The Sovereignty of God
By Arthur W. Pink
Chapter Three -
Sovereignty Of God In Administration
"The
LORD hath prepared His Throne In the heavens; and His Kingdom ruleth over
all" (Psa. 103:19).
First, a
word concerning the need for God to govern the material world. Suppose the
opposite for a moment. For the sake of argument, let us say that God created
the world, designed and fixed certain laws (which men term "the laws of
Nature"), and that He then withdrew, leaving the world to its fortune and
the out-working of these laws. In such a case, we should have a world over
which there was no intelligent, presiding Governor, a world controlled by
nothing more than impersonal laws-a concept worthy of gross Materialism and
blank Atheism. But, I say, suppose it for a moment; and in the light of such a
supposition weigh well the following question: What guaranty have we that some
day ere long the world will not be destroyed? A very superficial observation of
'the laws of Nature' reveals the fact that they are not uniform in their
working. The proof of this is seen in the fact that no two seasons are alike.
If then Nature's laws are irregular in their operations, what guaranty have we
against some dreadful catastrophe striking our earth? "The wind bloweth
where it listeth" (pleaseth), which means that man can neither harness nor
hinder it. Sometimes the wind blows with great fury, and it might be that it
should suddenly gather in volume and velocity until it became a hurricane
earth-wide in its range. If there is nothing more than the laws of Nature
regulating the wind, then, perhaps tomorrow, there may come a terrific tornado
and sweep everything from the surface of the earth! What assurance have we
against such a calamity? Again; of late years we have heard and read much about
clouds bursting and flooding whole districts, working fearful havoc in the
destruction of both property and life. Man is helpless before them, for science
can devise no means to prevent clouds bursting. Then how do we know that these
bursting clouds will not be multiplied indefinitely and the whole earth be
deluged by their downpour? This would be nothing new: why should not the Flood
of Noah's day be repeated? And what of earthquakes? Every few years some island
or some great city is swept out of existence by one of them-and what can man
do? Where is the guaranty that ere long a mammoth earthquake will not destroy
the whole world. Science tells us of great subterranean fires burning beneath
the comparatively thin crust of our earth. How do we know but what these fires
will not suddenly burst forth and consume our entire globe? Surely every reader
now sees the point we are seeking to make: Deny that God is governing matter,
deny that He is "upholding all things by the word of His power" (Heb.
1:3), and all sense of security is gone!
Let us
pursue a similar course of reasoning in connection with the human race. Is God
governing this world of ours? Is He shaping the destinies of nations,
controlling the course of empires, determining the limits of dynasties? Has He
prescribed the limits of evil-doers, saying, Thus far shalt thou go and no
further? Let us suppose the opposite for a moment. Let us assume that God has
delivered over the helm into the hand of His creatures and see where such a
supposition leads us. For the sake of argument we will say that every man
enters this world endowed with a will that is absolutely free, and that it is
impossible to compel or even coerce him without destroying his freedom. Let us
say that every man possesses a knowledge of right and wrong, that he has the
power to choose between them, and that he is left entirely free to make his own
choice and go his own way. Then what? Then it follows that man is Sovereign,
for he does as he pleases and is the architect of his own fortune. But in such
a case we can have no assurance that ere long every man will reject the good
and choose the evil. In such a case we have no guaranty against the entire
human race committing moral suicide. Let all Divine restraints be removed and
man be left absolutely free, and all ethical distinctions would immediately
disappear, the spirit of barbarism would prevail universally, and pandemonium
would reign supreme. Why not? If one nation deposes its rulers and repudiates
its constitution, what is there to prevent all nations from doing the same?
If little
more than a century ago the streets of Paris ran with the blood of rioters,
what assurance have we that before the present century closes every city
throughout the world will not witness a similar sight? What is there to hinder
earth-wide lawlessness and universal anarchy? Thus we have sought to show the
need, the imperative need, for God to occupy the Throne, take the government
upon His shoulder, and control the activities and destinies of His creatures.
But has
the man of faith any difficulty in perceiving the government of God over this
world? Does not the anointed eye discern, even amid much seeming confusion and
chaos, the hand of the Most High controlling and shaping the affairs of men,
even in the common concerns of every day life? Take for example farmers and
their crops. Suppose God left them to themselves: what would prevent them, one
and all, from grassing their arable lands and devoting themselves exclusively
to rearing of cattle and dairying? In such a case there would be a world-famine
of wheat and corn! Take the work of the post office. Suppose that everybody
decided to write letters on Mondays only, could the authorities cope with the
mail on Tuesdays? and how would they occupy their time the balance of the week?
So again with storekeepers. What would happen if every housewife did her
shopping on Wednesday, and stayed at home the rest of the week? But instead of
such things happening, farmers in different countries both raise sufficient
cattle and grow enough grain of various kinds to supply the almost incalculable
needs of the human race; the mails are almost evenly distributed over the six
days of the week; and some women shop on Monday, some on Tuesday, and so on. Do
not these things clearly evidence the overruling and controlling hand of God!
Having
shown, in brief, the imperative need for God to reign over our world, let us
now observe still further the fact that God does rule, actually rule, and that
His government extends to and is exercised over all things and all creatures.
1. GOD
GOVERNS INANIMATE MATTER.
That God
governs inanimate matter, that inanimate matter performs His bidding and
fulfills His decrees, is clearly shown on the very frontispiece of Divine
revelation. God said, "Let there be light," and we read, "There
was light." God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered
together unto one place, and let the dry land appear," and "it was
so." And again, "God said, Let the earth bring forth grass the herb
yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is
in itself, upon the earth: and it was so." And the Psalmist declares,
"He spake and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast."
What is
stated in Genesis One is afterwards illustrated all through the Bible. After
the creation of Adam, sixteen centuries went by before ever a shower of rain
fell upon the earth, for before Noah "there went up a mist from the earth,
and watered the whole face of the ground" (Gen. 2:6). But, when the iniquities
of the antediluvians had come to the full, then God said, "And, behold, I
even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh,
wherein is the breath of life, from under Heaven; and everything that is in the
earth shall die"; and in fulfillment of this we read, "In the six
hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the
month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the
windows of Heaven were opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and
forty nights" (Gen. 6:17 and 7:11, 12).
Witness
God's absolute (and Sovereign) control of inanimate matter in connection with
the plagues of Egypt. At His bidding the light was turned into darkness and
rivers into blood; hail fell, and death came down upon the godless land of the
Nile, until even its haughty monarch was compelled to cry out for deliverance.
Note particularly how the inspired record here emphasizes God's absolute
control over the elements-"And Moses stretched forth his rod toward
Heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the
ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and
fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all
the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail smote throughout all
the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail
smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field. Only in the
land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail"
(Exo. 9:23-26). The same distinction was observed in connection with the ninth
plague: "And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward
Heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which
may be felt. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward Heaven; and there was a
thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: They saw not one another,
neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel
had light in their dwellings" (Exo. 10:21-23).
The above
examples are by no means isolated cases. At God's decree fire and brimstone
descended from Heaven and the cities of the Plain were destroyed, and a fertile
valley was converted into a loathsome sea of death. At His bidding the waters
of the Red Sea parted asunder so that the Israelites passed over dry shod, and
at His word they rolled back again and destroyed the Egyptians who were
pursuing them. A word from Him, and the earth opened her mouth and Korah and
his rebellious company were swallowed up. The furnace of Nebuchadnezzar was
heated seven times beyond its normal temperature, and into it three of God's
children were cast, but the fire did not so much as scorch their clothes,
though it slew the men who cast them into it.
What a
demonstration of the Creator's governmental control over the elements was
furnished when He became flesh and tabernacled among men! Behold Him asleep in
the boat. A storm arises. The winds roar and the waves are lashed into fury.
The disciples who are with Him, fearful lest their little craft should founder,
awake their Master, saying, "Carest Thou not that we perish?" And
then we read, "And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea,
Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm" (Mark
4:39). Mark again, the sea, at the will of its Creator, bore Him up upon its
waves. At a word from Him, the fig-tree withered; at His touch disease fled
instantly.
The
heavenly bodies are also ruled by their Maker and perform His Sovereign
pleasure. Take two illustrations. At God's bidding the sun went back ten
degrees on the dial of Ahaz to help the weak faith of Hezekiah. In New
Testament times, God caused a star to herald the incarnation of His Son-the star
which appeared unto the wise men of the East. This star, we are told,
"went before them till it came and stood over where the young Child
was" (Matt. 2:9).
What a
declaration is this: "He sendeth forth His commandment upon earth: His
word runneth very swiftly. He giveth snow like wool: He scattereth the hoar
frost like ashes. He casteth forth His ice like morsels: who can stand before
His cold? He sendeth out His word, and melteth them: He causeth His wind to
blow, and the waters flow" (Psa. 147:15-18). The mutations of the elements
are beneath God's Sovereign control. It is God who withholds the rain, and it
is God who gives the rain when He wills, where He wills, as He wills, and on
whom He wills. Weather Bureaus may attempt to give forecasts of the weather,
but how frequently God mocks their calculations! Sun 'spots,' the varying
activities of the planets, the appearing and disappearing of comets (to which
abnormal weather is sometimes attributed), atmospheric disturbances, are merely
secondary causes, for behind them all is God Himself. Let His Word speak once
more: "And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet
three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused
it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece
whereon it rain not withered. So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to
drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto Me,
saith the LORD. I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens
and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the
palmerworm devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto Me, saith the LORD. I
have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men
have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made
the stink of your camps to come up into your nostrils: yet have ye not returned
unto Me, saith the LORD" (Amos 4:7-10).
Truly,
then, God governs inanimate matter. Earth and air, fire and water, hail and
snow, stormy winds and angry seas, all perform the word of His power and
fulfill His Sovereign pleasure. Therefore, when we complain about the weather
we are, in reality, murmuring against God.
2. GOD
GOVERNS IRRATIONAL CREATURES.
What a
striking illustration of God's government over the animal kingdom is found in
Genesis 2:19! "And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of
the field, and every fowl of the air: and brought them unto Adam to see what he
would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the
name thereof." Should it be said that this occurred in Eden, and took
place before the fall of Adam and the consequent curse which was inflicted on
every creature, then our next reference fully meets the objection: God's
control of the beasts was again openly displayed at the Flood. Mark how God
caused to "come unto" Noah every specie of living creature "of
every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the
ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls
after their kind, of every creeping thing after his kind: two of every sort
shall come unto thee" (Gen. 6:19, 20)-all were beneath God's Sovereign
control. The lion of the jungle, the elephant of the forest, the bear of the
polar regions; the ferocious panther, the untameable wolf, the fierce tiger;
the high-soaring eagle and the creeping crocodile-see them all in their native
fierceness, and yet, quietly submitting to the will of their Creator, and coming
two by two into the ark!
We
referred to the plagues sent upon Egypt as illustrating God's control of
inanimate matter, let us now turn to them again to see how they demonstrate His
perfect rulership over irrational creatures. At His Word the river brought
forth frogs abundantly, and these frogs entered the palace of Pharaoh and the
houses of his servants and, contrary to their natural instincts, they entered
the beds, the ovens and the kneadingtroughs (Exo. 8:13). Swarms of flies
invaded the land of Egypt, but there were no flies in the land of Goshen! (Exo.
8:22). Next, the cattle were stricken, and we read, "Behold, the hand of
the LORD is upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep:
there shall be a very grievous murrain. And the LORD shall sever between the
cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all
that is the children's of Israel. And the LORD appointed a set time, saying,
Tomorrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land. And the LORD did that thing
on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the
children of Israel died not one" (Exo. 9:3-6). In like manner God sent
clouds of locusts to plague Pharaoh and his land, appointing the time of their
visitation, determining the course and assigning the limits of their
depredations.
Angels are
not the only ones who do God's bidding. The brute beasts equally perform His
pleasure. The sacred ark, the ark of the covenant, is in the country of the
Philistines. How is it to be brought back to its home land? Mark the servants
of God's choice, and how completely they were beneath His control: "And
the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners saying, What shall we
do to the ark of the Lord? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place. And
they said... Now therefore make a new cart, and take two mileb kine, on which
there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves
home from them: And take the ark of the Lord, and lay it upon the cart; and put
the jewels of gold, which ye return Him for a trespass offering, in a coffer by
the side thereof, and send it away that it may go. And see, if it goeth up by
the way of his own coast to Bethshemesh, then He hath done us this great evil:
but if not, then we shall know that it is not His hand that smote us; it was a
chance that happened to us." And what happened? How striking the sequel!
"And the kine took the straight way to the way of Bethshemesh, and went
along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand
or to the left" (1 Sam. 6:12). Equally striking is the case of Elijah:
"And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and hide
thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou
shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee
there" (1 Kings 17:2-4). The natural instinct of these birds of prey was
held in subjection, and instead of consuming the food themselves, they carried
it to Jehovah's servant in his solitary retreat.
Is further
proof required? then it is ready at hand. God makes a dumb ass to rebuke the
prophet's madness. He sends forth two she-bears from the woods to devour forty
and two of Elijah's tormentors. In fulfillment of His word, He causes the dogs
to lick up the blood of the wicked Jezebel. He seals the mouths of Babylon's
lions when Daniel is cast into the den, though, later, He causes them to devour
the prophet's accusers. He prepares a great fish to swallow the disobedient
Jonah and then, when His ordained hour struck, compelled it to vomit him forth
on dry land. At His biding a fish carries a coin to Peter for tribute money,
and in order to fulfill His word He makes the cock crow twice after Peter's
denial. Thus we see that God reigns over irrational creatures: beasts of the
field, birds of the air, fishes of the sea, all perform His Sovereign bidding.
3. GOD
GOVERNS THE CHILDREN OF MEN.
We fully
appreciate the fact that this is the most difficult part of our subject, and,
accordingly, it will be dealt with at greater length in the pages that follow;
but at present we consider the fact of God's government over men in general,
before we attempt to deal with the problem in detail.
Two
alternatives confront us, and between them we are obliged to choose: either God
governs, or He is governed; either God rules, or He is ruled; either God has
His way, or men have theirs.
And is our
choice between these alternatives hard to make? Shall we say that in man we
behold a creature so unruly that he is beyond God's control? Shall we say that
sin has alienated the sinner so far from the thrice Holy One that he is outside
the pale of His jurisdiction? Or, shall we say that man has been endowed with
moral responsibility, and therefore God must leave him entirely free, at least
during the period of his probation? Does it necessarily follow because the
natural man is an outlaw against Heaven, a rebel against the Divine government,
that God is unable to fulfill His purpose through him? We mean, not merely that
He may overrule the effects of the actions of evil-doers, nor that He will yet
bring the wicked to stand before His judgment-bar so that sentence of
punishment may be passed upon them-multitudes of non-Christians believe these
things-but, we mean, that every action of the most lawless of His subjects is
entirely beneath His control, yea that the actor is, though unknown to himself,
carrying out the secret decrees of the Most High. Was it not thus with Judas?
and is it possible to select a more extreme case? If then the arch-rebel was
performing the counsel of God is it any greater tax upon our faith to believe
the same of all rebels?
Our
present object is no philosophic inquiry nor metaphysical causistry, but to
ascertain the teaching of Scripture upon this profound theme. To the Law and
the Testimony, for there only can we learn of the Divine government-its
character, its design, its modus operandi, its scope. What then has it pleased
God to reveal to us in His blessed Word concerning His rule over the works of
His hands, and particularly, over the one who originally was made in His own
image and likeness?
"In
Him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28). What a sweeping
assertion is this! These words, be it noted, were addressed, not to one of the
churches of God, not to a company of saints who had reached an exalted plane of
spirituality, but to a heathen audience, to those who worshipped "the
unknown God" and who "mocked" when they heard of the
resurrection of the dead. And yet, to the Athenian philosophers, to the
Epicureans and Stoics, the Apostle Paul did not hesitate to affirm that they
lived and moved and had their being in God, which signified not only that they
owed their existence and preservation to the One who made the world and all
things therein, but also that their very actions were encompassed and therefore
controlled by the Lord of Heaven and earth. Compare Daniel 5:23, last clause!
"The
disposings (margin) of the heart, and the answer of the tongue is from the LORD"
(Prov. 16:1). Mark that the above declaration is of general application-it is
of "man," not simply of believers, that this is predicated. "A
man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps" (Prov.
16:9). If the Lord directs the steps of a man, is it not proof that he is being
controlled or governed by God? Again: "There are many devices in a man's
heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand" (Prov.
19:21). Can this mean anything less than, that no matter what man may desire
and plan, it is the will of his Maker which is executed? As an illustration
take the "Rich Fool." The "devices" of his heart are made
known to us-"And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do,
because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do:
I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there I will bestow all my
fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid
up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry." Such were
the "devices" of his heart, nevertheless it was "the counsel of
the Lord" that stood. The "I will's" of the rich man came to
nought, for "God said unto him, Thou fool, this night shall thy soul be
required of thee" (Luke 12:17-20).
"The
king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: He turneth it
whithersoever He will (Prov. 21:1). What could be more explicit? Out of the
heart are "the issues of life" (Prov. 4:23), for as a man
"thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Prov. 23:7). If then the heart is
in the hand of the Lord, and if "He turneth it whithersoever He
will," then is it not clear that men, yea, governors and rulers, and so
all men, are completely beneath the governmental control of the Almighty!
No
limitations must be placed upon the above declarations. To insist that some
men, at least, do thwart God's will and overturn His counsels, is to repudiate
other Scriptures equally explicit. Weigh well the following: "But He is
one mind, and who can turn Him? and what His soul desireth, even that He
doeth" (Job 23:13). "The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the
thoughts of His heart to all generations" (Psa. 33:11). "There is no
wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD" (Prov. 21:30). "For
the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? And His hand is
stretched out, and who shall turn it back?" (Isa. 14:27). "Remember
the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else! I am God, and
there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient
times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I
will do all My pleasure" (Isa. 46:9, 10). There is no ambiguity in these
passages. They affirm in the most unequivocal and unqualified terms that it is impossible
to bring to naught the purpose of Jehovah.
We read
the Scriptures in vain if we fail to discover that the actions of men, evil men
as well as good, are governed by the Lord God. Nimrod and his fellows
determined to erect the tower of Babel, but ere their task was accomplished God
frustrated their plans. God called Abraham "alone" (Isa. 51:2), but
his kinsfolk accompanied him as he left Ur of the Chaldees. Was then the will
of the Lord defeated? Nay, verily. Mark the sequel. Terah died before Canaan was
reached (Gen. 11:32), and though Lot accompanied his uncle into the land of
promise, he soon separated from him and settled down in Sodom. Jacob was the
child to whom the inheritance was promised, and though Isaac sought to reverse
Jehovah's decree and bestow the blessing upon Esau, his efforts came to naught.
Esau again swore vengeance upon Jacob, but when next they met they wept for joy
instead of fighting in hate. The brethren of Joseph determined his destruction
but their evil counsels were overthrown. Pharaoh refused to let Israel carry
out the instructions of Jehovah and perished in the Red Sea for his pains.
Balak hired Balaam to curse the Israelites but God compelled him to bless them.
Haman erected a gallows for Mordecai but was hanged upon it himself. Jonah
resisted the revealed will of God but what became of his efforts?
Ah, the
heathen may "rage" and the people imagine a "vain thing";
the kings of earth may "set themselves," and the rulers take counsel
together against the Lord and against His Christ, saying, "Let us break
Their bands asunder, and cast away Their cords from us (Psa. 2:1-3). But is the
great God perturbed or disturbed by the rebellion of his puny creatures? No,
indeed: "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have
them in derision" (v. 4). He is infinitely exalted above all, and the
greatest confederacies or earth's pawns, and their most extensive and vigorous
preparations to defeat His purpose are, in His sight, altogether purile. He
looks upon their puny efforts, not only without any alarm, but He
"laughs" at their folly; He treats their impotency with
"derision." He knows that He can crush them like moths when He
pleases, or consume them in a moment with the breath of His mouth. Ah, it is
but "a vain thing" for the potsherds of the earth to strive with the
glorious Majesty of Heaven. Such is our God; worship ye Him.
Mark, too,
the Sovereignty which God displayed in His dealings with men! Moses who was
slow of speech, and not Aaron his elder brother who was not slow of speech, was
the one chosen to be His ambassador in demanding from Egypt's monarch the
release of His oppressed people. Moses again, though greatly beloved, utters
one hasty word and was excluded from Canaan; whereas Elijah, passionately murmurs
and suffers but a mild rebuke, and was afterwards taken to Heaven without
seeing death! Uzzah merely touched the ark and was instantly slain, whereas the
Philistines carried it off in insulting triumph and suffered no immediate harm.
Displays of grace which would have brought a doomed Sodom to repentance failed
to move an highly privileged Capernaum. Mighty works which would have subdued
Tyre and Sidon left the upbraided cities of Galilee under the curse of a
rejected Gospel. If they would have prevailed over the former, why were they
not wrought there? If they proved ineffectual to deliver the latter then why
perform them? What exhibitions are these of the Sovereign will of the Most
High!
4. GOD
GOVERNS ANGELS: BOTH GOOD AND EVIL ANGELS.
The angels
are God's servants, His messengers, His chariots. They ever hearken to the word
of His mouth and do His commands. "And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to
destroy it: and as he was destroying, the LORD beheld, and He repented Him of
the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed. It is enough, stay now thine
hand... And the LORD commanded the angel; and he put his sword again into the
sheath thereof" (1 Chron. 21:15, 27). Many other Scriptures might be cited
to show that the angels are in subjection to the will of their Creator and
perform His bidding -"And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I
know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent His angel, and hath delivered me out
of the hand of Herod" (Acts 12:11). "And the Lord God of the holy
prophets sent His angel to shew unto His servants the things which must shortly
be done" (Rev. 22:6). So it will be when our Lord returns: "The Son
of Man shall send forth His angels and they shall gather out of His kingdom all
things that offend, and them which do iniquity" (Matt. 13:41). Again, we
read, "He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they
shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of Heaven to
the other" (Matt. 24:31).
The same
is true of evil spirits: they, too, fulfill God's Sovereign decrees. An evil
spirit is sent by God to stir up rebellion in the camp of Abimelech: "Then
God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem," which
aided him in the killing of his brethren (Judges 9:23). Another evil spirit He
sent to be a lying spirit in the mouth of Ahab's prophets-"Now therefore,
behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy
prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee" (1 Kings 22:23).
And yet another was sent by the Lord to trouble Saul-"But the Spirit of
the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled
him" (1 Sam. 16:14). So, too, in the New Testament: a whole legion of the
demons go not out of their victim until the Lord gave them permission to enter
the herd of swine.
It is
clear from Scripture, then, that the angels, good and evil, are under God's
control, and willingly or unwillingly carry out God's purpose. Yea, SATAN
himself is absolutely subject to God's control. When arraigned in Eden, he
listened to the awful sentence but answered not a word. He was unable to touch
Job until God granted him leave. So, too, he had to gain our Lord's consent
before he could "sift" Peter. When Christ commanded him to
depart-"Get thee hence, Satan"-we read, "Then the Devil leaveth
Him" (Matt. 4:11). And, in the end, he will be cast into the Lake of Fire
which has been prepared for him and his angels.
The Lord
God omnipotent reigneth. His government is exercised over inanimate matter,
over the brute beasts, over the children of men, over angels good and evil, and
over Satan himself. No revolving world, no shining of star, no storm, no
creature moves, no actions of men, no errands of angels, no deeds of
Devil-nothing in all the vast universe can come to pass otherwise than God has
eternally purposed. Here is a foundation of faith. Here is a resting place for
the intellect. Here is an anchor for the soul, both sure and steadfast. It is
not blind fate, unbridled evil, man or Devil, but the Lord Almighty who is
ruling the world, ruling it according to His own good pleasure and for His own
eternal glory.
"Ten
thousand ages ere the skies
Were into
motion brought;
All the
long years and worlds to come,
Stood
present to His thought:
There's
not a sparrow nor a worm,
But's
found in His decrees,
He raises
monarchs to their thrones
And sings
as He may please."