PROVIDENCE OF GOD |
Providence means foresight or prudence. God is sovereign, all knowing, all powerful and He is every where. It is a truth that is hard to comprehend by the human mind. Divine providence is the governance of God by which He, with wisdom and love, cares for and directs all things in the Universe. There are different opinions among Christians, some say that God doesn't do anything bad, only He does good things, The bad things happen because of devil or because of the fallen nature of man and the world. As we read the bible from Genesis to Revelation, we can see the hand of God directing everything. God created Satan but He know before that Satan will rebel but God still created him. The same way God knew that Adam and Eve will disobey his command and He still created them. The Lord chose Abraham and his descendants as the chosen people by His wisdom and foresight. The Lord said to Abraham that descendants will be slaves for 400 years and will come back to the promised land. The Lord God by His sovereign will and foresight chose Jacob over Esau. The Lord allowed Joseph to go through tough times in his life so that he will be the second in command in Egypt and so Jacob and his descendants will be in Egypt and later on the israelites will be enslaved for 400 years . The Lord instituted the law through Moses and set animal sacrifice as a covering for the sins of man. The Lord already determined before the foundation of the world that Jesus (God) will come down to earth as a sacrifice for the whole world's sins. Jesus; sacrifice by shedding His blood once is enough to abolish all the sins and there is no need for further sacrifice. This is a mystery and God by His sovereign will decided that . The Lord God destroyed the world first time by flood during Noah's days and saved Noah and his family.( Genesis 6:5-13) God knew that the people will sin again and go back against His commandments. The Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah by fire but saved Lot and his daughters.(Genesis 19: 24-25. Modern preachers say God is a God of love, mercy and grace and because we are saved by grace , we can live as we please and God won't judge. I don't think so. The bible depicts God Loving, Merciful,(Exodus 34:6) Loving, Long Suffering but it also says that God is a Just God, Jealous God who doesn't like to share our attention with anyone else,Angry God, Consuming fire, Holy God and Faithful God. A God who is just cannot tolerate injustice , sin or disobedience. The bible says that God corrects or punishes His children to get their attention and bring them back to His family. He also punishes the unjust and wicked. The Humans whether believers or unbelievers do not like a God who allows bad things in the world, I have heard many say if God is so good, how come all these bad things happen, why is He allowing it to happen and they also say I don't need such a God. This shows the arrogance of humans who decide that they need God or not. When the humans reject God , The humans are the losers not God. Humans only like the God who doesn't give them any laws , a god who loves them in spite of their willful disobedience. But that is not the God of the bible. He is God the creator of everything and He controls the universe according to His foreknowledge. God allowed the Israelite to be slaves and after many plagues , the last one being the killing of the first born of every Egyptian( Exodus 13:15). God open the earth and allowed Korah and his family to be swallowed (Exodus 16:30). God allowed the Isralites to wander for 40 years and allowed a rebellious generation to die, so that they will not be able to go into the promised land. Joshua 10:11 The Lord cast down large hail stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah and they died. 1 Chronicles 21:14 So the Lord sent a plaque upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell. Isaiah 37:36 Then the angel of the Lord went out and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty -five thousand: God allowed the Babylonians and many others to destroy Israel and Jerusalem and allowed Jews to be captured and dispersed. The Lord God decides who rules where and when. Daniel 4:17 This decision is by the decree of the watchers , And the sentence by the word of the holy ones, That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will and sets over it the lowest of men. Daniel 2;26 you come to know that Heaven rules. Daniel 4:35 All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him" what have you done?" Daniel 5:21b till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses. The bible says that Jesus came to this world at the right time, the time again determined by God by His foresight and sovereign will. In the same way the final destruction and second coming of Jesus are appointed for a set time by the will and foresight of the Almighty , no one knows the exact day or the hour and no one can change it.Jesus said (Matthew 24:36 , Mark 13:32) " But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the son, but only the Father. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgement, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. |
PROVIDENCE OF GOD |
"ROMANS: 9: 10-18 Not only that, but Rebekah's children were conceived at the same time by our father Issac. Yet before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad- in order that God's purpose in election might stand: not by works but by Him who calls- she was told, " The older will serve the younger." Just as it is written " Jacob I loved , but Esau I hated." What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For He says to Moses," I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God's mercy. For scripture says to Pharaoh: " I raised you up for this purpose, that I might display My power in you and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth." Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden. Romans 19:21 One of you will say to me: " Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist His will? But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? " shall what is formed say to the one who formed it.' why did you make me like this?' Does not the potter make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use? Isiah 45:9 " Woe to those who quarrel with their maker, those who are nothing but potsherds among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, " what are you making?" Does your work say, ' The potter has no hands? Isaiah 64:8 Yet you, Lord are our Father, we are the clay, you are the potter; We are all the work of your hand. Romans 3:25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of His blood- to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-He did it to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Proverbs 16:4 The LORD works out everything to its proper end- even the wicked for a day of disaster. Ecclesiastes: 3:14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing can be taken from it. God does it so that people will fear Him. |