-church goers? In the light of Scripture, we are compelled to believe that the many are on the broad road that leadeth to destruction, and that only few are on the narrow way that leadeth unto life. Many are declaring that Christianity is a failure, and despair is settling on many faces. Not a few of the Lord's own people are bewildered, and their faith is being severely tried. And what of God? Does He see and hear? Is He impotent or indifferent? A number of those who are regarded as leaders of Christian thought told us that God could not help the coming of the late awful war, and that He was unable to bring about its termination. It was said, and openly said, that conditions were beyond God's control. Do these things look as though God were ruling the world? Who is regulating affairs on this earth today, God or the devil? What impression is made upon the minds of those men of the world who, occasionally, attend a gospel service? What are the conceptions formed by those who hear even those preachers who are counted as orthodox? Is it not that a disappointed God is the one whom Christians believe in? From what is heard from the average evangelist today, is not any serious hearer obliged to conclude that he professes to represent a God who is filled with benevolent intentions, yet unable to carry them out? That he is earnestly desirous of blessing men, but that they will not let him? Then must not the average hearer draw the inference that the devil has gained the upper hand, and that God is to be pitied rather than blamed? But does not everything seem to show that the devil has far more to do with the affairs of earth than God has? Ah, it all depends upon whether we are walking by faith or walking by sight. Are your thoughts, my reader, concerning this world and God's relation to it based upon what you see? Face this question seriously and honestly, and if you are a Christian, you will most probably have cause to bow your head with shame and sorrow and to acknowledge that it is so. Alas, in reality we walk very little by faith, but what does walking by faith signify? It means that our thoughts are formed, our actions regulated, our lives molded by the Holy Scriptures, for faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10, 17 It is from the word of truth and that alone that we can learn what is God's relation to this world. Who is regulating affairs on this earth today, God or the devil? What saith the Scriptures? Ere we consider the direct reply to this query, let it be said that the Scriptures predicted just what we now see and hear. The prophecy of Jude is in course of fulfillment. It would lead us too far astray from our present inquiry to fully amplify this assertion, but what we have particularly in mind is the sentence in verse 8. Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. Yes, they speak evil of the supreme dignity, the only potentate, the king of kings and lord of lords. Ours is peculiarly an age of irreverence, and as the consequence the spirit of lawlessness, which brooks no restraint, and which is desirous of casting off everything which interferes with the free course of self-will, is rapidly engulfing the earth like some giant tidal wave. The members of the rising generation are the most flagrant offenders, and in the decay and disappearing of parental authority we have the certain precursor of the abolition of civic authority. Therefore in view of the growing disrespect for human law and the refusal to render honor to whom honor is due, we need not be surprised that the recognition of the majesty, the authority, the sovereignty of the almighty lawgiver should recede more and more into the background, and the masses have less and less patience with those who insist upon them. And conditions will not improve. Instead, the more sure word of prophecy makes known to us that they will grow worse and worse. Nor do we expect to be able to stem the tide. It has already risen much too high for that. All we can now hope to do is warn our fellow saints against the spirit of the age, and thus seek to counteract its baneful influence upon them. Who is regulating affairs on this earth today? God or the devil? What saith the scriptures? If we believe their plain and positive declarations, no room is left for uncertainty. They affirm again and again that God is on the throne of the universe, that the scepter is in His hands, that He is directing all things after the counsel of His own will. They affirm not only that God created all things, but also that God is ruling and reigning over all the works of His hands. They affirm that God is the almighty, that His will is irreversible, that He is absolute sovereign in every realm of all His vast dominions, and surely it must be so. Only two alternatives are possible. God must either rule or be ruled, sway or be swayed, accomplish His own will or be thwarted by His creatures, accepting the fact that He is the Most High, the only Potentate and King of kings, vested with perfect wisdom and illimitable power, and the conclusion is irresistible that He must be God in fact as well as in name. It is in view of what we have briefly referred to above that we say present day conditions call loudly for a new examination and new presentation of God's omnipotency, God's sufficiency, God's sovereignty. From every pulpit in the land it needs to be thundered forth that God still lives, that God still observes, that God still reigns. Faith is now in the crucible. It is being tested by fire and there is no fixed and sufficient resting place for the heart and mind but in the throne of God. What is needed now as never before is a full positive constructive setting forth of the Godhood of God. Drastic diseases call for drastic remedies. People are weary of platitudes and mere generalizations. The call is for something definite and specific. Soothing syrup may serve for peevish children but an iron tonic is better suited for adults and we know of nothing which is more calculated to infuse spiritual vigor into our frames than a scriptural apprehension of the full character of God. It is written, the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits. Daniel 11.32 Without a doubt a world crisis is at hand and everywhere men are alarmed but God is not. He is never taken by surprise. It is no unexpected emergency which now confronts Him for He is the one who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will. Ephesians 1.11 Hence, though the world is panic stricken, the word to the believer is fear not. All things are subject to His immediate control. All things are moving in accord with His eternal purpose and therefore all things are working together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose. It must be so for of Him and through Him and to Him are all things. Romans 11.36 Yet how little is this realized today even by the people of God. Many suppose that He is little more than a far distant spectator taking no immediate hand in the affairs of earth. It is true that man is endowed with power but God is all powerful. It is true that, speaking generally, the material world is regulated by law but behind that law is the law-giver and law-administrator. Man is but the creature. God is the creator and endless ages before man first saw the light, the mighty God. Isaiah 9.6 Existed. And ere the world was founded made His plans. And being infinite in power and man only finite, His purpose and plan cannot be withstood or thwarted by the creatures of His own hands. We readily acknowledge that life is a profound problem and that we are surrounded by mystery on every side but we are not like the beasts of the field, ignorant of their origin and unconscious of what is before them. No. We have also a more sure word of prophecy of which it is said, Ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts. 2 Peter 1.19 And it is to this word of prophecy we indeed do well to take heed to that word which had not its origin in the mind of man but in the mind of God. For the prophecy came not at any time by the will of man but holy men of God spake, moved by the Holy Spirit. We say again, it is this word we do well to take heed. As we turn to this word and are instructed there out we discover a fundamental principle which must be applied to every problem. Instead of beginning with man and his world and working back to God we must begin with God and work down to man. In the beginning, God apply this principle to the present situation begin with the world as it is today and try and work back to God and everything will seem to show that God has no connection with the world at all but begin with God and work down to the world and light, much light is cast on the problem. Because God is holy His anger burns against sin. Because God is righteous His judgments fall upon those who rebel against Him. Because God is faithful the solemn threatenings of His word are fulfilled. Because God is omnipotent none can successfully resist Him still less overthrow His counsel. And because God is omniscient no problem can master Him and no difficulty baffle His wisdom. It is just because God is who He is and what He is that we are now beholding on earth what we do the beginning of His outpoured judgments in view of His inflexible justice and immaculate holiness we could not expect anything other than what is now spread before our eyes. But let it be said very emphatically that the heart can only rest upon and enjoy the blessed truth of the absolute sovereignty of God as faith is in exercise. Faith is ever occupied with God that is the character of it that is what differentiates it from intellectual theology. Faith endures as seeing Him who is invisible Hebrews 11, 27 endures the disappointments the hardships and the heartaches of life by recognizing that all comes from the hand of Him who is too wise to err and too loving to be unkind. But so long as we are occupied with any other object than God Himself there will be neither rest for the heart nor peace for the mind. But when we receive all that enters our lives as from His hand then no matter what may be our circumstances or surroundings whether in a hovel, a prison, dungeon or a martyr's estate we shall be enabled to say the lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places. Psalm 16, 6 But that is the language of faith not of sight or of sense. But if instead of bowing to the testimony of Holy Writ if instead of walking by faith we follow the evidence of our eyes and reason therefrom we shall fall into a quagmire of virtual atheism. Or if we are regulated by the opinions and views of others peace will be at an end. Granted that there is much in this world of sin and suffering which appalls and saddens us granted that there is much in the providential dealings of God which startle and stagger us that is no reason why we should unite with the unbelieving worldling who says if I were God I would not allow this or tolerate that, etc. That are far in the presence of bewildering mystery to say with one of old I was dumb, I opened not my mouth because thou didst it. Psalm 39, 9 Scripture tells us that God's judgments are unsearchable and his ways past finding out. Romans 11, 33 It must be so if faith is to be tested confidence in his wisdom and righteousness strengthened and submission to his holy will fostered. Here is the fundamental difference between the man of faith and the man of unbelief The unbeliever is of the world judges everything by worldly standards views life from the standpoint of time and sense and weighs everything in the balances of his own carnal making. But the man of faith brings in God looks at everything from his standpoint estimates values by spiritual standards and views life in the light of eternity. Doing this, he receives whatever comes as from the hand of God. Doing this, his heart is calm in the midst of the storm. Doing this, he rejoices in hope of the glory of God. In these opening paragraphs we have indicated the lines of thought followed out in this book. Our first postulate is that because God is God he does as he pleases only as he pleases always as he pleases that his great concern is the accomplishment of his own pleasure and the promotion of his own glory that he is the supreme being and therefore sovereign of the universe. Starting with this postulate we have contemplated the exercise of God's sovereignty first in creation second in governmental administration over the works of his hands third in the salvation of his own elect fourth in the reprobation of the wicked and fifth in operation upon and within men. Next we have viewed the sovereignty of God as it relates to the human will in particular and human responsibility in general and has sought to show what is the only becoming attitude for the creature to take in view of the majesty of the creator. A separate chapter has been set apart for consideration of some of the difficulties which are involved and to answering the questions which are likely to be raised in the minds of our readers while one chapter has been devoted to a more careful yet brief examination of God's sovereignty in relation to prayer. Finally we have sought to show that the sovereignty of God is a truth revealed to us in scripture for the comfort of our hearts the strengthening of our souls and the blessing of our lives. A due apprehension of God's sovereignty promotes the spirit of worship provides an incentive to practical godliness and inspires zeal in service. It is deeply humbling to the human heart but in proportion to the degree that it brings man into the dust before his maker to that extent is God glorified. We are well aware that what we have written is in open opposition to much of the teaching that is current both in religious literature and in the representative pulpits of the land. We freely grant that the postulate of God's sovereignty with all its corollaries is at direct variance with the opinions and thoughts of the natural man. But the truth is we are quite unable to think upon these matters. We are incompetent for forming a proper estimate of God's character and ways and it is because of this that God has given us a revelation of his mind and in that revelation he plainly declares my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways saith the Lord for as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts Isaiah 55, 8 and 9 In view of this scripture it is only to be expected that much of the contents of the Bible conflicts with the sentiments of the carnal mind which is enmity against God. Our appeal then is not to the popular beliefs of the day nor to the creeds of the churches but to the law and testimony of Jehovah. All that we ask for is an impartial and attentive examination of what we have written and that made prayerfully in the light of the lamp of truth. May the reader heed the divine admonition to prove all things hold fast that which is good. 1 Thessalonians 5, 21 Chapter 1 God's Sovereignty Defined Thine, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine. Thine is the kingdom, O Lord and thou art exalted as head above all. 1 Chronicles 29, 11 The sovereignty of God is an expression that once was generally understood. It was a phrase commonly used in religious literature. It was a theme frequently expounded in the pulpit. It was a truth which brought comfort to many hearts and gave virility and stability to Christian character. But today to make mention of God's sovereignty is in many quarters to speak in an unknown tongue. Were we to announce from the average pulpit that the subject of our discourse would be the sovereignty of God, it would sound very much as though we had borrowed a phrase from one of the dead languages. Alas, that it should be so. Alas, that the doctrine which is the key to history, the interpreter of providence, the warp and woof of scripture and the foundation of Christian theology should be so sadly neglected and so little understood. The sovereignty of God. What do we mean by this expression? We mean the supremacy of God, the kingship of God, the Godhood of God. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that God is God. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the Most High, doing according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth so that none can stay His hand or say unto Him, What doest Thou? Daniel 4.35 To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the Almighty, the Possessor of all power in heaven and earth, so that none can defeat His counsels, thwart His purpose, or resist His will. Psalm 115.3 To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the Governor among the nations. Psalm 22.28 Setting up kingdoms, overthrowing empires, and determining the course of dynasties as pleases Him best. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords. 1 Timothy 6.15 Such is the God of the Bible. How different is the God of the Bible from the God of modern Christendom? The conception of deity which prevails most widely today, even among those who profess to give heed to the Scriptures, is a miserable caricature, a blasphemous travesty of the truth. The God of the twentieth century is a helpless, effeminate being who commands the respect of no really thoughtful man. The God of the popular mind is the creation of maudlin sentimentality. The God of many a present-day pulpit is an object of pity rather than of awe-inspiring reverence. To say that God the Father has purposed the salvation of all mankind, that God the Son died with the express intention of saving the whole human race, and that God the Holy Spirit is now seeking to win the world to Christ, when as a matter of common observation it is apparent that the great maturity of our fellow men are dying in sin and passing into a hopeless eternity, is to say that God the Father is disappointed, that God the Son is dissatisfied, and that God the Holy Spirit is defeated. We have stated the issue badly, but there is no escaping the conclusion to argue that God is trying His best to save all mankind, but that the majority of men will not let Him save them, is to insist that the will of the Creator is impotent, and that the will of the creature is omnipotent. To throw the blame, as many do upon the devil, does not remove the difficulty, for if Satan is defeating the purpose of God, then Satan is almighty, and God is no longer the Supreme Being. To declare that the Creator's original plan has been frustrated by sin is to dethrone God, to suggest that God was taken by surprise in Eden, and that He is now attempting to remedy an unforeseen calamity is to degrade the Most High to the level of a finite erring mortal. To argue that man is a free moral agent and the determiner of his own destiny, and that therefore he has the power to checkmate his maker is to strip God of the attribute of omnipotence. To say that the creature has burst the bounds assigned by his Creator, and that God is now practically a helpless spectator before the sin and suffering entailed by Adam's fall is to repudiate the express declaration of Holy Writ, namely, Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee, the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain. Psalm 76, 10 In a word, to deny the sovereignty of God is to enter upon a path which, if followed to its logical terminus, is to arrive at blank atheism. The sovereignty of the God of Scripture is absolute, irresistible, infinite. When we say that God is sovereign, we affirm His right to govern the universe which He has made for His own glory, just as He pleases. We affirm that His right is the right of the potter over the clay, that is, that He may mold that clay into whatsoever form He chooses, fashioning out of the same lump one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor. We affirm that He is under no rule or law outside of His own will and nature, that God is a law unto Himself, and that He is under no obligation to give an account of His matters to any. Sovereignty characterizes the whole being of God. He is sovereign in all His attributes. He is sovereign in the exercise of His power. His power is exercised as He wills, when He wills, where He wills. This fact is evidenced on every page of Scripture. For a long season, that power appears to be dormant, and then it is put forth in irresistible might. Pharaoh dared to hinder Israel from going forth to worship Jehovah in the wilderness. What happened? God exercised His power. His people were delivered and their cruel taskmasters slain. But a little later, the Amalekites dared to attack these same Israelites in the wilderness. And what happened? Did God put forth His power on this occasion and display His hand as He did at the Red Sea? Were these enemies of His people promptly overthrown and destroyed? No. On the contrary, the Lord swore that He would have war with Amalek from generation to generation. Exodus 17, 16. Again, when Israel entered the land of Canaan, God's power was signally displayed. The city of Jericho barred their progress. What happened? Israel did not draw a bow nor strike a blow. The Lord stretched forth His hand and the walls fell down flat. But the miracle was never repeated. No other city fell after this manner. Every other city had to be captured by the sword. Many other instances might be abused, illustrating the sovereign exercise of God's power. Take one other example. God put forth His power and David was delivered from Goliath, the giant. The mouths of the lions were closed and Daniel escaped unhurt. The three Hebrew children were cast into the burning fiery furnace and came forth unharmed and unscorched. But God's power did not always interpose for the deliverance of His people for we read and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins being destitute, afflicted, tormented. Hebrews 11, 36 and 37. But why? Why were not these men of faith delivered like the others or why were not the others suffered to be killed like these? Why should God's power interpose and rescue some and not the others? Why allow Stephen to be stoned to death and then deliver Peter from prison? God is sovereign in the delegation of His power to others. Why did God endow Methuselah with a vitality which enabled Him to outlive all His contemporaries? Why did God impart to Samson a physical strength which no other human has ever possessed? Again, it is written, But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth. Deuteronomy 8, 18. But God does not bestow this power on all alike. Why not? Why has He given such power to men like Morgan, Carnegie, Rockefeller? The answer to all these questions is because God is sovereign and being sovereign He does as He pleases. God is sovereign in the exercise of His mercy. Necessarily so for mercy is directed by the will of Him that showeth mercy. Mercy is not a right to which man is entitled. Mercy is that adorable attribute of God by which He pities and relieves the wretched. But under the righteous government of God no one is wretched that does not deserve to be so. The objects of mercy then are those who are miserable and all misery is the result of sin. Hence the miserable are deserving of punishment not mercy. To speak of deserving mercy is a contradiction of terms. God bestows His mercies on whom He pleases and withholds them as seemeth good unto Himself. A remarkable illustration of this fact is seen in the manner that God responded to the prayers of two men offered under very similar circumstances. Sentence of death was passed upon Moses for one act of disobedience and he besought the Lord for a reprieve. But was his desire gratified? No. He told Israel the Lord was wroth with me for your sakes and would not hear me and the Lord said unto me let it suffice thee. Deuteronomy 3.26 Now mark the second case. In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him and said unto him thus saith the Lord set thine house in order for thou shalt die and not live. Then he turned his face to the wall and prayed unto the Lord saying I beseech thee O Lord remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in my sight. And Hezekiah wept sore and it came to pass afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court that the word of the Lord came to him saying turn again and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people. Thus saith the Lord the God of David thy father I have heard thy prayer I have seen thy tears behold I will heal thee on the third day thou shalt go unto the house of the Lord and I will add unto thy days fifteen years second Kings twenty I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion The sovereign exercise of God's mercy pity shown to the wretched was displayed when Jehovah became flesh and tabernacled among men. Take one illustration during one of the feasts of the Jews the Lord Jesus went up to Jerusalem He came to the pool of Bethsaida where lay a great multitude of impotent folk of blind halt withered waiting for the moving of the water Among this great multitude there was a certain man which had an infirmity thirty and eight years What happened when Jesus saw him and knew that he had been now a long time in that case he saith unto him Will thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him Sir I have no man when the water is troubled to put me into the pool but when I am coming another steppeth down before me Jesus said unto him Rise take up thy bed and walk And immediately the man was made whole and took up his bed and walked John 5 3-9 Why was this one man singled out from all the others? We are not told that he cried Lord have mercy on me There is not a word in the narrative which intimates that this man possessed any qualifications which entitled him to receive special favor Here then was a case of the sovereign exercise of divine mercy for it was just as easy for Christ to heal the whole of that great multitude as this one certain man But he did not He put forth his power and relieved the wretchedness of this one particular sufferer and for some reason known only to himself He declined to do the same for the others Again we say what an illustration and exemplification of Romans 9 15 I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion God is sovereign in the exercise of his love That is a hard saying Who then can receive it? It is written A man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven John 3 27 When we say that God is sovereign in the exercise of his love we mean that he loves whom he chooses God does not love everybody John 3 16 will be examined later If he did he would love the devil Why does not God love the devil? Because there is nothing in him to love Because there is nothing in him to attract the heart of God Nor is there anything to attract God's love in any of the fallen sons of Adam For all of them are by nature children of wrath Ephesians 2 3 If then there is nothing in any member of the human race to attract God's love and if notwithstanding he does love some then it necessarily follows that the cause of his love must be found in himself which is only another way of saying that the exercise of God's love towards the fallen sons of men is according to his own good pleasure We are not unmindful of the fact that men have invented the distinction between God's love of complacency and his love of compassion But this is an invention pure and simple Scripture terms the latter God's pity See Matthew 18 33 And he is kind unto the unthankful and the evil Luke 6 35 In the final analysis the exercise of God's love must be traced back to his sovereignty or otherwise he would love by rule And if he loved by rule then is he under a law of love And if he is under a law of love then he is not supreme but is himself ruled by law But it may be asked Surely you do not deny that God loves the entire human family We reply It is written Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated Romans 9 13 If then God loved but Esau have I hated Romans 9 13 If then God loved but Esau hated If then but Esau to creeping reptile from revolving worlds to floating atoms from macro chasm to micro chasm instead of making everything uniform who was there to question his sovereign pleasure Behold then the exercise of divine sovereignty long before man ever saw the light with whom took God counsel in the creation and disposition of his creatures See the birds as they fly through the air the beasts as they roam the earth the fishes as they swim in the sea and then ask who was it that made them to differ Was it not their creator who sovereignly assigned their various locations and adaptations to them Turn your eye to the heavens and observe the mysteries of divine sovereignty which there confront the thoughtful beholder There is one glory of the sun and another glory of the moon and another glory of the stars for one star differeth from another star in glory 1st Corinthians 1541 But why should they? Why should the sun be more glorious than all the other planets? Why should there be stars of the first magnitude and others of the tenth? Why such amazing inequalities? Why should some of the heavenly bodies be more favorably placed than others in their relation to the sun? And why should there be shooting stars, falling stars, wandering stars? Jude 13 Inner Word RUINED STARS And the only possible answer is, For thy pleasure they are and were created. Revelation 4 11 Come now to our own planet. Why should two-thirds of its surface be covered with water? And why should so much of its remaining third be unfit for human cultivation or habitation? Why should there be vast stretches of marshes, deserts and ice fields? Why should one country be so inferior topographically from another? Why should one be fertile and another almost barren? Why should one be rich in minerals and another own none? Why should the climate of one be congenial and healthy and another uncongenial and unhealthy? Why should one abound in rivers and lakes and another be almost devoid of them? Why should one be constantly troubled with earthquakes and another be almost entirely free from them? Why? Because thus it pleased the creator and upholder of all things. Look at the animal kingdom and note the wondrous variety. What comparison is possible between the lion and the lamb, the bear and the kid, the elephant and the mouse? Some, like the horse and the dog, are gifted with great intelligence, while others, like sheep and swine, are almost devoid of it. Why? Some are designed to be beasts of burden while others enjoy a life of freedom. But why should the mule and the donkey be shackled to a life of drudgery while the lion and tiger are allowed to roam the wilderness? unfit. Some are beautiful, others ugly. Some are endowed with great strength, others are quite helpless. Some are fleet of foot, others can scarcely crawl. Contrast the hare and the tortoise. Some are of use to man, others appear to be quite valueless. Some live for centuries, others a few months at most. Some are tame, others fierce. But why all these variations and differences? What is true of the animals is equally true of the birds and fishes. But consider now the vegetable kingdom. Why should roses have thorns and lilies grow without them? Why should one flower emit a fragrant aroma and another have none? Why should one tree bear fruit which is wholesome and another that which is poisonous? Why should one vegetable be capable of enduring frost and another wither under it? Why should one apple tree be loaded with fruit and another tree of the same age and in the same orchard be almost barren? Why should one plant flower a dozen times in a year and another bear blossoms but once a century? Truly whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did He in heaven and in the earth and in the seas and all deep places. Psalm 135 6 Consider the angelic hosts. Surely we shall find uniformity here. But no, there is elsewhere the same sovereign pleasure of the Creator is displayed. Some are higher in rank than others. Some are more powerful than others. Some are nearer to God than others. Scripture reveals a definite and well-defined gradation in the angelic orders. From Archangel past Seraphim and Cherubim, we come to principalities and powers. Ephesians 3.10 And from principalities and powers to rulers. Ephesians 6.12 And then to the angels themselves. And even among them we read of the elect angels. 1 Timothy 5.21 Again we ask, why this inequality, this difference in rank and order? And all we can say is, our God is in the heavens. He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. Psalm 115.3 If then we see the sovereignty of God displayed throughout all creation, why should it be thought a strange thing if we behold it operating in the midst of the human family? Why should it be thought strange if to one God is pleased to give five talents and to another only one? Why should it be thought strange if one is born with a robust constitution and another of the same parents is frail and sickly? Why should it be thought strange if Abel is cut off in his prime while Cain has suffered to live on for many years? Why should it be thought strange that some should be born black and others white? Some be born idiots and others with high intellectual endowments. Some be born constitutionally lethargic and others full of energy. Some be born with a temperament that is selfish, fiery, egotistical, others who are naturally self-sacrificing, submissive, and meek. Why should it be thought strange if some are qualified by nature to lead and rule while others are only fitted to follow and serve? Heredity and environment cannot account for all these variations and inequalities. No, it is God who maketh one to differ from another. Why should He? Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight must be our reply. Learn, then, this basic truth, that the Creator is absolute sovereign, executing His own will, performing His own pleasure, and considering not but His own glory. The Lord hath made all things for Himself, Proverbs 16.4. And had He not a perfect right to, since God is God who dare challenge His prerogative? To murmur against Him is rank rebellion. To question His ways is to impugn His wisdom. To criticize Him is sin of the deepest die. Have we forgotten who He is? Behold, all nations before Him are as nothing, and they are counted to Him less than nothing, and vanity. To whom, then, will ye liken God? Isaiah 40, 17, and 18. Chapter 3. The Sovereignty of God in Administration. The Lord hath prepared His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom ruleth over all. Psalm 103, 19. First, a word concerning the need for God to govern the material world. Suppose the opposite for a moment. For the sake of argument, let us say that God created the world, designed and fixed certain laws, which men term the laws of nature, and that He then withdrew, leaving the world to its fortune and the outworking of these laws. In such a case, He should have a world over which there was no intelligent presiding governor, a world controlled by nothing more than impersonal laws, a concept worthy of gross materialism and blank atheism. But I say suppose it for a moment, and in the light of such a supposition weigh well the following question. What guarantee have we that someday ere long the world will not be destroyed? A very superficial observation of the laws of nature reveals the fact that they are not uniform in their working. The proof of this is seen in the fact that no two seasons are alike. If then nature's laws are irregular in their operations, what guarantee have we against some dreadful catastrophe striking our earth? The wind bloweth where it listeth, pleaseth, which means that man can neither harness nor hinder it. Sometimes the wind blows with great fury, and it might be that it should suddenly gather in volume and velocity until it became a hurricane that earthwide in its range. If there is nothing more than the laws of nature regulating the wind, then perhaps tomorrow there may come a terrific tornado and sweep everything from the surface of the earth. What assurance have we against such a calamity? Again, of late years we have heard and read much about clouds bursting and flooding whole districts, working fearful havoc in the destruction of both property and life. Man is helpless before them, for science can devise no means to prevent clouds bursting. Then how do we know that these bursting clouds will not be multiplied indefinitely, and the whole earth be deluged by their downpour? This would be nothing new. Why should not the flood of Noah's day be repeated? And what of earthquakes? Every few years some island or some great city is swept out of existence by one of them, and what can man do? Where is the guarantee that ere long a mammoth earthquake will not destroy the whole world? Science tells us of great subterranean fires burning beneath the comparatively thin crust of our earth. How do we know that what these fires will not suddenly burst forth and consume our entire globe? Surely every reader now sees the point we are seeking to make. Deny that God is governing matter. Deny that he is upholding all things by the word of his power. Hebrews 1, 3, and all sense of security is gone. Let us pursue a similar course of reasoning in connection with the human race. Is God governing this world of ours? Is he shaping the destinies of nations, controlling the course of empires, determining the limits of dynasties? Has he prescribed the limits of evildoers, saying, Thus far shalt thou go, and no further? Let us suppose the opposite for a moment. Let us assume that God has delivered over the helm into the hand of his creatures and see where such a supposition leads us. For the sake of argument, we will say that every man enters this world endowed with a will that is absolutely free and that it is impossible to compel or even coerce him without destroying his freedom. Let us say that every man possesses the knowledge of right and wrong, that he has the power to choose between them, and that he is left entirely free to make his own choice and go his own way. Then what? Then it follows that man is sovereign, for he does as he pleases and is the architect of his own fortune. But in such a case we can have no assurance that ere long every man will reject the good and choose the evil. In such a case we have no guarantee against the entire human race committing moral suicide. Let all divine restraints be removed and man be left absolutely free and all ethical distinctions would immediately disappear. The spirit of barbarism would prevail universally, and pandemonium would reign supreme. Why not? If one nation deposes its rulers and repudiates its constitution, what is there to prevent all nations from doing the same? If little more than a century ago the streets of Paris ran with the blood of rioters, what assurance have we that before the present century closes every city throughout the world will not witness a similar sight? What is there to hinder earth-wide lawlessness and universal anarchy? Thus we have sought to show the need, the imperative need for God to occupy the throne, take the government upon his shoulder, and control the activities and destinies of his creatures. But has the man of faith any difficulty in perceiving the government of God over this world? Does not the anointed eye discern, even amid much-seeming confusion and chaos, the hand of the Most High controlling and shaping the affairs of men, even in the common concerns of everyday life? Take, for example, farmers and their crops. Suppose God left them to themselves. What would prevent them, one and all, from grassing their arable lands and devoting themselves exclusively to rearing of cattle and dairying? In such a case, there would be a world famine of wheat and corn. Take the work of the post office. Suppose that everybody decided to write letters on Mondays only. Could the authorities cope with the mail on Tuesdays? And how would they occupy their time, the balance of the week? So again, with storekeepers, what would happen if every housewife did her shopping on Wednesday and stayed at home the rest of the week? But instead of such things happening, farmers in different countries both raise sufficient cattle and grow enough grain of various kinds to supply the almost incalculable needs of the human race. The mails are almost evenly distributed over the six days of the week, and some women shop on Monday, some on Tuesday, and so on. Do not these things clearly evidence the overruling and controlling hand of God? Having shown in brief the imperative need for God to reign over our world, let us now observe still further the fact that God does rule, actually rule, and that his government extends to and is exercised over all things and all creatures. 1. God governs inanimate matter. That God governs inanimate matter, that inanimate matter performs his bidding and fulfills his decrees is clearly shown on the very frontispiece of divine revelation. 2. God said, Let there be light, and we read, there was light. God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear. And it was so. And again, God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself upon the earth. And it was so. And the psalmist declares, He spake, and it was done. He commanded, and it stood fast. What is stated in Genesis 1 is afterwards illustrated all through the Bible. After the creation of Adam, sixteen centuries went by, before ever a shower of rain fell upon the earth. For before Noah there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. Genesis 2, 6. But when the iniquities of the antediluvians had come to the full, then God said, And behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh wherein is the breath of life from under heaven. And everything that is in the earth shall die. And in fulfillment of this, we read, In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened, and the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. Genesis 6, 17, and 7, 11, and 12. Witness God's absolute and sovereign control of inanimate matter in connection with the plagues of Egypt. At His bidding the light was turned into darkness, and rivers into blood. Hail fell, and death came down upon the godless land of the Nile, until even its haughty monarch was compelled to cry out for deliverance. Note particularly how the inspired record here emphasizes God's absolute control over the elements, and Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground, and the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt. So there was hail and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt, since it became a nation. And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast, and the hail smote every herb of the field and break every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail, Exodus 9, 23 through 26. The same distinction was observed in connection with the ninth plague, and the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven, and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days, but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings, Exodus 10, 21 through 23. The above examples are by no means isolated cases. At God's decree, fire and brimstone descended from heaven, and the cities of the plain were destroyed, and a fertile valley was converted into a loathsome sea of death. At his bidding, the waters of the Red Sea parted asunder so that the Israelites passed over dry shod, and at his word they rolled back again, and destroyed the Egyptians, who were the were pursuing them. A word from him, and the earth opened her mouth, and Korah and his rebellious company were swallowed up. The furnace of Nebuchadnezzar was heated seven times beyond its normal temperature, and into it three of God's children were cast, but the fire did not so much as scorch their clothes, though it slew the men who cast them into it. What a demonstration of the Creator's governmental control over the elements was furnished when he became flesh and tabernacled among men. Behold him asleep in the boat. A storm arises. The winds roar, and the waves are lashed into fury. The disciples who are with him, fearful lest their little craft should founder, awake their master, saying, Carest thou not that we perish? And then we read, And he arose and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was of great calm. Mark 4, 39 Mark again. The sea, at the will of its Creator, bore him up upon its waves. At a word from him, the fig tree withered. At his touch, disease fled instantly. The heavenly bodies are also ruled by their Maker, and perform his sovereign pleasure. Take two illustrations. At God's bidding, the sun went back ten degrees on the dial of Ahaz, to help the weak faith of Hezekiah. In New Testament times, God caused a star to herald the incarnation of his son, the star which appeared unto the wise men of the east. This star, we are told, went before them till it came and stood over where the young child was. Matthew 2, 9 What a declaration is this! He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth. His word runneth very swiftly. He giveth snow like wool. He scattereth the hoar frost like ashes. He casteth forth his ice like morsels. Who can stand before his cold? He sendeth out his word, and melteth them. He causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow. Psalm 147, 15 through 18 The mutations of the elements are beneath God's sovereign control. It is God who withholds the rain, and it is God who gives the rain when he wills, where he wills, as he wills, and on whom he wills. Whether bureaus may attempt to give forecasts of the weather, but how frequently God mocks their calculations. Sun spots the varying activities of the planets, the appearing and disappearing of comets, to which abnormal weather is sometimes attributed. Atmospheric disturbances are merely secondary causes, for behind them all is God himself. Let his words speak once more. And also I have withholden the rain from you when there was yet three months to the harvest, and the sky caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city. One piece was rained upon, and the piece whereon it rained not withered. So two or three cities wandered unto one city to drink water, but they were not satisfied, yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord. I have smitten you with blasting and mildew. When your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmer worm devoured them, yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord. I have sent among you the pestilence after the manor of Egypt. Your young men have I swain with the sword, and have taken away your horses, and I have made the stink of your camps to come up into your nostrils. Yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord. Amos 4, 7 through 10 Truly then God governs inanimate matter, earth and air, fire and water, hail and snow, stormy winds and angry seas, all perform the word of his power and fulfill his sovereign pleasure. Therefore when we complain about the weather, we are, in reality, murmuring against God. 2. God governs irrational creatures What a striking illustration of God's government over the animal kingdom is found in Genesis 2, 19. And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every fowl of the air and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them. And whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. Should it be said that this occurred in Eden and took place before the fall of Adam and the consequent curse which was inflicted on every living creature, then our next reference fully meets the objection. 3. God's control of the beasts was, again, openly displayed at the flood. Mark how God caused to come unto Noah every species of living creature, of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee. They shall be male and female, of fowls after their kind, of every creeping thing after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee. Genesis 6, 19 and 20. All were beneath God's sovereign control. The lion of the jungle, the elephant of the forest, the bear of the polar regions, the ferocious panther, the untamable wolf, the fierce tiger, the high soaring eagle, and the creeping crocodile, see them all in their native fierceness, and yet, quietly submitting to the will of their Creator, and coming, two by two, into the ark. We referred to the plagues sent upon Egypt as illustrating God's control of the inanimate matter. Let us now turn to them again to see how they demonstrate His perfect rulership over irrational creatures. At His word, the river brought forth frogs abundantly, and these frogs entered the palace of Pharaoh and the houses of his servants, and contrary to their natural instincts, they entered the beds, the ovens, and the kneading troughs. Exodus 8, 13. Swarms of flies invaded the land of Egypt, but there were no flies in the land of Goshen, Exodus 8, 22. Next, the cattle were stricken, and we read, Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep. There shall be a very grievous nearing, and the LORD shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt, and there shall nothing die of all that is the children's of Israel. And the LORD appointed a set time, saying, Tomorrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land, and the LORD did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died, but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one. Exodus 9, 3-6. In like manner, God sends clouds of locusts to plague Pharaoh and his land, appointing the time of their visitation, determining the course and assigning the limits of their depredation. Angels are not the only ones who do God's bidding. The brute beasts equally perform His pleasure. The sacred Ark, the Ark of the Covenant, is in the country of the Philistines. How is it to be brought back to its homeland? Mark the servants of God's choice and how completely they were beneath His control. And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the Ark of the Lord? Tell us wherewith we shall send it to His place. And they said, Now therefore make a new cart and take two milleth kind on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kind to the cart, and bring their calves home from them. And take the Ark of the Lord, and lay it upon the cart, and put the jewels of gold, which ye return him for a trespass offering, in a coffer by the side thereof, and send it away that it may go. And see if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Beth Shemesh. Then he hath done us this great evil. But if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us. It was a chance that happened to us. And what happened? How striking, the sequel. And the kind took the straight way to the way of Beth Shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand, or to the left. 1 Samuel 6 12 This Reformation audio track is a production of Stillwater's Revival Books. You are welcome to make copies and give them to those in need. SWRB makes thousands of classic Reformation resources available, free and for sale, in audio, video, and printed formats. It is likely that the sermon or book that you just listened to is also available on cassette or video, or as a printed book or booklet. Our many free resources, as well as our complete mail-order catalog, containing thousands of classic and contemporary Puritan and Reform books, tapes, and videos, at www.swrb.com. We can also be reached by email at swrb at swrb dot com, by phone at 780-450-3730, by fax at 780-468-1096, or by mail at 4710 at www.swrb.com. can also by email at www.swrb.com. can also be reached by We can also by email by mail at They pervert true religion. And if this principle was adopted by the Papists, all those fictitious modes of worship in which they absurdly exercise themselves would fall to the ground. It is indeed a horrible thing for the Papists to seek to discharge their duties towards God by performing their own superstitions. There is an immense number of them, as it is well known, and as it manifestly appears. Were they to admit this principle, that we cannot rightly worship God except by obeying his word, they would be delivered from their deep abyss of error. The prophet's words, then, are very important, when he says that God had commanded no such thing and that it never came to his mind, as though he had said that men assume too much wisdom when they devise what he never required, nay, what he never knew.