The Sovereignty of God
By Arthur W. Pink
Chapter
Ten - Our Attitude Toward His Sovereignty
"Even
so, Father: for so it seemed good in Thy sight" (Matt. 11:26).
In the
present chapter we shall consider, somewhat briefly, the practical application
to ourselves of the great truth which we have pondered in its various
ramifications in earlier pages. In chapter twelve we shall deal more in detail
with the value of this doctrine but here we would confine ourselves to a
definition of what ought to be our attitude toward the Sovereignty of God.
Every
truth that is revealed to us in God's Word is there not only for our
information but also for our inspiration. The Bible has been given to us not to
gratify an idle curiosity but to edify the souls of its readers. The
Sovereignty of God is something more than an abstract principle which explains
the rationale of the Divine government: it is designed as a motive for godly
fear, it is made known to us for the promotion of righteous living, it is
revealed in order to bring into subjection our rebellious hearts. A true
recognition of God's Sovereignty humbles as nothing else does or can humble,
and brings the heart into lowly submission before God, causing us to relinquish
our own self-will and making us delight in the perception and performance of
the Divine will.
When we
speak of the Sovereignty of God we mean very much more than the exercise of
God's governmental power, though, of course, that is included in the
expression. As we have remarked in an earlier chapter, the Sovereignty of God
means the Godhood of God. In its fullest and deepest meaning the title of this
book signifies the Character and Being of the One whose pleasure is performed
and whose will is executed. To truly recognize the Sovereignty of God is,
therefore, to gaze upon the Sovereign Himself. It is to come into the presence
of the august "Majesty on high." It is to have a sight of the thrice
holy God in His excellent glory. The effects of such a sight may be learned
from those Scriptures which describe the experience of different ones who
obtained a view of the Lord God.
Mark the
experience of Job-the one of whom the Lord Himself said "There is none
like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and
escheweth evil" (Job 1:8). At the close of the book which bears his name
we are shown Job in the Divine presence, and how does he carry himself when
brought face to face with Jehovah? Hear what he says: "I have heard of
Thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth Thee: Wherefore I abhor
myself, and repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:5, 6). Thus, a sight of God,
God revealed in awesome majesty, caused Job to abhor himself, and not only so,
but to abase himself before the Almighty.
Take note
of Isaiah. In the sixth chapter of his prophecy a scene is brought before us
which has few equals even in Scripture. The prophet beholds the Lord upon the
Throne, a Throne "high and lifted up." Above this Throne stood the
seraphims with veiled faces, crying, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of
hosts." What is the effect of this sight upon the prophet? We read
"Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean
lips:... for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts" (Isa. 6:5).
A sight of the Divine King humbled Isaiah into the dust, bringing him, as it
did, to a realization of his own nothingness.
One more.
Look at the prophet Daniel. Toward the close of his life this man of God beheld
the Lord in theophanic manifestation. He appeared to His servant in human form
"clothed in linen" and with loins "girded with fine gold,"
symbolic of holiness and Divine glory. We read that "His body also was
like the beryl, and His face as the appearance of lightning, and His eyes as
lamps of fire, and His arms and His feet like in color to polished brass, and
the voice of His words like the voice of a multitude." Daniel then tells
the effect this vision had upon him and those who were with him: "And I
Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision;
but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.
Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no
strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I
retained no strength. Yet heard I the voice of His words: and when I heard the
voice of His words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward
the ground" (Dan. 10:6-9). Once more, then, we are shown that to obtain a
sight of the Sovereign God is for creature strength to wither up, and results
in man being humbled into the dust before his Maker. What then ought to be our
attitude toward the Supreme Sovereign? We reply,
1. ONE OF
GODLY FEAR.
Why is it
that, today, the masses are so utterly unconcerned about spiritual and eternal
things, and that they are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God? Why is it
that even on the battlefields multitudes were so indifferent to their soul's welfare?
Why is it that defiance of Heaven is becoming more open, more blatant, more
daring? The answer is, Because "There is no fear of God before their
eyes" (Rom. 3:18). Again; why is it that the authority of the Scriptures
has been lowered so sadly of late? Why is it that even among those who profess
to be the Lord's people there is so little real subjection to His Word, and
that its precepts are so lightly esteemed and so readily set aside? Ah! what
needs to be stressed today is that God is a God to be feared.
"The
fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge" (Prov. 1:7). Happy the
soul that has been awed by a view of God's majesty, that has had a vision of
God's awful greatness, His ineffable holiness, His perfect righteousness, His
irresistible power, His Sovereign grace. Does someone say, "But it is only
the unsaved, those outside of Christ, who need to fear God"? Then the
sufficient answer is that the saved, those who are in Christ, are admonished to
work out their own salvation with "fear and trembling." Time was when
it was the general custom to speak of a believer as a "God-fearing
man"-that such an appellation has become nearly extinct only serves to
show whither we have drifted. Nevertheless, it still stands written "Like
as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear Him"
(Psa. 103:13)!
When we
speak of godly fear, of course, we do not mean a servile fear, such as prevails
among the heathen in connection with their gods. No; we mean that spirit which
Jehovah is pledged to bless, that spirit to which the prophet referred when he
said "To this man will I (the Lord) look, even to him that is poor and of
a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My Word" (Isa. 66:2). It was this the
Apostle had in view when he wrote, "Honor all men. Love the brotherhood.
Fear God. Honor the king" (1 Peter 2:17). And nothing will foster this
godly fear like a recognition of the Sovereign Majesty of God.
What ought
to be our attitude toward the Sovereignty of God? We answer again,
2. ONE OF IMPLICIT
OBEDIENCE.
A sight of
God leads to a realization of our littleness and nothingness and issues in a
sense of dependency and of casting ourselves upon God. Or, again; a view of the
Divine Majesty promotes the spirit of godly fear and this, in turn, begets an
obedient walk. Here then is the Divine antidote for the native evil of our
hearts. Naturally, man is filled with a sense of his own importance, with his
greatness and self-sufficiency; in a word, with pride and rebellion. But, as we
remarked, the great corrective is to behold the Mighty God, for this alone will
really humble him. Man will glory either in himself or in God. Man will live
either to serve and please himself, or he will seek to serve and please the
Lord. None can serve two masters.
Irreverence
begets disobedience. Said the haughty monarch of Egypt "Who is the LORD
that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD; neither
will I let Israel go" (Exo. 5:2). To Pharaoh, the God of the Hebrews was
merely a god, one among many, a powerless entity who needed not to be feared or
served. How sadly mistaken he was, and how bitterly he had to pay for his
mistake he soon discovered; but what we are here seeking to emphasize is that
Pharaoh's defiant spirit was the fruit of irreverence, and this irreverence was
the consequence of his ignorance of the majesty and authority of the Divine
Being.
Now if
irreverence begets disobedience, true reverence will produce and promote
obedience. To realize that the Holy Scriptures are a revelation from the Most
High, communicating to us His mind and defining for us His will, is the first
step toward practical godliness. To recognize that the Bible is God's Word, and
that its precepts are the precepts of the Almighty, will lead us to see what an
awful thing it is to despise and ignore them. To receive the Bible as addressed
to our own souls, given to us by the Creator Himself, will cause us to cry with
the Psalmist, "Incline my heart unto Thy testimonies...Order my steps in
Thy Word" (Psa. 119: 36, 133). Once the Sovereignty of the Author of the
Word is apprehended it will not longer be a matter of picking and choosing from
the precepts and statutes of that Word, selecting those which meet with our
approval; but it will be seen that nothing less than an unqualified and
whole-hearted submission becomes the creature.
What ought
to be our attitude toward the Sovereignty of God?
3. ONE OF
ENTIRE RESIGNATION.
A true
recognition of God's Sovereignty will exclude all murmuring. This is self-evident,
yet the thought deserves to be dwelt upon. It is natural to murmur against
afflictions and losses. It is natural to complain when we are deprived of those
thing upon which we had set our hearts. We are apt to regard our possessions as
ours unconditionally. We feel that when we have prosecuted our plans with
prudence and diligence that we are entitled to success; that when by dint of
hard work we have accumulated a 'competence' we deserve to keep and enjoy it;
that when we are surrounded by a happy family no power may lawfully enter the
charmed circle and strike down a loved one; and if in any of these cases
disappointment, bankruptcy, death, actually comes, the perverted instinct of
the human heart is to cry out against God. But in the one who, by grace, has
recognized God's Sovereignty, such murmuring is silenced, and instead, there is
a bowing to the Divine will and an acknowledgment that He has not afflicted us
as sorely as we deserve.
A true
recognition of God's Sovereignty will avow God's perfect right to do with us as
He wills. The one who bows to the pleasure of the Almighty will acknowledge His
absolute right to do with us as seemeth Him good. If He chooses to send
poverty, sickness, domestic bereavements, even while the heart is bleeding at
every pore, it will say, Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right! Often
there will be a struggle, for the carnal mind remains in the believer to the
end of his earthly pilgrimage. But though there may be a conflict within his
breast, nevertheless, to the one who has really yielded himself to this blessed
truth there will presently be heard that Voice saying, as of old it said to the
turbulent Gennesareth, "Peace be still"; and the tempestuous flood
within will be quieted and the subdued soul will lift a tearful but confident
eye to Heaven and say, "Thy will be done."
A striking
illustration of a soul bowing to the Sovereign will of God is furnished by the
history of Eli the high priest of Israel. In 1 Samuel 3 we learn how God
revealed to the young child Samuel that He was about to slay Eli's two sons for
their wickedness, and on the morrow Samuel communicates this message to the
aged priest. It is difficult to conceive of more appalling intelligence for the
heart of a pious parent. The announcement that his child is going to be
stricken down by sudden death is, under any circumstances, a great trial to any
father, but to learn that his two sons-in the prime of their manhood, and
utterly unprepared to die-were to be cut off by a Divine judgment must have
been overwhelming. Yet, what was the effect upon Eli when he learned from
Samuel the tragic tidings? What reply did he make when he heard the awful news?
"And he said, It is the LORD: let Him do what seemeth Him good" (1
Sam. 3:18). And not another word escaped him. Wonderful submission! Sublime
resignation! Lovely exemplification of the power of Divine grace to control the
strongest affections of the human heart and subdue the rebellious will,
bringing it into unrepining acquiescence to the Sovereign pleasure of Jehovah.
Another
example, equally striking, is seen in the life of Job. As is well known, Job
was one that feared God and eschewed evil. If ever there was one who might
reasonably expect Divine providence to smile upon him-we speak as a man-it was
Job. Yet, how fared it with him? For a time the lines fell unto him in pleasant
places. The Lord filled his quiver by giving him seven sons and three
daughters. He prospered him in his temporal affairs until he owned great
possessions. But of a sudden the sun of life was hidden behind dark clouds. In
a single day Job lost not only his flocks and herds but his sons and daughters
as well. News arrived that his cattle had been carried off by robbers, and his
children slain by a cyclone. And how did he receive this intelligence? Hearken
to his sublime words: "The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away."
He bowed to the Sovereign will of Jehovah. He traced his afflictions back to
their First Cause. He looked behind the Sabeans who had stolen his cattle, and
beyond the winds that had destroyed his children, and saw the hand of God. But
not only did Job recognize God's Sovereignty, he rejoiced in it, too. To the
words, "The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away," he added,
"blessed be the name of the LORD" (Job 1:21). Again we say, Sweet
submission! Sublime resignation!
A true
recognition of God's Sovereignty causes us to hold our every plan in abeyance
to God's will. The writer well recalls an incident which occurred in England
over twenty years ago. Queen Victoria was dead, and the date for the coronation
of her eldest son, Edward, had been set for April 1902. In all the
announcements which were sent out, two little letters were omitted, D. V.-Deo
Volente: God willing. Plans were made and all arrangements completed for the
most imposing celebrations that England had ever witnessed. Kings and emperors
from all parts of the earth had received invitations to attend the royal
ceremony. The Prince's proclamations were printed and displayed, but, so far as
the writer is aware, the letters D. V. were not found on a single one of them.
A most imposing program had been arranged, and the late Queen's eldest son was
to be crowned Edward the Seventh at Westminster Abbey at a certain hour on a
fixed day. And then God intervened and all man's plans were frustrated. A still
small voice was heard to say, "You have reckoned without Me," and
Prince Edward was stricken down with appendicitis, and his coronation postponed
for months!
As
remarked, a true recognition of God's Sovereignty causes us to hold our plan in
abeyance to God's will. It makes us recognize that the Divine Potter has
absolute power over the clay and molds it according to his own imperial
pleasure. It causes us to heed that admonition-now, alas! so generally
disregarded-"Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into
such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas
ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a
vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye
ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that"
(James 4:13-15). Yes, it is to the Lord's will we must bow. It is for Him to
say where I shall live, whether in America or Africa. It is for Him to
determine under what circumstances I shall live, whether amid wealth or
poverty, whether in health or sickness. It is for Him to say how long I shall
live, whether I shall be cut down in youth like the flower of the field, or
whether I shall continue for three score and ten years. To really learn this
lesson is, by grace, to attain unto a high form in the school of God, and even
when we think we have learned it we discover, again and again, that we have to
relearn it.
What ought
to be our attitude toward the Sovereignty of God?
4. ONE OF
DEEP THANKFULNESS AND JOY.
The
heart's apprehension of this most blessed truth of the Sovereignty of God
produces something far different than a sullen bowing to the inevitable. The
philosophy of this perishing world knows nothing better than to "make the
best of a bad job." But with the Christian it should be far otherwise. Not
only should the recognition of God's supremacy beget within us godly fear,
implicit obedience, and entire resignation, but it should cause us to say with
the Psalmist, "Bless the Lord, 0 my soul: and all that is within me, bless
His holy name." Does not the Apostle say, "Giving thanks always for
all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ"
(Eph. 5:20)? Ah! it is at this point the state of our souls is so often put to
the test. Alas, there is so much self-will in each of us. When things go as we
wish them we appear to be very grateful to God; but what of those occasions
when things go contrary to our plans and desires?
We take it
for granted when the real Christian takes a train-journey that, upon reaching
his destination, he devoutly returns thanks unto God-which, of course, argues
that He controls everything; otherwise, we ought to thank the engine-driver,
the stoker, the signalmen, etc. Or, if in business, at the close of a good
week, gratitude is expressed unto the Giver of every good (temporal) and every
perfect (spiritual) gift-which again, argues that He directs all customers to
your shop. So far, so good. Such examples occasion no difficulty. But imagine
the opposites. Suppose my train was delayed for hours, did I fret and fume;
suppose another train ran into it and I am injured! Or, suppose I have had a
poor week in business, or that lightning struck my shop and set it on fire, or
that burglars broke in and rifled it, then what: do I see the hand of God in
these things?
Take the
case of Job once more. When loss after loss came his way what did he do? Bemoan
his "bad luck"? Curse the robbers? Murmur against God? No; he bowed
before Him in worship. Ah! dear reader, there is no real rest for your poor
heart until you learn to see the hand of God in everything. But for that, faith
must be in constant exercise. And what is faith? A blind credulity? A
fatalistic acquiescence? No, far from it. Faith is a resting on the sure Word
of the living God, and therefore says "We know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according
to His purpose" (Rom. 8:28); and therefore faith will give thanks
"always for all things." Operative faith will "Rejoice in the
Lord alway" (Phil. 4:4).
We turn
now to mark how this recognition of God's Sovereignty which is expressed in
godly fear, implicit obedience, entire resignation, and deep thankfulness and
joy was supremely and perfectly exemplified by the Lord Jesus Christ.
In all
things the Lord Jesus has left us an example that we should follow His steps.
But is this true in connection with the first point made above? Are the words
"godly fear" ever linked with His peerless name? Remembering that
"godly fear" signifies not a servile terror, but rather a filial
subjection and reverence, and remembering too that "the fear of the Lord
is the beginning of wisdom," would it not rather be strange if no mention
at all were made of "godly fear" in connection with the One who was
wisdom incarnate! What a wonderful and precious word is that of Hebrews
5:7-"Who in the days of His flesh, having offered up prayers and
supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him
from death, and having been heard for His godly fear" (R. V.). What was it
but "godly fear" which caused the Lord Jesus to be
"subject" unto Mary and Joseph in the days of His childhood? Was it
"godly fear"-a filial subjection to and reverence for God-that we see
displayed when we read "And He came to Nazareth where He had been brought
up: and, as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day"
(Luke 4:16)? Was it not "godly fear" which caused the incarnate Son
to say, when tempted by Satan to fall down and worship him, "It is
written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou
serve"? Was it not "godly fear" which moved Him to say to the
cleansed leper, "Go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer the
gift that Moses commanded" (Matt. 8:4)? But why multiply illustrations?
How
perfect was the obedience that the Lord Jesus offered to God the Father! And in
reflecting upon this let us not lose sight of that wondrous grace which caused
Him, who was in the very form of God, to stoop so low as to take upon Him the
form of a Servant and thus be brought into the place where obedience was
becoming. As the perfect Servant He yielded complete obedience to His Father.
How absolute and entire that obedience was we may learn from the words He
"became obedient unto death, even the
*Note how
Old Testament prophecy also declared that "the Spirit of the Lord"
should "rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit
of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord"
(Isa. 11:2).
death of
the Cross" (Phil. 2:8). That this was a conscious and intelligent
obedience is clear from His own language: "Therefore doth My Father love
Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again. No man taketh if
from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down and I have
power to take it again. This commandment have I received from My Father"
(John 10:17, 18).
And what
shall we say of the absolute resignation of the Son to the Father's will? what,
but, between Them there was entire oneness of accord. Said He, "For I came
down from Heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent
Me" (John 6:38), and how fully He substantiated that claim all know who
have attentively followed His path as marked out in the Scriptures. Behold Him
in Gethsemane! The bitter 'cup,' held in the Father's hand, is presented to His
view. Mark well His attitude. Learn of Him who was meek and lowly in heart.
Remember that there in the Garden we see the Word become flesh, a perfect Man.
His body is quivering at every nerve in contemplation of the physical
sufferings which await Him; His holy and sensitive nature is shrinking from the
horrible indignities which shall be heaped upon Him; His heart is breaking at
the awful "reproach" which is before Him; His spirit is greatly
troubled as He foresees the terrible conflict with the Power of Darkness; and
above all, and supremely, His soul is filled with horror at the thought of
being separated from God Himself-thus and there He pours out His soul to the
Father, and with strong crying and tears He sheds, as it were, great drops of
blood. And now observe and listen. Still the beating of thy heart and hearken
to the words which fall from His blessed lips-"Father, if Thou be willing,
remove this cup from Me: nevertheless, not My will, but Thine be done"
(Luke 22:42). Here is submission personified. Here is resignation to the
pleasure of a Sovereign God superlatively exemplified. And He has left us an
example that we should follow His steps. He who was God became man, and was
tempted in all points like as we are, sin apart, to show us how to wear our
creature nature!
Above we
asked, What shall we say of Christ's absolute resignation to the Father's will?
We answer further, This, that here, as everywhere, He was unique, peerless. In
all things He has the preeminence. In the Lord Jesus there was no rebellious
will to be broken. In His heart there was nothing to be subdued. Was not this
one reason why, in the language of prophecy, He said, "I am a worm, and no
man" (Psa. 22:6)-a worm has no power of resistance! It was because in Him
there was no resistance that He could say, "My meat is to do the will of
Him that sent Me" (John 4:34). Yea, it was because He was in perfect
accord with the Father in all things that He said, "I delight to do Thy
will, 0 God; yea, Thy law is within My heart" (Psa. 40:8). Note the last
clause here and behold His matchless excellency. God has to put His laws into
our minds, and write them in our hearts (see Heb. 8:10), but His law was
already in Christ's heart!
What a
beautiful and striking illustration of Christ's thankfulness and joy is found
in Matthew 11. There we behold, first, the failure of the faith of His
forerunner (vv. 22, 23). Next, we learn of the discontent of the people:
satisfied neither with Christ's joyous message, nor with John's solemn one (vv.
16-20). Third, we have the non-repentance of those favoured cities in which our
Lord's mightiest works were done (vv. 21-24). And then we read, "At that
time Jesus answered and said, I thank Thee, 0 Father, Lord of Heaven and earth,
because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed
them unto babes" (v. 25)! Note the parallel passage in Luke 10:21 opens by
saying, "In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank
Thee," etc. Ah! here was submission in its purest form. Here was One by
whom the worlds were made, yet, in the days of His humiliation and in the face
of His rejection, thankfully and joyously bowing to the will of the "Lord
of Heaven and earth."
What ought
to be our attitude toward God's Sovereignty? Finally,
5. ONE OF
ADORING WORSHIP.
It has
been well said that "true worship is based upon recognized GREATNESS, and
greatness is superlatively seen in Sovereignty, and at no other footstool will
men really worship" (J. B. Moody). In the presence of the Divine King upon
His throne even the seraphims 'veil their faces.'
Divine
Sovereignty is not the Sovereignty of a tyrannical Despot, but the exercised
pleasure of One who is infinitely wise and good! Because God is infinitely wise
He cannot err, and because He is infinitely righteous He will not do wrong.
Here then is the preciousness of this truth. The mere fact itself that God's
will is irresistible and irreversible fills me with fear, but once I realize
that God wills only that which is good my heart is made to rejoice.
Here then
is the final answer to the question of this chapter, What ought to be our
attitude toward the Sovereignty of God? The becoming attitude for us to take is
that of godly fear, implicit obedience, and unreserved resignation and
submission. But not only so: the recognition of the Sovereignty of God, and the
realization that the Sovereign Himself is my Father, ought to overwhelm the
heart and cause me to bow before Him in adoring worship. At all times I must
say "Even so, Father, for so it seemeth good in Thy sight." We
conclude with an example which well illustrates our meaning.
Some two
hundred years ago the saintly Madam Cuyon, after ten years spent in a dungeon
lying far below the surface of the ground, lit only by a candle at meal-times,
wrote these words:
"A
little bird I am,
Shut from the
fields of air;
Yet in my
cage I sit and sing
To Him who
placed me there;
Well
pleased a prisoner to be,
Because,
my God, it pleases Thee.
Nought
have I else to do
I sing the
whole day long;
And He
whom most I love to please,
Doth
listen to my song;
He caught
and bound my wandering wing
But still
He bends to hear me sing.
My cage
confines me round;
Abroad I
cannot fly;
But though
my wing is closely bound,
My heart's
at liberty,
My prison
walls cannot control
The
flight, the freedom of the soul.
Ah! it is
good to soar
These
bolts and bar above,
To Him
whose purpose I adore,
Whose
Providence I love;
And in Thy
mighty will to find
The joy,
the freedom of the mind."