The Providence of God 9/11/20151. Questions About Providence – Does the Bible teach that God’s providence works in human events to care for His people.

The Providence of God

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Questions About Providence– Does the Bible teach that God’s providence works in

human events to care for His people and accomplish His purposes?

– If God’s providence is seen in the world and God is in control, then explain the problem of wickedness in the world?

– Does God provide for us today by miracles or providentially through natural law?

– How does God reveal His will of us? In particular, when we pray asking for wisdom and direction…Should we expect Him to use events around us as signs to guide us?

– Does man have free will, free moral agency, and power to choose what we will do, or does the providence of God compel us to do God’s will regardless of our choice us?

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What Is Providence? • Differing Opinions:

• Some don’t believe in it:– There are others who believe that the kosmos was

set in order by some divine power or by the process of evolution, and therefore, they conclude that what is to be will be, and there is no special guidance of any kind unless it be the blind process of natural forces.

• Others confuse it with a miracle:–While others confuse the term with a miracle. They

use the term miracle in a very loose way, often contrary to the Biblical concept of miracles.

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What Is a Miracle? • Acts 2:22—“Men of Israel, listen to these words:

Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know—

• 1 Cor. 12:12—For the signs of a true apostle were preformed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.

• Hebrews 2:3-4—how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.

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Miracles, Signs and Wonders• Miracles—dunamis—meaning power or might

deed—spoke of the power it took to perform them. There is no doubt that divine energy is exerted to perform the task.

• Wonders—teras—because of the wonder or amazement that they caused in the hearts of those who saw in them. This is astonishment in mind of the beholder.

• Signs—semeion—because they signified something, the one who preformed them was from God. Hailey: Tokens of God’s presence.

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Traits of Bible Miracles: • Unrestricted (Nature, Disease, Demons,

Death, etc.) • Unmistakeable • Unconcealed • Undeniable • Instantaneous • Complete• Unfailing & Unconditional• Purposeful

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Providence Defined:

• Homer Hailey: “Providence is “the working of God through His provision in the natural and spiritual realms, and yet it is a control that violates neither the sovereignty of the human will nor divine natural and spiritual laws.” (“Providence and the Problem of Evil,” Florida Colleges Lectures, 1987, page 139)

• Donnie Rader: “Providence is God’s non-miraculous use of natural law and circumstance to accomplish his purpose.” (Teach Us to Pray, page 21)

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Providence Defined:

• ISBE: Providence is “that preservation, care and government which God exercises over all things that He has created, in order that they may accomplish the ends for which they were created”.

• McClintock: “the wisdom and power which God continually exercises in the preservation and government of the world, for the ends which he proposed to accomplish”. (McClintock, 1968, 8:707)

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The non-miraculous working of God where He demonstrates His control in creation and in the affairs of men, and He demonstrates His provision and care for His people.

DOES GOD WORK IN HUMAN AFFAIRS FOR THE GOOD OF HIS PEOPLE AND FOR THE ULTIMATE

ACCOMPLISHMENT OF HIS WILL?

• Acts 17:24-27; – (v.24) God made the world and everything in it. Is

He LORD over the heavens and the earth. – (v.25) God gives life and breathe and everything

to man. – (v.26) God brought forth the nations from one

man. God has determined the times and boundaries of their dwelling

– (v.27) God made things this way so man might seek Him.

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If God Is Not Providentially Involved Today, Then Is There Power in Prayer? • James 5:16-18—Therefore, yconfess your sins to one another and pray

for one another, zthat you may be healed. aThe prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.1 17 Elijah was a man bwith a nature like ours, and che prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for dthree years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 eThen he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

• 1 Peter 3:12—For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

• 1 John 5:14-15—And this is hthe confidence that we have toward him, that iif we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

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A Few Bible Prayers: • Jesus prayed for unity (John 17) • Jesus prayed for our daily bread (Luke 6:11) • Elijah prayed that it might not rain (1 Kings 17; James 5:17)• Elijah prayed that it might rain (1 Kings 18; James 5:18) • Hannah prayed for a child (1 Samuel 1) • Hezekiah prayed for deliverance (Isaiah 38:2) • Abraham prayed for Sodom (Genesis 18-19) • Nehemiah prayed for the favor of the king (Nehemiah 2:4) • Esther prayed for deliverance (Est. 4:14-17)• David prayed for the health of his son (2 Sam. 12:16)

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Why pray if God does not work in the lives of men today? Yet, we are told to pray (Col. 4:2) and to give our lives to prayer (1 Thess. 5:17). We are told to pray for one another (Col. 4:3). We are told to pray for wisdom (James 1:5-6). We are to pray for the sick (James 5:15). Why do this if God is not at work in the lives of men? What does it say about the veracity of the Holy Spirit who said: “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” If God does not work through some avenue to answer prayers?

The Life of Esther Demonstrates Many Traits of Divine Providence

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Lessons from Esther• GOD WAS INVOLVED IN THE AFFAIRS OF HIS PEOPLE IN

ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH HIS PURPOSE. – God promised through Abraham and David that their

descendant would rule (2 Samuel 7:12-13) and bless all nations (Genesis 12:3).

– The ungodly prince Haman sought to destroy the Jews. How would God fulfill His purposes if Abraham’s seed was destroyed?

– Mordecai had faith that God would intervene. (Esther 4:14)

– God delivered His people (Est. 9:2) and Haman was defeated (Est. 7:10).

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Cases of God’s Providence

• Wicked people were destroyed by the flood, yet Noah was saved.

• Joseph was sold captive into a foreign land, but he delivered Abraham’s descendants.

• Moses was raised up in God’s time, and led Israel from Egyptian bondage.

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God Promises to Provide for Us If We Do His Will

• Do you face hardship, temptation, and discouragement? Are you tempted to go back to the world and give up serving God? The Word promises:–1 Cor. 10:13—No temptation has overtaken

you that is not common to man. wGod is faithful, and xhe will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

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God Promises to Provide for Us If We Do His Will

• Do you sorrow because of poor health, death of a loved one, or mistreatment by others? God does not promise to remove the problem, but He promises peace and strength to endure. – Phil. 4:6-7—do not be anxious about anything, sbut

in everything by prayer and supplication twith thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And uthe peace of God, vwhich surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

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God Promises to Provide for Us If We Do His Will

• Are you burdened by guilt of sin and fear of eternal torment? God is able to save to the uttermost and give the hope of eternal life. – Hebrews 7:25—Consequently, he is able to save

to the uttermost those who draw near to God

through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

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Lessons from Esther• GOD IS ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH HIS WILL THROUGH

NATURAL LAW WITHOUT MIRACLES. • The book of Esther reveals that God’s purpose was

accomplished with no miracles at all. • Vashti was deposed for disobeying the king. This is not

impossible naturally. • Esther was chosen to take her place. This seems natural. • Mordecai reported the plot against the king. This was just

Mordecai doing his duty. • Esther spoke to the king on behalf of the people. This was

difficult but not impossible. • The king could not sleep on the night before her request, so had

the chronicles read.

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Can God Answer Prayers Through Means of Natural Law?

• Donnie Rader: “God answers prayer without violating or altering natural laws. To do otherwise would be to work miracles. God controls his creation by natural laws. God’s working in his creation (within the realm of natural laws) is much like operating an automobile. The car is built upon certain principles or laws of operation: If you turn the steering wheel to the right (or left), the car goes to the right (or left). If you push down on the accelerator pedal the car speeds up. If you push on the brake, the car slows down and stops. When I get behind the wheel and turn it right or left, press the accelerator or push the brake, I am controlling the car within the confines upon which the car was built. Even though I am within the confines of those principles, I am still controlling the car, doing with it what I want. God is behind the wheel of the universe. He controls it all. He does with it what he wishes. He may turn it this way or that, but when he does, he operates within the confines of natural law. (Homer Hailey is to be credited for the above illustration.) (“Teach Us to Pray”, page 23)

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Miracles Served a Purpose: • Confirmation: – The miracle confirmed the message preached.

• Mark 16:20; Hebrews 2:3-4; Acts 14:2-3; – They miracle confirmed the messenger:

• Jesus healed the paralytic so that men would know that He had the power to forgive sins. (Matthew 9:6-7; Mark 2:10-12; Luke 5:24-25;)

• Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead so that His disciples would believe. (John 11:15, 42)

• When John the Baptist doubted whether or not Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus pointed him to His miracles. (Matthew 11:2-6)

• Nicodemus was convinced that Jesus was from God by the signs that He performed. (John 3:1-2)

• Jesus pointed to His works as corroborative evidence for His claims. (John 5:35; 10:25; 37-38)

• The miracles recorded in the gospel of John are recorded to produce faith in Jesus. (John 20:30-31)

• The apostles appealed to the miracles of Jesus as corroborative evidence for His claims. (Acts 2:22)

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Miracles Served a Purpose: • Revelation: – TO REVEAL ALL THE TRUTH: • John 14:26—But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the

Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. • John 16:13-14—“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes,

He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. “He shall glorify Me; for He shall take of Mine, and shall disclose it to you.

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Miracles Served a Purpose: • Revelation: – TO REVEAL ALL THE TRUTH: • John 14:26; John 16:13-14;

– TO REVEAL ONE TRUTH: • Acts 11:17-18—If God therefore gave to them the same

gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” And when they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.”

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The Truth Has Been Delivered: James 1:25; Jude 3, 2 Timothy 3:16-17;

The Message Has Been Confirmed: John 20:30-31; Acts 2:43;

Miraculous Spiritual Gifts Have Ceased: 1 Cor. 13:8-10;

God Is Not in the Habit of Re-confirming His Message:

Luke 16:27 ff.

Modern Thinking: • If a man is pronounced terminally ill, and later he is

cured. Men today will say, “that was a miracle!” • When we argue not it was not a Bible miracle, then

they will commonly reply: – Don’t you believe that God heals the sick, answers prayer,

and exercises authority? • They only see two options:– God works through miracles.– God does not work at all.

• The story of Esther demonstrates that God can work through nonmiraclous means to accomplish His will.

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HUMAN BEINGS OFTEN DO NOT OR CANNOT UNDERSTAND HOW GOD’S PROVIDENCE WORKS OR WHAT GOD IS DOING

OR WHY HE IS DOING IT.

• Eccl. 3:11— He has amade everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot bfind out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

• Eccl. 8:16-9:1— When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see ythe business that is done on earth, how neither zday nor night do one’s eyes see sleep, 17 then I saw all the work of God, that aman cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, bhe cannot find it out. 9 But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, chow the righteous and the wise and their deeds are din the hand of God. Whether it is love or hate, man does not know; both are before him.

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HUMAN BEINGS OFTEN DO NOT OR CANNOT UNDERSTAND HOW GOD’S PROVIDENCE WORKS OR WHAT GOD IS DOING

OR WHY HE IS DOING IT.

• Esther 4:14-17— For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” 15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, 16 “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for wthree days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, xand if I perish, I perish.” 17 Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.

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Application: • We often don’t know how God is working, why He does what

He does, or what the outcome will be. • We must believe like Mordecai that God will deliver His

people. Do we believe in the ultimate deliverance of God? • We may face sickness or death in the family and pray for

deliverance. What will the outcome be? We do not know.• We may face persecution and are opposed like the Jews were

—things might look bleak. We might be imprisoned and sentenced to death. Will God deliver us? (Ref. Matthew 11:2-6)

• We may be moving to take a new job in another city. What job and what city would be the best choice to serve the Lord? We don’t always know.

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The point: We don’t know HOW God will resolve these problems, WHO He will use, or WHAT events will occur. These are not revealed in the Bible. What we can know for sure is that God will work for our ultimate salvation, and He can help us to be faithful in every circumstance IF we are willing to be faithful.

WE MUST BE CAREFUL IN INTERPRETING THE EVENTS OF LIFE AS A MESSAGE THAT GOD IS USING TO TELL US WHAT HE

DOES OR DOES NOT WANT US TO DO.

• Some people will try to read between the lines of everyday events to find a message from God.

– They look at events as signs from God that He is communicating with them. With that event they say…

• “I knew that the Spirit was leading me to…”• “God must be trying to tell you something…” – How do we know that it is God?

• 2 Cor. 11:14— And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as oan angel of light.

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WE MUST BE CAREFUL IN INTERPRETING THE EVENTS OF LIFE AS A MESSAGE THAT GOD IS USING TO TELL US WHAT HE

DOES OR DOES NOT WANT US TO DO.

• Some people will try to read between the lines of everyday events to find a message from God.

– They look at events as signs from God that He is communicating with them. With that event they say…

• “I knew that the Spirit was leading me to…”• “God must be trying to tell you something…” – How do we know that it is God?

• 2 Cor. 11:14— And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as oan angel of light.

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• Dr. James Dobson, in his books Preparing for Adolescence and Life on the Edge, says we can know God’s will for our lives by looking for open or closed doors of opportunity Hindrances to our purposes are seen as God telling us He doesn’t want us to do a thing. But if barriers are removed, that means He wants us to do it.

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Apply This Thinking to the Bible: • Esther saw many barriers hindering her from talking to

the king. Was she to interpret that as providence? God wanted her to keep quiet.

• Joseph was sold as a slave into Egypt and then imprisoned. Did this mean his course of action was wrong? No, he later understood that he was accomplishing God’s will.

• Job faced all kinds of hindrances. Should he have interpreted that as God desiring him to live differently?– Job 1:1-- There was a man in the land of aUz whose name

was bJob, and that man was cblameless and upright, one who dfeared God and eturned away from evil.

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The Proper Response

• I don’t know if some event is a sign from God. – Esther 4:14— For if you keep silent at this time, relief and

deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

• If there is a lesson to be learned from the events of life, then learn it. – Luke 13:1-5;

• God has plainly revealed to us how we should live. – 2 Tim. 3:16-17;

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GOD’S PROVIDENCE USES PEOPLE TO ACCOMPLISH HIS PURPOSES, YET IT RESPECTS MAN’S FREE WILL.

• Esther had a choice. (Esther 4:8, 4:14) • Haman had a choice. (James 1:13; James 14-15) • Likewise we are free moral agents. (Joshua

24:15; Rev. 22:17; Mark 16:15-16;)• We learn from Esther: – If we obey, He can use us for good in accomplishing

His will, just as He used Esther. And we will be eternally rewarded.

– If we disobey, He will still accomplish His purposes in spite of us, just as He did regarding Haman. But we will be punished eternally.

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The Story of Esther Illustrates: • GOD DOES WORK IN THE AFFAIRS OF MEN FOR

THE GOOD OF HIS PEOPLE AND FOR THE ULTIMATE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF HIS WILL.

• GOD IS ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH HIS WILL THROUGH NATURAL LAW WITHOUT MIRACLES.

• HUMAN BEINGS OFTEN DO NOT AND CANNOT UNDERSTAND HOW GOD’S PROVIDENCE WORKS OR WHAT GOD IS DOING OR WHY HE IS DOING IT.

• GOD’S PROVIDENCE USES PEOPLE TO ACCOMPLISH HIS PURPOSES, YET IT RESPECTS MAN’S FREE WILL.

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