Providence

Fausset on Providence (9/28/02-9/29/02)

Providence speaks of God's constant power over all His works. Chance, fortune, and luck are all ruled out by recognition of His providence. His providence is universal in dealing with the smallest details of creation. It is special in dealing with man, the moral agent, and it is particular when dealing with the holy and converted. Providence operates by means of preservation, cooperation, and government, always acting for the greatest good of the whole of creation. In His providence, His omnipresence, holiness, justice, and love are displayed together. The reason for evil being permitted is beyond us, yet we know that God overrules our evils for good. Virtue would have been as impossible to us as sin if God had created us as infallible beings. Virtue requires opportunities to choose the better path, and the better path must have a worse path to be compared to. Yet, the doing of bad things is not acceptable for His creation.

Ro 3:8 We must not say what they falsely claim that I teach. We cannot do evil even in the hope of bringing about good. They who believe this nonsense are justly condemned for their belief.

Proofs of Providence

• Apart from God's constant activity, no reasonable account can be given for the continued existence of the universe, let alone its creation.
• He who made all things also sustains all things. As Maker, He is owner of all, and may do as He will with it.
  Ps 33:6 The heavens were made by the word of the LORD, all that is in them by His breath.
  Ps 33:13-16 He looks down from heaven and sees mankind. From His dwelling place He looks upon all who inhabit the earth. He made their hearts, and understands all they do. It is not the mighty army that saves the king, nor is it his own strength which delivers the warrior.
  Col 1:17 He is before everything, and it is in Him that everything holds together.
  Isa 64:8 Lord, You are our Father. We are clay and You are our potter. Each one of us is a work of Your hands.
  Ro 9:20-23 What basis do you have for talking back to God? Is the molded object likely to question its maker as to his reasons? No! The potter has rights over his clay, and can make from it what he likes, whether it be something for honorable use, or for common use. If God, willing as He is to make His power known in demonstrations of His wrath, chooses to patiently bear with those prepared for destruction, how shall we complain of it? And this He did so that He could make His glory all the more evident in dealing with those upon whom His mercy rests, those prepared by Him for glory.
  Job 10:3 Is it right for You to reject the work of Your own hands, and favor the ways of the wicked?
  Job 10:9-12 You made me like the clay, so why would You seek to make me into dust again? You poured me out like milk, you made me like cheese. You made this skin to clothe the bones and muscles You also created. You gave me life and lovingkindness, and You have taken care to preserve my spirit.
  Job 14:15 You will call and I will answer. You will yet desire the work of Your hands.
• His providence is proved by many of His attributes: power, wisdom, knowledge, love, and holiness; all of which are brought to bear in His providential actions.
• The very orderliness of the world proves His providential activity on its behalf. Every thing that has seemed to man to be an exception in its order has proven to be part of that order after all. Even the natural evils that may come - things such as plagues, earthquakes, floods, and the like - are bent to the purposes of His providence, and require that providential intervention to keep them in their bounds. Nature would fall apart without God's constant attention.
  Ge 8:22 So long as the earth remains, seasons of planting and reaping, of summer and winter, and times of day and night will continue.
  Isa 40:22 He is far above the earth, and to Him, the inhabitants are like grasshoppers. He stretches the heavens like a curtain, like a tent.
  Isa 40:26 Lift your eyes and consider who it is that created these stars, consider Him who leads every one of them out by name. It is only because of His mighty power that none of them is missing.
  Jer 5:22 Don't you fear Me? Don't you tremble in My presence? I put the sands up as a boundary for the sea, making them an eternal decree that the see cannot cross over. The waves may toss as they will, yet they cannot prevail. They can roar all they want, yet they will not cross over.
  Job 26:7-11 He stretches creation over empty space, hanging the earth in place on nothing at all. He collects water in clouds, yet the clouds to not burst under the weight of that water. He hides the moon when it is full, spreading His clouds out over it. He has marked circles on the water where the light meets the darkness. The very pillars of heaven tremble in amazement at His rebuke.
  Job 38:4-14 Were you with Me when I put down the foundation of the earth? Then answer these things and show your understanding: Who determined its measurements? Who checked to make sure it was right? Where are the bases of that foundation laid? Who put down the cornerstone in that day, when the stars all sang together, and the sons of God shouted for joy? Who closed in the sea when it burst forth from the womb, when I dressed it in clouds and placed its boundaries - bolted doors beyond which it shall not come, where its waves must stop? Have you even once brought about the dawn, so that it spreads across the earth, and shakes out the wicked? The earth is changed like the clay impressed by a seal, and they stand out like a garment.
• The presence of conscience and morals prove His governing providence
  • Such injustices as appear to prevail now will be rectified in the final judgment.
  • In the face of affliction, the godly will know more real happiness than the ungodly.
    1Ti 4:8 Physical discipline is of minimal profit, but godliness is profitable for everything, as it carries with it the promise not only for this life, but for the life to come.
    Mk 10:29-30 I tell you that there is nobody who will leave family or farm for My sake, for the Gospel's sake, who shall not have back an hundred fold in this age, with persecutions; and also eternal life in the coming age.
  • Many of the sorrows that come upon godly men are due to their rebellion against God's law, whether it be the natural or the revealed law. Jacob's lies, and David's adultery and murder did not go unpunished.
  • Even such sorrows as these will be overruled when moral discipline and faith are strong.
    Ro 5:3-4 We exult in our trials because we know they build perseverance in us, which in turn builds proven character that leads to hope.
    1Pe 1:6-7 You rejoice in these trials that have been necessary for you to go through, for they prove your faith, which is worth more than gold. Your faith has been tested by fire, as it were, and found to be such as brings praise and glory and honor at Christ's revelation.
    2Sa 15:25-26 David told Zadok to return the ark of God to the city, saying that if he again found favor in God's sight, then God would return him to that city and to His own house. But if He had no delight in David, David invited Him to do as seemed good to Him.
    2Sa 16:10-12 What argument do I have with you? If he curses, it is because God told him to curse me, so why should I ask him for more reason than that? Look! My own son seeks my life, why shouldn't this man, as well? Leave him alone, for he does as the Lord has told him to do. Perhaps, He will look upon my afflictions at some point, and bless me instead of cursing me as he does today.
  • The most pious of men still battle with sin. They will still need to have God's rebuke at times, and when the rebuke comes, they need to trust that God is right, even if they don't understand the cause for His rebuke.
    Job 40:4-5 I am nothing, what answer could I give You? I cover my mouth, for I will not attempt to answer beyond what I have already said.
    Job 42:2-6 You can do all things, and Your purposes cannot be blocked. You have asked who has counseled without knowledge, and I confess that I spoke of things I did not understand, things beyond my comprehension. You have said that You will ask, and have me instruct. I answer that I have heard of You before, but now I see You, so I retract my complaints, and repent before You.
    Job 10:2 I will tell God not to condemn me, but to explain to me why He is contending with me.
    Job 33:13 Why complain against Him? He does not give account of His doings.
  • The wicked may appear to do well for a time, yet they will know punishment.
    Jer 12:1 You, O LORD, are righteous, and I would set my case before You. I would speak to You of justice: Why are the wicked prospering, and the treacherous at ease?
    Ps 37:35-37 I have seen a violent and wicked man spreading out like a great tree in its native soil. But, then he passed away and was no longer to be found. Take note of the blameless and upright man, for that man of peace will have a posterity.
    Job 20:5 The triumph of the wicked is short, and the joy of the godless is fleeting.
• History gives evidence to God's providential actions. Consider all that was done to prepare for the coming of the Gospel, the Scriptures translated into Greek and made available to all people and thus quashing all attempts to falsify the prophecies it contains, the messages in the East that a Deliverer would arise in Judea, the establishment of the Roman Empire which established a framework in which the Gospel could spread. The entire book of Esther stands as a case study in God's providential interventions, as He caused the well-laid plans of Haman to come upon his own head. Joseph's life also display's God's ways of overruling the evil intentions that come against His own. All that occurred to bring about Christ's crucifixion, although done from evil motives, yet served God's purpose to spread the Gospel truth. Every attempt made to suppress God's truth serves to spread it.
  Pr 14:34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin disgraces a people.
  Gal 4:4 When the proper time had come, God sent His Son, born of a woman and under the Law.
  Lk 2:32 A light of revelation comes to the Gentiles, the Glory of Your people Israel.
  Ac 4:27-28 In this very city, many were gathered around Your holy and anointed servant, Jesus. Herod and Pilate were joined by both the Gentiles and the Jews to do what You had already determined must occur.
  Ge 42:6 Joseph ruled the land. He was in charge of all that was sold to the people, and his brothers came and bowed before him.
  Pr 19:21 Many are the plans of a man, but it is the LORD's counsel that will stand.
  Pr 21:30 There is no wisdom nor is there any understanding in counsel that opposes the LORD.
  Ac 8:4 Those who had been scattered abroad proceeded to preach the word wherever they went.
• Belief in God's providence is foundational to revealed religion. That providence controls all the seemingly chance events of our lives, and it extends to everything that is.
  Da 4:32 You will be driven away to live with the beasts and the cattle for seven periods, until you come to recognize that the Most High God is ruler over all mankind, and He bestows the realm to whom He wishes.
  Mt 10:30 The very hairs of your head are numbered in His sight.
  Ac 27:34 So I encourage you to eat for your preservation, for not one hair will perish from the head of any of you.
  Lk 21:18 Not a hair of your head will perish.
  Da 3:27 All the high government officials came and saw that the fire had not had any effect on their bodies. Their hair was not even singed, their clothes were undamaged, and not even the smell of the fire clung to them.
  Am 9:9 Behold, I am in command. I will shake the house of Israel among every nation just as grain is shaken in a sieve; yet not one kernel will fall to the ground.
  Pr 16:33 The lot is cast, but every decision it makes is from the LORD.
  Jnh 1:7 The seamen spoke to each other, saying, "let us cast lots so that we may know why this calamity has come." They did so, and the lot fell to Jonah.
  Ps 91:1-3 He who takes shelter in the Most High will abide in His shadow. I will say that the LORD is my refuge and my fortress. You are My God, in whom I trust. It is You who delivers from the trapper's snare, and from deadly pestilence.
  Ex 11:6-7 There will be such a cry in Egypt as has never before been heard, and as never will be heard again. Yet, there shall be not so much as a dog barking against the sons of Israel. Thus may you understand that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.
  Ex 10:23 They didn't see each other, nor even arise for three days, but all Israel had light in their lands.
  Ps 104:5 He established the earth so that it stands forever.
  Ac 17:28 In Him we live and move and exist, for we are His offspring, as even your own poets have noted.
  Heb 1:3 He is the radiance of His glory; the exact representation of God's nature. He upholds all things by His powerful word. When He had made purification of all sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
  Col 1:17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

 

New Thoughts (9/30/02-10/1/02)

In His providence, His omnipresence, holiness, justice, and love are displayed together. Is it any wonder that He chose this particular aspect of His nature to reveal Himself to me? It was in seeing the proof of His control over events that I came to see that He was real. When once we accept that there truly is no such thing as coincidence we are forced to find an explanation for the way things come about, and the only explanation that fits the evidence is God.

Over the course of the months that I have been doing this study, I have really come to see how all His other attributes show themselves in His providential actions. Truly, He has shown Himself to be present in all situations, and in all places. Truly, He has shown His love upon my family and myself. Truly, He has made His holiness evident, bringing a new urgency to my sense of the need for holiness in my own case. In the course of this time, our church has been learning more and more about God's holiness, as we have come to occupy Temple Beth El, and with that, begun learning something of God's holiness from the Jews. We have begun to pursue reestablishing the order that God instituted for the family, for men, for women, for home and church. We are all thereby being reminded of His holiness.

In His providential care, He has moved in surprising ways to free up my time for service during this anniversary week at our church. Funny to be laid off for just such a time as this, and to be blessed exceedingly in being laid off. He has arranged things so wonderfully! To have this time off, and yet to know that there is a job for me to go to when the anniversary services are completed. Oh, the marvels of His orchestrations!

This morning, in my Table Talk studies, the reminder came to think upon God's mercies, to think upon all the many blessings He has showered on us, and thank Him for them all. That study took me over to Deuteronomy, to remember the blessings that God pronounced through Moses upon all who would obey Him. There was His justice…obey and be blessed, disobey and be cursed.

This has been the truth for mankind all along, yet we have tried so hard to ignore it. It remains the truth today. God doesn't change. God is truth. It should be clear, then, that truth doesn't change. However, in His justice, He has truly remembered mercy. He has ever known that we are incapable of the obedience He requires, and so, in His great mercy, He has provided the Way. As Paul wrote in Romans, He found the one way by which He could uphold His justice, and yet justify us imperfect creatures! This is cause enough for a constant outpouring of gratitude to my Redeemer, and my Father.

In Job's thoughts, I find further cause to pour out my thanks to God. In Job 10:12, Job reflects on the fact that God gave him life, God gave him lovingkindness (mercy), and God carefully preserved his spirit. Can we attest to that same truth in our own lives? Clearly, we can all attest to the simple fact that He gave us life. That we continue to live is sufficient evidence that He has also visited us with His lovingkindness. If we all got what we know we truly deserved, there would be nobody to read this, or, for that matter, to write this. As for His careful preservation, I know I can recall any number of times that He has moved to protect me from myself. How many ways did I threaten my own existence, and He protected me?

It's these actions in the area of physical preservation of life that get our attention. And it's right that we recognize His presence in those actions. All of creation testifies of Him, revealing in its way who God is and what He is like. As God remains true, it also remains true that all of nature would fail instantly were He to cease from His constant attention to the details of its continuance. How can we fail to trust the God who maintains every miniscule detail of the cosmos without so much as a single mistake? How can we fail to know that He is able to take equally perfect care of our own circumstance? How can we fail to recognize His hand in action as He does these things?

As He says in Jeremiah 5:22: "Don't you fear me? Don't you tremble in My presence?" How can we consider what He has done and continues to do in the work of creation, and not tremble in His presence? We have become entirely too comfortable with God, and in doing so, we have begun down the road of making God in our image. He is our Father, our Daddy. He has told us this, He has sought from us that very intimate relationship of child to parent. Yet, in the midst of that loving relationship, we dare not remember who our Daddy is. Even in the arms of His love, we must recognize that He is also one to deserve our most reverent fear. We should still tremble in His presence, for we are still far from the perfection He requires. We are clothed in Christ Jesus, thanks be to God, but if we allow ourselves to stray from leaning on that great truth, if we begin trying to stand before Him in our own power, in our own right, we are dead men.

Again, I would note the degree to which our focus gets drawn to the physical. We are physical beings, and physical things get our attention. This is only right and proper, it is par of what He created us to be. Yet, it is only part. It is right for these things to get our attention, but it is not right for them to get the focus of our attention. The physical cannot be allowed to become our priority, for it is not God's priority for us. As we saw elsewhere, the primary focus of God's providential acts in our lives is spiritual. He is concerned about our eternal well-being, not the fleeting comforts of our momentary life on this planet. The actions He takes in the physical realm are there to get our attention and turn it upon our eternal state. In whatever degree we fail to turn our attention in the direction of heaven, we have rebelled against what God is doing in our lives.

But His word does not go forth void. He will accomplish His purpose in us. He who began the good work of salvation in us is faithful to complete it. We can be confident in our salvation because it is in Him. In Him we live, and move, and have our being. In Him we have also our redemption, our salvation, and our sanctification. In Him, we have all that is necessary to eternal life and more! How, then, can we so easily fall into complaining? What is wrong with us? What is wrong with me?

Lord, how easily we forget! How easily we allow our eyes to get distracted! How is it, Lord, that we can serve You so long, and yet lose sight of You so easily? I confess, my God, that I am all to quick to begin complaining. My temper continues to live far too close to the surface of my being. You know. You have shown me. God, like Job before me, I repent of my complaints. What have I to complain about? You have blessed me so richly that I cannot so much as consider it without laughing. Just considering the course of these last few months, my Lord, all reason for complaint is blown away as though by a hurricane.

I know there have been all too many moments when my complaints came before Your ears rather than my praises. Forgive me, God, I beg of You. Teach me to restrain this foolish tongue. Change my heart, my God, that my mouth may breath forth pure thoughts instead of curses.

Father, I am so in awe of all that You have accomplished in this last period of life: The way You brought me to mourning on the day that lay-offs were announced in spite of my not knowing that the day had come; the way You gave my family such times of refreshing, such special joys, throughout our vacation week; the way You have held me through the last month and change at work, when each day consisted in idling amongst a bunch of folks who sensed nothing but their doom; the way You moved me to place my resume in just the right places; the way You kept peace in my heart when all the pieces were in place. Shall I keep going? There's the wonder of how You have poured out blessing upon this household in finances and health. There's this wonderful time You've given me to take care of loose ends around the house You gave us, and to take care of the wave of effort needed at church. There's the way I've seen You in control even of my mistakes. How can I not rejoice in Your love, when I consider the way You've caused my woodworking mistakes to turn out to be necessities!

If any complaint remains in me, my God, I retract it now! I know how easily I could fall into feeling over-burdened by the demands the church is placing on my time, but I consciously choose, this morning, to give thanks to my God and King for freeing me up for just such a time as this! May my service in Your house be a blessing unto You, as You are ever and always a blessing upon in my house! I love You, Lord! May Your fame be spread throughout the city by the worship that You receive in Beth El in this coming week! If one life is touched by Your grace because of all this labor, I will consider it all time well spent.