Word of Salvation – Vol.  15 No.05 - February 1969

 

God's Providence

 

Sermon by Rev. M. Schwarz, Th. Grad.

On Lord's Day 10 of the Heidelberg Catechism

Scripture Reading: Genesis 37:12-28.

 

The young people know a nice chorus which begins: "God is still on the throne".  God is in power, in control.  He's got the whole world in his hand.  He made it all.  He is the creator of it all.  But then he did not leave it alone.  He continues to care for it, for you and for me, for the whole world.

God did not leave the world to its own devices, as you would wind up a watch and leave it to itself.  God is present, and he preserves and governs all things according to his own purposes and plans.  This is what we mean by the term "providence".  That the Lord is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.

Unbelievers cannot understand this.  There is no place for this kind of teaching in the text books of our state schools.  There, the honour is given to the laws of nature.  Things simply happen, because they have to.  Everything is fixed by "natural" laws: that the earth goes around the sun is a law; that a stone falls to the ground is just the law of gravity and God has no place in this.

That you are 5 feet tall or 7 feet tall is just by chance, and whether you have a large family or a small family is just due to certain factors and influences; whether you are rich or poor, whether we get peace in Vietnam or a third world war – all things are explainable, we are told, by certain laws and natural influences.  Our school books on history, science or literature have no place for God, or for God's providence.  All things are governed by the laws and powers of nature, but not by God.

Now, as Christians, we violently reject this.  We affirm that, whether you are a believer or not, the Lord is in complete control of your life.  Even if you were only a sparrow, and boys would try to shoot you off the house tops, you would not fall without the knowledge and will of God.

Even if you were only a stone, or a blade of grass or a tree, you could not exist apart from the will of God.  That we find ourselves here in Australia (or New Zealand), with its own language, culture and politics, is from God.  All authority is from God.  Even the future comes from God, whether good or bad.  You may live another 50 years or only another 5 days.  It is God who knows this, and arranges how things are to happen.

There is no more practical doctrine than this teaching about the providence of God.  The Catechism tells us that this concerns heaven and earth, it concerns all creatures; it extends to the herbs and the grass, it extends to rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, food and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty; yes, to all things.  The Catechism goes so far as to say that all creatures are so completely in God's hand that, without His will, they cannot so much as move.

This claim is clearly supported by the Word of God.  It is entirely in God's hand, whether we will have a crop this year or not.  Nothing can grow at all, apart from the will of God.  The Psalmist says:
            "When thou hidest thy face,
             they are dismayed;
             when thou takest away their breath,
             they die and return to their dust."

The Lord Jesus Christ says that our heavenly Father makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  The apostle Paul preached to the pagans that God was good to them; He gave them from heaven rain and fruitful seasons, satisfying their hearts with food and gladness.

God is not only in control of nature, but also of people, and politics.  Think of the case of Pharaoh, who refused to let God's people go.  Was he beyond the power of the Lord?  The Bible says: "I have raised you up for the very purpose of showing my power in you, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth."  So, not even his enemies are beyond the power of the Lord.

Or, think of how Joseph was sold into Egypt.  All was under God's' perfect control, even down to the details of the speed and direction of Jacob's wandering sheep who went astray.  Joseph was sent to look for his brothers and his father's sheep.  Exactly at the right time the brothers would be in the path of a certain band of Ishmaelites going to Egypt, who just then passed by and bought Joseph, and later on sold him again to Potiphar.  And so on.  But it was God who cared for every detail.  As later on, Joseph explains to his brothers: "It was not you who sold me to Egypt, but God brought me here for your salvation."

It is not easy to believe that even our troubles come from the Lord.  It is when troubles come that we doubt the providence of God.

Think, for instance, of Job's wife.  Job's wife could not believe it.  We may be sure that she was a believing girl when Job married her.  She believed as long as her husband was respected as the richest man in the district.

But then, by the express permission of God, Job lost all that he had – all his property and business, his children, and also his health.  Then Job's wife, who alone escaped injury, lost her faith.  God does not care, she thought.  If He were really in control, this would not have happened.  And, as Job sat in the ashes covered all over with sores, she said to him: "Curse God and die."

Or, remember the story of Lazarus in the New Testament.  He was a believer, but he spent his life outside the door of the rich man's palace and dogs licked his wounds.  Here, no–one seemed to care, not even when he died.  How can God allow this?  If we are confronted with such things as this, we find it hard to believe in the providence of God.  But even in the life of Lazarus the Lord cared, and did not forget him.  When Lazarus died, angels were sent out at once to escort him into the joys of heaven.

Yes, even sickness and death are not outside the reach of the Lord.  Somehow, everything has a place in the grand purposes and plans of God.  Even the bad and sinful things; even sickness and death.  For what did the Lord Jesus do when he was told that his friend Lazarus was seriously sick?  The Lord Jesus did nothing and so Lazarus died.  His sisters said: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died".  She just could not see the purpose at all, why Lazarus, the friend of Jesus, should die.  But what did Jesus say?  "This illness is not unto death; it is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by means of it."

How little do we understand; how little CAN we understand the plans of God, while we are right in the middle of it all.  How little do we know just what can be for the glory of God!  Tradition tells us that the apostle Peter was crucified upside down.  Surely, that was not very nice; how could God allow such a thing to happen to his beloved apostle?

But the Lord Jesus had already planned and foretold it in advance, when after the resurrection he told him about his death.  Then we read: "This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God."

Many people cannot see that Christians can get sick and not be healed.  Sickness, they tell us, is a sign of unbelief.  A truly believing Christian is not sick.  But if here the Lord tells us that even our dying – and death is the ultimate result of sin – can glorify his Name, how much more may our sicknesses be used to enhance the glory of God?

Everything comes from the Lord; health and sickness, food and drink, fruitful and barren years, rain and drought.  This is the teaching, "that all creatures are so in his hand that, without his will, they cannot so much as move".

It is no wonder that this remarkable teaching is so very often misunderstood.  In fact, no other doctrine seems to be so often misunderstood as the doctrine of providence.  Let us look at a few examples.

1.  Mr. Coady, a Pentecostal evangelist, and resident in New Zealand, some years ago produced a booklet entitled: "I Shall Not Want".  His basic point was that, because God who has become my Father in Jesus Christ, is almighty and in control, therefore, I shall not want.  The Lord is therefore always going to hear my prayers, and lead me in such a way that I shall not want.  In his booklet, he tells us the story of how he got strawberries from the Lord:

"Strawberries were in season and we had walked past the shops looking at these luscious strawberries, admiring them, but having no money to buy them with.

"One morning, in the kitchen, sister Coady looked up and said: 'Oh Lord, I'd love some strawberries', I said a loud Amen to that prayer.

"About half an hour later we heard the doorbell ring.  On going downstairs I opened the door.  There was no–one there, but on the doorstep was a large box covered over.  I took it upstairs and we uncovered it, and found twelve punnets of large luscious strawberries, together with a small package of icing sugar and a bottle of cream.

"We had simply asked for strawberries, but the Lord had sent icing sugar and cream as well", (Unquote).

Now, this is vastly different from the Biblical concept of God's providence!  The Psalm which tells us, "I shall not want" also speaks of the valley of the shadow of death.  The whole Bible tells us that Christians may never count on material prosperity.  If they are rich, it is a gift, never their due.  The teaching of providence is never an insurance against the material inconvenience of not having strawberries to eat.  The Father in heaven does not spoil his children.  In fact, we are told that he chastises every son whom he receives.

2.  Neither can we know the future, or what the Lord has planned for us personally.  Yet there are always those, who seem to know just how the Lord is going to lead them.  Somehow they seem to know the mystery of God's providence in advance.

Of course, we believe that the Lord has his purpose and plan for us, personally.  But that does not mean that we know the whole of our future.  Most of the time we are pushed; decisions are made for us; circumstances just force us to do a certain thing; people advise us; our character urges us to go a certain way.  It is by such natural means that God works out his plan.  The Lord does not give us a direct vision into the mystery of his providence in advance.

We cannot see God's purpose in advance, nor can we know at the time why a certain thing happens.  People constantly ask: Why?  Why did that promising young man die so suddenly?  Why did that accident happen?  Why is there so much suffering and death in this world?

Many search for a purpose.

Some say that he died then, because he had finished his work; others say that it could be a kind of judgment on the family, or on the country.  Usually, all these guesses have an element of truth in them.  But the fact remains that we simply don't know.

There is, in most cases, just no point in asking, ‘Why?’ in looking for a purpose.  To ask the ‘why’ questions, will never lead you to certainty and assurance, but always to doubts and more questions.  We are much too involved in the tragedy, to be able to understand the purpose.

Joseph certainly saw no purpose when he sat in the pit, and when his brothers left him there to die.  He only saw it years later.  Martha and Mary could not understand why Lazarus their brother was allowed to die.  They only understood when the Lord Jesus told them personally.  And we still don't know why that other Lazarus of the parable had to suffer all his life in front of the rich man's house, and then die in misery.

But we do know, in any and every case, that nothing happens by chance; nothing happens apart from the will of God, who loved us so much that he gave his Son to save us, Therefore, even if we cannot see any purpose at all in the way we are pushed around in life, yet like Job we can say: "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him"; and again like Job, sitting in the ashes with sores all over him, we can say: "I know that my redeemer lives!”

3.  Further, providence is never a cushion on which we can take it easy.  This is how some people would like to have it.  If God guides all things, well, they argue, it makes life easy for me.  As the student said: "I really wanted to pass the exams, and I also prayed about it, but still I didn't pass.  So, it must be God's will that I didn't pass".  The answer to this is not that the student should have prayed longer, but that he should have worked harder.

The Bible says: "He who does not want to work, should not eat either".  God's providence will never excuse our laziness.  God holds us responsible for everything we do.  If you fail in your exams, you can't blame God for it.  You just have to work harder.  When Eli's two boys became delinquent and left the ways of God, Eli could not say that he had nothing to do with that; he could not point vaguely to the mysterious will of God, and say that this was just one of those unlucky cases of predestination.  No.  To avoid all misunderstanding, he was told that they died, because he had failed as a father, when he was too lax and lenient with them.

4.  There are, finally, those who argue that, if God cares for all people, then all people will be saved and go to heaven.

This is, of course, not true.  Yes, God IS in control of all things; he DOES direct and govern all things.  But salvation and eternal life are only in Jesus Christ.

You are not saved, simply because you feel well today; because the Lord has given you such a beautiful day today.  Some people may fool and deceive themselves.  "I am healthy; I have no troubles at home or in business or in any way.  I also live a good life, and there is nothing much wrong with me at all.  Surely, God is good to me.  Therefore, I am saved, and when I die I will also go to heaven".

No doubt, the Lord in his gracious providence is good to you; he also enables you to live a good life and to organize your life well.  But don't be deceived!  Unless you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour – in true repentance and obedient faith – you cannot be saved!

So far, we have considered some of the ways in which this teaching of God's providence is so often misunderstood.  There are lots of misuses.  We cannot know the future by it; we cannot always know why things happen the way they do, or what is the purpose of it all; it does not make life easier in any way for us, and it does not guarantee that we are saved.  But what is the positive use of this teaching of providence?  How does it, and should it affect our lives?

1.  First of all, this teaching should make us very HUMBLE.  Even if you are rich, you have nothing to boast about.  Even if you are highly intelligent, there is no need to look down on other people who did not have such good opportunities as you had.  Even if you worked hard for it, there is absolutely nothing in what you are or in what you have, that the Lord in his good providence has not given to you.

That should make us very humble.  All progress and all success comes from the Lord, even the ability and desire to work; the ambition to do a certain thing, It is the Lord who works in us, both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

2.  This teaching of God's providence should also make us very THANKFUL in times of prosperity.  This applies especially to us.  The Lord has blessed us all.  He has given us prosperous years, houses, cars, employment, health and daily food; a free and beautiful country, a democratic government and a good economy, which enables us to make a living,

Where, then, is our thankfulness?  In a recent issue of Trowel and Sword, we read the remark of an elder who said:

"The second services are more poorly attended this summer than ever before.  I am quite sure that on a given summer Sunday, more Reformed people are on the beaches during the time of the second worship service, than in the Church."  Is this how we show our thankfulness?

We have it so good in many ways, and yet we complain, grumble and murmur even about our daily food, about work, about the family, and we think how well off other people are.  Is this being thankful?

Throughout the country, there is a general feeling of dissatisfaction.  Only seldom can one find a couple or a family who are truly and sincerely content with what they have, and thankful to the Lord for it.  So often the more people have, the more unhappy, dissatisfied and unthankful people become.

What do you think our heavenly Father will do with such naughty and unthankful children?  He will take away the toys, the luxuries, the bonuses, and bring you down a peg or two – even perhaps to the lowest level of survival.  If we just take things for granted, complain at every meal–time that we don't like this and we don't like that, throw away good food carelessly, then we are surely heading for trouble.

3.  Perhaps we feel nearer to God, when we are not so well off.  The teaching of providence should make us very PATIENT in adversity and troubles.  This is as hard as to be thankful in prosperity.  There is the danger that we become rebellious and bitter, blaming God for being unjust.

Remember Job's wife.  She believed while things went all right; she collapsed spiritually when things did not go so well.  Job was patient in adversity.  Above all, the Lord Jesus Christ was patient in adversity.  To be patient means to keep close to God in true faith at all times and under all circumstances.  "Not my will, but thy will be done": that is being patient.  Patience is to believe in the good providence of God, whatever the cost.  Because Paul believed that, he could say: "I have learned to be content in whatsoever state I am" and again: "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice.”  The more we truly believe in God's good providence, the more will be that joy which rejoices even in tribulation; the more will be that peace that passes understanding and the hope that goes beyond the grave.

4.  Finally, brothers and sisters, the teaching of God's providence should make us very sure of our SALVATION.  God IS still on the throne.  Nothing shall separate us from the love of God, and all things must work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

You may have wondered sometimes what you would do, if you as a Christian were to be persecuted also in this country; if all things were to go against you, and you were left alone and destitute.

The answer is, that you are kept by the power of God.

As a child of God you have the assurance and the promise that your Saviour will not leave you or forsake you.  Whatever happens, rejoice ye saints, rejoice; the good Shepherd does not lead you through the valley of the shadow of death to destroy you, but to lead you on to the higher places of perfection and holiness.

Do you believe this?  Is this your daily comfort?  Now, in our present state, we must believe this; we cannot see it.  But the Lord Jesus is coming soon, Then we will see and understand fully – how, through all our days, the Lord guided us, protected us in so many dangers, and brought us to know him as our wonderful Saviour and Shepherd; how he then glorified his Name through us; and how, through many experiences and sufferings, he brought us to holiness and perfection.

Then, as never before, we will bow in humble adoration and sing: How great Thou art!  Then, as never before, we will worship our God as the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings!

Amen.