4. Mordecai and Esther
Question 1:
What’s something you’re willing to do that others might consider risky?
THE POINT
Encourage others to follow God’s leadership—no matter the cost.
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
Several years ago, my wife and I had the opportunity to travel on mission to East Asia. We were warned up front to be cautious in speaking in public about Jesus. The mention of hotel rooms possibly being bugged and spies watching our every move gave an eerie feeling to our encounter with the people.
One morning I was walking with an official from the school where we were teaching English. As we walked, he unexpectedly turned to me and said, “I have a Bible and I read it every day.” As I inquired further, this man revealed he was a “secret Christian” who had never told anyone of his faith. Now in my presence, he felt encouraged to speak out about his relationship with Christ.
We don’t need to travel to a distant land to know that in this antagonistic world, being a follower of Jesus Christ is not always welcome. Because of this, it’s critical that believers encourage one another and stand together for Christ.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Esther 2:5-7
5 In the fortress of Susa, there was a Jewish man named Mordecai son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite. 6 Kish had been taken into exile from Jerusalem with the other captives when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took King Jeconiah of Judah into exile. 7 Mordecai was the legal guardian of his cousin Hadassah (that is, Esther), because she had no father or mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was extremely good-looking. When her father and mother died, Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter.
Before we consider the two main people in this passage, let’s consider the events that preceded them. In chapter 1, Queen Vashti refused King Ahasuerus’s order for her to parade her beauty before the drunken banquet the king held for the people. As a result, the queen was banished from the king’s presence.
Some years later the king pined for the queen and was advised by his council to seek out a new queen. A beauty contest of sorts was held. The young women most likely were conscripted to become a part of the king’s harem. From this group the king would select his queen. Among these women was the young Jewish woman, Esther (her Jewish name was Hadassah), who eventually was chosen by the king to replace Vashti.
The writer of this book introduces us to Esther’s cousin, Mordecai, before mentioning Esther. Mordecai was part of a family that had been deported from Jerusalem under Nebuchadnezzar decades earlier. Mordecai was from the tribe of Benjamin, which was the tribe of Saul, the first king of Israel. He was the guardian of his cousin, Esther, whose parents had died. Not only was he Esther’s guardian, but he also mentored her through a major crisis that faced the Jewish people in Persia: antisemitism against God’s people.
Question 2: What are some ways family members can effectively mentor one another?
Mordecai coached Esther during a time of impending persecution that could have led to fatal consequences. That threat came against the Jewish people from a government official named Haman, whose animosity toward Mordecai and the Jewish people arose because Haman’s descendants, the Amalekites, were ancient enemies of Israel. God had given specific instructions to Israel to destroy the Amalekites and erase their memory from under heaven (Deut. 25). When we’re first introduced to Haman, he is identified as “son of Hammedatha the Agagite” (Esth. 3:1), indicating he was of the royal line of Agag. Thus his hatred of the Jewish people ran deep.
As the book of Esther unfolds, we see how, through the wisdom and counsel of Mordecai, Esther was able to defeat that hatred and save the Jewish people.
Esther 4:8-14
8 Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa ordering their destruction, so that Hathach might show it to Esther, explain it to her, and command her to approach the king, implore his favor, and plead with him personally for her people. 9 Hathach came and repeated Mordecai’s response to Esther. 10 Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to tell Mordecai, 11 “All the royal officials and the people of the royal provinces know that one law applies to every man or woman who approaches the king in the inner courtyard and who has not been summoned—the death penalty—unless the king extends the gold scepter, allowing that person to live. I have not been summoned to appear before the king for the last thirty days.” 12 Esther’s response was reported to Mordecai. 13 Mordecai told the messenger to reply to Esther, “Don’t think that you will escape the fate of all the Jews because you are in the king’s palace. 14 If you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will come to the Jewish people from another place, but you and your father’s family will be destroyed. Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this.”
The hatred of Haman toward Mordecai and the Jews reached a climax in Esther 3. Although the people were commanded to bow before Haman, Mordecai refused. Because Mordecai was Jewish, Haman seized this as an opportunity to kill not just Mordecai, but all the Jewish people. Haman persuaded the king to issue an edict proclaiming “open hunting” season on the Jews on a specified day in the coming year.
Engage
CHOOSING TO STAND
Choose one of the four images below that represents a temptation to hide rather than to stand for your faith. Then write a prayer asking God for the courage to stand.
My Prayer:
“But Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’ ”
LUKE 9:62
At this point, Mordecai called Queen Esther to action to save her people. To alert her to Haman’s plot, Mordecai obtained a copy of the decree and had it delivered to Esther with instructions for her to go before the king and plead with him to abandon this edict. Even in the face of seemingly impossible conditions, Mordecai called on Esther to do all she could do. His response to her was an affirmation that God had placed her in the position of queen for this very moment. She must do the right thing or die with her people. Their welfare, and her own, were in her hands.
Challenging those we mentor is a vital part of helping them grow. They must be challenged to do the right thing regardless of the consequences. We live in a society where people often choose the easy way. But the easy way is not always the right way. Those we are coaching toward growth must be led to understand that they must always choose what is right over what is expedient. In these days of increasing pressure to drop our Christian faith, lead other believers to recognize that God has a unique purpose for each of us. God has placed the light of our faith in this world “for such a time as this.”
Question 3: What obstacles can get in the way of us doing what is right?
Esther 4:15-17
15 Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go and assemble all the Jews who can be found in Susa and fast for me. Don’t eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my female servants will also fast in the same way. After that, I will go to the king even if it is against the law. If I perish, I perish.” 17 So Mordecai went and did everything Esther had commanded him.
Prayer is not mentioned in these verses but throughout Scripture fasting is always linked to prayer. Fasting, of course, is an extended time of forgoing eating to concentrate on God in pursuit of His presence, power, and answers. Fasting is first mentioned in Esther 4:3, as the Jewish people’s response to the devastating news of the king’s decree for the annihilation of the Jews. Now in verses 15-16, Esther asked Mordecai and the Jewish people to engage in an extended period of fasting and, by association, prayer. The purpose was to seek God’s favor for Esther as she approached the king.
Question 4: When has God answered your prayers on someone else’s behalf?
Esther recognized that she was violating protocol by approaching the king without being summoned. King Ahasuerus had already shown how volatile he could be toward women. In addition, the king’s advisors pretty much did whatever they could to ingratiate themselves to the king and his prime minister, Haman. The entire scenario was against Esther. Only God could change the situation. Thus, fervent prayer and earnest fasting over this matter were essential.
After calling for prayer and fasting, Esther declared, “If I perish, I perish.” With these words, she expressed absolute trust in God. “I’ll do God’s will, whatever the cost!” These were words of surrender to God’s will and words of confidence in God. As we face uncertain days, that must be our attitude as well. We must stand up for what is right, regardless of the personal cost. Pass this attitude on to those you are mentoring. Help them to see that absolute trust in God is essential in today’s world. Model for them the need for believers to stand together for God in our present world. Remind them that we are much stronger together as followers of Jesus Christ. Our world needs more “Esthers” and “Mordecais” to stand for what is right and true. May your work as a mentor produce these kinds of men and women for the kingdom of God!
Question 5: What can we learn from the relationship between Mordecai and Esther?
LIVE IT OUT
We should encourage others to follow God’s leadership—no matter the cost. Choose one of the following activities:
Evaluate. Spend time this week evaluating how prepared you are to face antagonism toward your faith in Jesus Christ. What do you need to do to strengthen your resolve? Set several short-term goals for spiritual growth.
Pray and fast. Choose a day in the near future for an extended time of prayer and fasting for both the person you are mentoring and the spiritual renewal that our country needs.
Be accountable. Plan to meet weekly with another believer for prayer and for holding one another accountable in your walk with Christ. This could be the person you are mentoring or another strong believer. We are better together.
Whether we find ourselves on a mission trip overseas or facing social pressure in our own country, our faith will be challenged. And we have a responsibility to prepare those we mentor for such occasions as well. Queen Esther is a great example of how to stand for God in such cases.
Teacher Notes:
We can be like the
child on board a ship who remained peaceful while wind and waves raged around
him. When asked how he kept calm in such a violent storm, he replied, “My
father is the captain.”
Keep Calm, and
Trust Your Captain
Video: One Night with the King
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4. Mordecai and
Esther
The book of Esther
is named after the heroine in the story of a young, Jewish woman who became queen
of Persia. Subsequently, she was able to use her position to save her people — the
Jews — from an evil plan of mass destruction.
This lesson teaches
us how to identify and overcome fear when it comes. We learn how to go from
fear to fierce by examining the exchange between Mordecai and Esther. Mentoring
is not sugarcoating, but honest interactions between mentor and mentee that may
include high stakes. A mentor’s job is not to baby or pacify mentees but turn
them into warriors willing to face ultimate costs for the call on their life.
Mordecai’s mentorship to Esther is the blueprint for execution in the face of
high stakes. Encouraging others to follow God’s leadership no matter the cost
consists of being honest, direct, and stern in messaging.
Opportunities
to mentor or influence others may be found with those who are closest to us —
family members.
Don’t
overlook them.
Esther
2:5-7
In the fortress of
Susa, there was a Jewish man named Mordecai son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of
Kish, a Benjaminite. Kish had been taken into exile from Jerusalem with the
other captives when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took King Jeconiah of Judah
into exile. Mordecai was the legal guardian of his cousin Hadassah (that is,
Esther), because she had no father or mother. The young woman had a beautiful
figure and was extremely good-looking. When her father and mother died,
Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter.
What are some ways
family mentoring might differ from other mentoring relationships?
Even God’s people
face life situations that are difficult and undesirable.
God may be at work
in ways we do not yet perceive. God can work through unlikely people and events
to achieve His purpose for His people and to bring glory to Himself.
Faithful
mentors continue to challenge others to do what is right, even if they
initially reject the counsel given to them.
Esther
4:8-14
Mordecai also gave
him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa ordering their destruction, so
that Hathach might show it to Esther, explain it to her, and command her to
approach the king, implore his favor, and plead with him personally for her
people. Hathach came and repeated Mordecai’s response to Esther. Esther spoke
to Hathach and commanded him to tell Mordecai, “All the royal officials and the
people of the royal provinces know that one law applies to every man or woman
who approaches the king in the inner courtyard and who has not been
summoned—the death penalty—unless the king extends the gold scepter, allowing
that person to live. I have not been summoned to appear before the king for the
last thirty days.” Esther’s response was reported to Mordecai. Mordecai told
the messenger to reply to Esther, “Don’t think that you will escape the fate of
all the Jews because you are in the king’s palace. If you keep silent at this
time, relief and deliverance will come to the Jewish people from another place,
but you and your father’s family will be destroyed. Who knows, perhaps you have
come to your royal position for such a time as this.”
When have you had a
“for such a time as this” moment?
Consider, when
faced with an opportunity to confront sin and injustice, that perhaps God in
His providence has brought you to that place for that very purpose.
Because we are
afraid of what might happen to us, we may convince ourselves not to take action
to correct injustices. While being silent may be the best approach in some
situations, our silence may also be perceived as consent or approval.
Conclusion:
We may not fully
understand why God is doing what He does until it collides with the courage to
stand and make a difference. We may get frustrated by the way things are, but
as we continue to walk with the Lord, we will know that His hand is guiding and
protecting us the entire time. May we continue to look to the Lord no matter
the situation, trusting that He will bring us through.
God's handiwork was
on full display in the life of Esther. Furthermore, despite the potential
danger to Esther, Mordecai, and the children of Israel, God positioned Esther
in the perfect spot at the perfect time. While Esther needed Mordecai to
inspire the strength and courage needed to address the king without an
invitation, she systematically put herself in a position for God’s glory and
Jewish freedom for the children of Israel. The results may not appear probable
due to current circumstances, but if we believe God is in control, an
expectation of victory should be anticipated.
One intriguing
characteristic of the book is that it is the only book in the Hebrew Bible that
does not mention God’s name. However, the author gives hints of God’s presence.
God is sovereign. He was at work in ways some did not see. He still is.
Sometimes He uses events, circumstances, and people as the instruments through
which He accomplishes His divine purposes. That was the case in the story of
Esther and the mentoring role of her relative Mordecai. He helped Esther
understand that God may place people in the right place at the right time for
His purpose.
Questions:
How would you
compare the person you were with the person you are? Can you see God’s hand
shaping and molding you? What does this teach us about patience?
Mordecai is a
Benjamite and a descendent of a man named Kish (Esther 2:5), which 1 Samuel
14:51 tells us is King Saul’s father. Haman is described as an Agagite, which
would be descendants of Agag the Amalakite. God told Saul to exterminate the
Amalakites, but he disobeyed (see 1 Samuel 15:1-3, 7-9, 32-33). How does this
understanding frame our understanding of Haman and Mordecai’s relationship?
It becomes evident
to Haman’s wife that he will be defeated by Mordecai and the Jewish people.
What does this tell us about the providence of God? Providence is the
protective care of God in our world.
How does the story
of Esther, Mordecai, and Haman help us understand the injustices we see in our
world today? How can we respond where God has placed us today? (Esther 4:14)
Esther 9:22 tells
us why Mordecai initiated Purim “as the time when the Jews got relief from
their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their
mourning into a day of celebration.” Where do you need to see God’s sovereign
hand at work in your life to help you rejoice?
The book ends
highlighting how Mordecai helped his people. Esther 10:3 says, “Mordecai the
Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in
high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his
people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews.” What connections do you
see, if any, with the story of Joseph? (See Genesis 37-50).
The book of Esther
may not explicitly mention the name of God in its pages, but it undoubtedly
showcases God's hand upon His people.
Lessons
From Esther: Mordecai Never Grew Weary
by Mark Schindler
April 1999
Just about everyone
knows of the daring exploits of four young men who were captives of the
Babylonians: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (also known by their
Babylonian names: Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, respectively).
Daniel's dreams and his faith in God, even in the face of death in the lion's
den, and the others' courage and faith in the blazing inferno have become
legendary. We look on them as towers of faith, strengthened by the great God to
do whatever needed to be done and not afraid to follow through on it.
Their faith and
courage are truly remarkable and to be imitated by us all, but we need to look
at another among the children of Judah who worked in the king's palace to serve
just as Daniel and his friends did. His name probably is not as readily
recognized as these others', but his whole life's work may have factored more
in preserving the nation of Judah than any other of God's servants during their
captivity. His name is Mordecai, and we read the essential part of his life in
the book of Esther.
This book is the
story of how godly Queen Esther came to the throne in Persia and preserved her
people from extinction through her wise trust in God. Without taking away from
her courage, wisdom and devotion to God, the real hero of the book is a
mid-level government official named Mordecai.
Day-by-Day Faith
The difference
between Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and Mordecai is in the Bible's
perspective. In the life of the three friends, we see a specific incident that
points to a faith that had been firmly developed and displayed in one
tremendous event. In Mordecai's life, we see him living day by day in faithful
patience even when things do not seem to go fairly — a lifetime of living God's
way and not growing weary in well doing!
Maybe the apostle
Paul had Mordecai in mind when he wrote, "And let us not be weary while
doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart"
(Galatians 6:9). We may relate easier to Mordecai than to the others because in
him we see ourselves striving to do what is right daily and in the seemingly
little things.
Perhaps we see our
lives and duties as burdens, and we are not patient enough to accompany God as
He works out His purpose in us. We may see events and circumstances as unfair
and begin to wallow in self-pity. If anyone could have seen his life this way,
it would have been Mordecai, but if he did, God did not choose to record it as
part of his character.
Esther begins with
the king of Persia, Ahasuerus1, demanding that his queen, Vashti, present
herself before him at a banquet so he could show her off. She refuses. Whether
she was justified in her refusal or not, as the commentator’s debate, she is
nevertheless dethroned.
Ahasuerus sends out
an edict for beautiful, young virgins to be presented to him so he can choose a
new queen. This is where we first meet Mordecai, trained like Daniel and the
others to work in the empire's bureaucracy. The Bible simply says that he,
probably one of thousands of government servants in the capital city of
Shushan, "sat within the king's gate" (Esther 2:19).
The Bible shows him
fulfilling the role of a diligent father of his young cousin, Esther, who had
lost both her parents (verse 7). Through the course of the book, we see that
Mordecai had instilled great wisdom, tact, humility, and grace in her
character. He commands respect and obedience from her (verse 20) — even after
she becomes queen!
When Esther leaves
for the palace to be prepared and presented as a candidate to be Ahasuerus'
queen, Mordecai warns her to use wisdom and not reveal that she was a Jew. This separates him from the daughter that he
had lovingly raised, but he, as a dutiful, even doting father, checks on her
welfare daily (verse 11). Even after she is chosen, Mordecai stays close to
make sure she is all right, though he does reveal himself as her father.
During his duties,
he uncovers an assassination plot against the king and alerts Queen Esther to
it. She, in turn, tells the king of the plot and the name of the man who
uncovered it, but Mordecai is not rewarded for his diligence and loyalty
(verses 21-23).
Five years have
passed, and not only has Mordecai not been rewarded for virtually saving the
kingdom, but an archenemy, an
Amalekite named Haman, has become the king's favorite and been
elevated to prime minister. Haman has the king decree that all must bow to him,
but Mordecai refuses because his loyalty is to God first. He will not bow
before someone God had said He would war against from generation to generation
(Exodus 17:13-16).
When Haman finds
out about Mordecai's refusal to give him obedience, he becomes incensed and
plots vengeance against all the Jews living within Ahasuerus' domain.
Exterminating the Jews becomes such an obsession that he offers the king the
equivalent of $10-15 million to let him destroy the Jews. He convinces the king
that the Jews, who have amassed considerable wealth within the empire, refuse
to obey the king's commands and follow only their own laws and traditions.
Ahasuerus issues a decree calling for the Jews' total extermination and the
confiscation of all their wealth!
Mordecai Mourns
When Mordecai
learns of the decree (Esther 4), he leaves the king's court, putting on
sackcloth and ashes as a sign of great mourning. He had been faithful in his
service to the king, though probably only in a mundane day-to-day job. He had
carefully raised Esther as his own, and now she sat as queen of Persia. He had
saved the king's life and never been rewarded. And now, after faithfully
following God's Word, he and all his people are scheduled for extermination!
When Esther finds
out about Mordecai's mourning, she sends emissaries to him to learn why he
grieves. He tells her that now is the time to go before the king and plead for
her people, but she fears being put to death. Persian law forbids anyone to approach the king without first being
called (verse 11).
Mordecai's response to her is the key to his
whole philosophy of life and not growing weary in well doing. He says: Do not think in your heart
that you will escape in the king's palace any more than all the other Jews. For
if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise
for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish.
Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
What a faithful man! He completely
understood the providence of God and his potential role in it if he remains
faithful. Despite
all the reasons he may have had to feel he had been cheated though he had done
what was required and more, his focus was still on God's purpose and plan. He
would do his part and encourage Esther to be valiant and do hers.
Once encouraged,
Esther sees her responsibility before God and moves to accomplish it with
humility, courage, and wisdom. At this point, the situation having been
completely entrusted to God, He too moves to resolve the situation swiftly and
equitably.
Not only does
Mordecai get the reward that he deserved years before, but he is clothed in the
royal apparel of the king, the royal crown is placed on his head, he is put on
the back of the king's horse and Haman must lead it through the streets,
proclaiming, "Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to
honor!" (Esther 6:11).
Haman ends up hung
on the gallows that he had built for Mordecai, and all his lands, titles and
wealth are given to the righteous Mordecai. All the Jewish people in the empire
not only survive but receive the upper hand!
An Above-Average
Life
The book of Esther
ends with these two verses: Now all the acts of [Ahasuerus'] power and his
might, and the account of the greatness of Mordecai, to which the king advanced
him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media
and Persia? For Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus and was great
among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren, seeking the
good of his people and speaking peace to all his kindred. (Esther 10:2-3)
Halley's Bible
Handbook says in its overview of the book of Esther:
It is impossible to
guess what might have happened to the Hebrew nation had there been no Esther.
Except for her, Jerusalem might never have been rebuilt, and there might have
been a different story to tell all future ages.
. . . If the Hebrew
Nation had been entirely wiped out of existence 500 years before it brought
Christ into the world, that might have made some difference in the destiny of
mankind; no Hebrew nation, no Messiah: no Messiah, a lost world. This beautiful
Jewish girl of the long ago, though she herself may not have known it, yet
played her part in paving the way for the coming of the world's Savior.
Mordecai knew this
(Esther 4:14). He was an average man who led an above-average life because God was in all his thoughts.
Mordecai was a
human being just like us. He had someone entrusted to his care just as our
children are given to us. He had a normal, mundane job that he apparently held
diligently. When a critical situation arose, he acted, doing more than he had
to. He never complained about not being immediately compensated. Even after
doing everything to the best of his ability and trusting God, he sustained
tremendous persecution, but his mind and heart never wavered. He patiently waited on God and His
purpose.
Because of his act
of loyalty, Mordecai's name was written in the book of records of the
chronicles of the king (Esther 6:1-2), and his faithfulness to King Ahasuerus
did not go unrewarded. Just like Mordecai, we have been promised great reward
if our name is found written in God's book of remembrance:
So, a book of
remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate
on His name. "They shall be mine," says the Lord of hosts, "on
the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them, as a man spares his
own son who serves him." Then you shall again discern between the
righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve
Him. (Malachi 3:16-18)
Our names will be
written there if we follow Mordecai's example of faithful and patient endurance
in living God's way!
1 Ahasuerus (Heb.
"venerable one") is used as a title for Persian kings. This
particular Ahasuerus was probably Xerxes, a powerful emperor who maintained an
empire from India to Ethiopia. The feast of Esther 1 corresponds to a six-month
feast mentioned by the Greek historian Herodotus, where Xerxes and his nobles
finalized three years of planning for war. They had been preparing an army of
2.6 million men and a navy that allowed him to cross the Hellespont by a bridge
of boats a mile in length.
What is
divine providence?
Divine providence
is the governance of God by which He, with wisdom and love, cares for and
directs all things in the universe. The doctrine of divine providence asserts
that God is in complete control of all things. He is sovereign over the
universe as a whole (Psalm 103:19), the physical world (Matthew 5:45), the
affairs of nations (Psalm 66:7), human destiny (Galatians 1:15), human
successes and failures (Luke 1:52), and the protection of His people (Psalm
4:8). This doctrine stands in direct opposition to the idea that the universe
is governed by chance or fate.
Through divine
providence God accomplishes His will. To ensure that His purposes are
fulfilled, God governs the affairs of men and works through the natural order
of things. The laws of nature are nothing more than God’s work in the universe.
The laws of nature have no inherent power; rather, they are the principles that
God set in place to govern how things normally work. They are only “laws”
because God decreed them.
How does divine
providence relate to human volition? We know that humans have a free will, but
we also know that God is sovereign. How those two truths relate to each other
is hard for us to understand, but we see examples of both truths in Scripture.
Saul of Tarsus was willfully persecuting the church, but, all the while, he was
“kick[ing] against the goads” of God’s providence (Acts 26:14).
God hates sin and
will judge sinners. God is not the author of sin, He does not tempt anyone to
sin (James 1:13), and He does not condone sin. At the same time, God obviously
allows a certain measure of sin. He must have a reason for allowing it,
temporarily, even though He hates it.
An example of
divine providence in Scripture is found in the story of Joseph. God allowed
Joseph’s brothers to kidnap Joseph, sell him as a slave, and then lie to their
father for years about his fate. This was wicked, and God was displeased. Yet,
at the same time, all of their sin worked toward a greater good: Joseph ended
up in Egypt, where he was made the prime minister. Joseph used his position to
sustain the people of a broad region during a seven-year famine—including his
own family. If Joseph had not been in Egypt before the famine began, millions
of people, including the Israelites, would have died. How did God get Joseph to
Egypt? He providentially allowed his brothers the freedom to sin. God’s divine
providence is directly acknowledged in Genesis 50:15–21.
Another clear case of divine providence overriding sin is the story of Judas Iscariot. God allowed Judas to lie, deceive, cheat, steal, and finally betray the Lord Jesus into the hands of His enemies. All of this was a great wickedness, and God was displeased. Yet, at the same time, all of Judas’s plotting and scheming led to a greater good: the salvation of mankind. Jesus had to die at the hands of the Romans in order to become the sacrifice for sin. If Jesus had not been crucified, we would still be in our sins. How did God get Christ to the cross? God providentially allowed Judas the freedom to perform a series of wicked acts. Jesus plainly states this in Luke 22:22: “The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to that man who betrays him!”
Note that Jesus teaches both the sovereignty of God (“the Son of Man will go as it has been decreed”) and the responsibility of man (“woe to that man who betrays!”). There is a balance.
Divine providence is taught in Romans 8:28: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” “All things” means “all things.” God is never out of control. Satan can do his worst, yet even the evil that is tearing the world apart is working toward a greater, final purpose. We can’t see it yet. But we know that God allows things for a reason and that His plan is good. It must be frustrating for Satan. No matter what he does, he finds that his plans are thwarted and something good happens in the end.
The doctrine of divine providence can be summarized this way: “God in eternity past, in the counsel of His own will, ordained everything that will happen; yet in no sense is God the author of sin; nor is human responsibility removed.” The primary means by which God accomplishes His will is through secondary causes (e.g., laws of nature and human choice). In other words, God usually works indirectly to accomplish His will.
God also sometimes
works directly to accomplish His will. These works are what we call miracles. A
miracle is God’s circumventing, for a short period of time, the natural order
of things to accomplish His will. The blazing light that fell on Saul on the
road to Damascus is an example of God’s direct intervention (Acts 9:3). The
frustrating of Paul’s plans to go to Bythinia is an example of God’s indirect
guiding (Acts 16:7). Both are examples of divine providence at work.
There are some who say that the concept of God directly or indirectly orchestrating all things destroys any possibility of free will. If God is in complete control, how can we be truly free in the decisions we make? In other words, for free will to be meaningful, there must be some things that lie outside of God’s sovereign control—e.g., the contingency of human choice. Let us assume for the sake of argument that this is true. What then? If God is not in complete control of all contingencies, then how could He guarantee our salvation? Paul says in Philippians 1:6 that “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” If God is not in control of all things, then this promise, and all other divine promises, is in doubt. If the future does not belong completely to God, we do not have complete security that our salvation will be made complete.
Furthermore, if God
is not in control of all things, then He is not sovereign, and if He is not
sovereign, then He is not God. So, the price of maintaining contingencies
outside of God’s control results in a belief that God is not really God. And if
our free will can trump divine providence, then who ultimately is God? We are.
That conclusion is unacceptable to anyone with a biblical worldview. Divine
providence does not destroy our freedom. Rather, divine providence takes our
freedom into account and, in the infinite wisdom of God, sets a course to
fulfill God’s will.
What Can
We Learn about God’s Providence from Esther’s Life?
“Providence”
appears in the last sentence of the Declaration of Independence. It has
appeared in thousands of other works published over the past 450 years. Yet, in
almost all Bible translations, the word doesn’t appear even once. In the book
of Esther, “Lord” and “God” don’t appear either. What do those (deliberate?)
omissions reveal to us today?
The first seven
books of the Bible all contain stories that make good men and women wince. Ruth
is the first book of the Bible that’s only PG-13. Then it’s back to more
wince-worthy stories at every turn from 1 Samuel to 2 Chronicles. The two books
after that dial it back to PG-13, but Esther… you get the idea.
Yet the Lord God,
creator of heaven and earth, knew exactly what He was doing before, during, and
after raising up Esther to save the Jewish people more than 2,475 years ago. In
her story, the Lord and His providence come together powerfully without either
being named.
Who Is God?
In our own
experience, it’s impossible to talk about “providence” without talking about
God. And it’s possible, but difficult, to say a lot about the Lord without talking
about His providence.
Two words begin to
tell us, who is God? They are...
1. Sovereignty
“Sovereign” and
“sovereignty” appear hundreds of times in Scripture. The first is a general
term for the Lord. The second is embedded 6,700+ times in the sacred divine
name, YHWH. The latter typically appears as the word “LORD” capitalized in most
modern Bible translations. When we discuss the Lord’s sovereignty, we can
describe Him as all-powerful (omnipotent), everything-knowing (omniscient), and
everywhere-present (omnipresent).
2. Providence
Unlike “sovereign,”
the word “providence” referring to God appears in a single Bible verse only
twice (Job 10:12 NIV and 1 Corinthians 10:1 MSG) out of more than 50 English
translations. In some ways, that’s fitting. After all, “providence” speaks of
God’s eternal, infinite, and mostly invisible hand at work in nations, tribes,
families, and individuals.
Many heroes of the
faith—including Job, Abraham, Joseph, Ruth, Isaiah, Ezra, Daniel, and
Esther—rejoiced in God’s providence, which increased their faith and trust in
Him.
Do God’s guidance
and goodness permeate your life? The answer is yes – even when God seems
nowhere to be found.
God’s Providence in
Esther’s Dramatic Story
Two generations had
passed since the first large group of exiles returned to the Promised Land. A
generation before the next group would return under Ezra, however, the Jewish
people throughout the entire Persian empire are threatened with extermination.
The story begins in
the courtyard of King Xerxes. On the seventh day of a great feast, his queen
refuses to let him make a public spectacle of her beauty. Enraged, Xerxes
deposes her and later selects a new queen, Esther. Unknown to him, Esther is
Jewish (Esther 1:1-2:20).
Esther's cousin, Mordecai,
helps her save the king's life. Later, however, Xerxes promotes Haman, a sworn
enemy of the Jewish people. Xerxes approves Haman's wicked decree to destroy
the Jews throughout the empire (Esther 2:21-3:15).
Mordecai urges
Esther to try to save her people by appealing to the king. They fast and pray
for three days, and then Esther speaks to Xerxes. Instead of presenting her
petition immediately, she invites the king and Haman to a banquet. Later that
day, Haman builds immense gallows and plans to execute Mordecai the next
morning.
That night,
however, Xerxes can't sleep. He orders one of his attendants to read the
historical records of his kingdom, only to be reminded how Mordecai had saved
his life. The next morning, Haman's plot begins to unravel, and that afternoon
Esther exposes his plot. Later that same day, Haman is hung on his own gallows
(Esther 4:1-7:10).
Esther and Mordecai
then receive permission from Xerxes to reverse Haman's wicked decree. Instead
of being exterminated, the Jews triumph over their enemies. The annual Festival
of Purim commemorates that victory (Esther 8:1-9:32). Then for many years,
Mordecai served as prime minister of Persia (Esther 10:1-3).
God’s providence at
work? Yes.
God at Work Behind
the Scenes
A prominent display
at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., lists the names of thousands of
individuals who risked their lives to protect and rescue Jewish people during
World War II. How many of these people were inspired by a woman who risked her
life to save her people nearly 2,500 years ago?
Esther, also called
Hadassah, was separated from her family and friends only to become the queen of
her pagan adopted country. She accepted God’s difficult and dangerous plan for
her life, thus fulfilling a purpose she could little fathom beforehand – saving
the entire Jewish population from annihilation.
Esther made the
choice to act in the difficult place God put her. She even risked her life to
plead with the king for her people. As queen, it would seem natural that Esther
would have the clout to enter the king’s throne room uninvited. But that wasn’t
the case during the reign of the kings of Persia and Media. Esther very easily
could have met the sword. Esther faced her fear with the prayers of others and the
conviction that God indeed is sovereign – no matter what the outcome.
Esther couldn’t see
God’s authority and power, but He clearly was at work behind the scenes. The
very structure of her story reveals this. Although this story does not contain
any obvious references to the Lord’s name, readers of Hebrew can easily spot
the letters YHWH – the Lord’s sacred covenantal name – repeated four times in
the original text.
In ancient Hebrew,
YHWH appears forward and backward, first letter and last letter (that is, all
four combinations within four consecutive Hebrew words) in Esther 1:20, 5:4,
5:13, and 7:7. We won’t reproduce them here, but we have all four in hand and
just re-read them. They’re real!
Not only are all
four combinations real, but all four appear only in Esther. Otherwise, they
appear fairly rarely throughout the 23,145 verses in the Hebrew Scriptures.
Even some skeptics have agreed that YHWH was intentionally woven into the book
of Esther. Forward combinations? Jewish speakers. Backward combinations?
Gentile speakers.
Because Esther
trusted God’s sovereignty and acted courageously, God used her to spare the
Jewish nation and crush their enemies. As well, Esther’s relative Mordecai
gained political power to continue serving the good of God’s people. Esther
herself is still remembered each year at Purim—the Jewish holiday (typically in
March) celebrating her bravery and God’s providence.
God is the same
today as He was in Esther’s time. Even in times of difficulty and danger, we
can act courageously because He will work all things together for the good of
His children (Romans 8:28-37).
God’s
Providence Applied in Our Lives
Nothing is more
practical than the doctrine of providence, for it engenders both faith and
godly fear. When Christ teaches us how to deal with anxiety, He reminds us that
God the Father feeds every little bird and clothes every flower with its lovely
colors (Matt. 6:25–30). How much more, then, should we trust Him to care for
His own beloved children? Whether one is willing to admit it or not, everyone
constantly lives in the presence of the living God. The more the believer is
conscious of God’s providence, the more it can be said of him, as B.B. Warfield
wrote, “Everywhere he sees God in His mighty stepping, everywhere he feels the
working of His mighty arm, the throbbing of His mighty heart.”
Our God is in
control. While we cannot fully plumb the depths of God’s ways, we can still
affirm that “of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be
glory forever” (Rom. 11:36, KJV throughout). There are many things for which we
do not know the reason, but for everything we know who has ordained them.
Obadiah Sedgwick wrote, “No one is so fit to govern the world as He who made
it.” His perfect wisdom, holiness, justice, power, love, and goodness will not
fail.
Consequently, we
can be like the child on board a ship who remained peaceful while wind and
waves raged around him. When asked how he kept calm in such a violent storm, he
replied, “My father is the captain.” How much more can the church sing: “God is
our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we
fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the
midst of the sea” (Ps. 46:1–2).
God’s providence
benefits believers in many ways. Let’s consider five of them.
TRUST IN GOD’S
FATHERLY SOVEREIGNTY
First, the
God-centered Christian worldview establishes our trust that our Father reigns
over all things through His Son by the Holy Spirit. The Heidelberg Catechism
says:
The eternal Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ (who of nothing made heaven and earth, with all that
is in them; who likewise upholds and governs the same by His eternal counsel
and providence) is for the sake of Christ His Son, my God and my Father; on
whom I rely so entirely, that I have no doubt but He will provide me with all
things necessary for soul and body; and further, that He will make whatever
evils He sends upon me, in this valley of tears, turn out to my advantage; for
He is able to do it, being Almighty God, and willing, being a faithful Father.
(Q&A 26)
The doctrines of
providence and adoption link arms to undergird God’s children with a wonderful
confidence. The sovereign God is their loving Father in Jesus Christ, so that
in all of life they “are pitied, protected, provided for, and chastened by Him
as by a Father; yet never cast off,” as the Westminster Confession of Faith
says (12.1). John Cotton exclaimed, “Is it a light matter for the God of heaven
and earth to be called your Father, since you are but men?” As our Father, God
will surely give “provision for a son here and provision for an heir
hereafter,” for “God nurtures us” and “hath given us an inheritance.”
We live in a
dangerous world. Disease, disaster, and war sweep many people into eternity
every day. Evil men oppress and abuse the godly and the innocent. Unseen to our
eyes, Satan and his host go about like roaring lions seeking to devour people
and drag them to damnation (1 Peter 5:8). The deceptions and passions of sin
rage in our hearts, so that we are never safe from ourselves. Realism demands
that we live wisely and prudently in such a perilous place.
However, Christians
need not live fearfully or anxiously but may cling to the promise of Romans
8:28: “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God.”
Thomas Watson wrote: “All the various dealings of God with his children do by a
special providence turn to their good. ‘All the paths of the LORD are mercy and
truth unto such as keep his covenant’ (Ps. 25:10).” He concluded, “The grand
reason why all things work for good, is the near and dear interest which God
has in His people. The Lord has made a covenant with them. ‘They shall be my
people, and I will be their God’ (Jer. 32:38).”
God’s providence
comforts His covenant people. Sedgwick said:
No good man ever
lacked anything that was good for him. I may lack a thing which is good, but
not which is good for me: “The LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing
will he withhold from them that walk uprightly” (Ps. 84:11).
God has a special
providence over His living church because we are the apple of His eye, His
lambs, His children, and His jewels (Zech. 2:8; Isa. 40:11; 49:15; Mal. 3:17).
His care for His people is entirely gracious, tender, mysterious, glorious,
exact, and often extraordinary.
The God-centered
Christian worldview establishes our trust that our Father reigns over all
things through His Son by the Holy Spirit.
SHARE
Faith in God’s
providence supports the Christian’s service to God. It is his shield against
all the attacks of Satan (Eph. 6:16). Warfield said, “A firm faith in the
universal providence of God is the solution of all earthly troubles.” Rather
than being paralyzed with fear or driven about by anxiety, the strong believer
stands on the stable ground of divine providence and advances ahead in firm
obedience and submission to his Master’s will.
CHILDLIKE FAITH IN
PRAYER
Second, people who
believe in God’s providence are people of prayer who know and believe that
their providing God commands, hears, and answers prayer. They know that “every
good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father
of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James
1:17).
John Calvin said: It
will not suffice simply to hold that there is One whom all ought to honor and
adore, unless we are also persuaded that he is the fountain of every good, and
that we must seek nothing elsewhere than in him. . . . No drop will be found
either of wisdom and light, or of righteousness or power or rectitude, or of
genuine truth, which does not flow from him, and of which he is not the cause.
Prayer is the cry
of childlike faith. When we pray, “Our Father which art in heaven . . . Give us
this day our daily bread,” as our Lord taught us (Matt. 6:9, 11), we
acknowledge God “to be the only fountain of all good, and that neither our care
nor industry” can get us what we need and desire without His blessing, and
therefore, we “withdraw our trust from all creatures and place it alone” in Him
(HC 125).
The Lord teaches us
to go to Him with every need, with all our frailty, with all our cares. Knowing
that He is our provider, we should seek from Him our food and drink, health,
clothing, good relationships in our families, success in our callings, the
Spirit’s power in our churches, and peace for our nation. We should cast “all
[our] care upon him; for he careth for [us]” (1 Peter 5:7).
Knowing God’s
providence fosters humility, which is vital for prayer. The Holy Scriptures
remind us that no matter how hard we work, we cannot get anything unless we
receive it from His hand (Ps. 104:28; John 3:27). Indeed, we cannot move a
finger, blink an eye, or think a thought without His enablement. We may have
the greatest skills and the most impressive list of experiences and references,
but “it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth” (Deut. 8:18). Even with
strength and skill, we might toil all day and fail to attain our goals. “Except
the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD
keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain” (Ps. 127:1).
Therefore, we must
trust in God alone and seek all good things from Him. Oh, to have a true sense
of our constant dependence on Him! So often people go to work day after day,
buy groceries, take medicine, pay bills, and enjoy pleasures—but do not give a
thought to Him and the fact that all depends on His will. Their hearts are
lifted up in pride, they forget the Lord, and they say, “My power and the might
of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth” (Deut. 8:17). Their prayerlessness is
the nail that seals the coffin of their spiritual deadness. But the child of
God has the Spirit of adoption crying in his heart, “Abba, Father” (Gal. 4:6).
He knows by a Spirit-infused instinct that all deliverance from evil and
enjoyment of good comes from his Father. And therefore, he prays. And you? Do
you pray? Are your prayers a sincere seeking after Him who is the fountain of
all good? Do you really believe in the God of providence?
PATIENCE IN
ADVERSITY
The Heidelberg
Catechism highlights three more benefits of knowing God’s providence:
That we may be
patient in adversity; thankful in prosperity; and that in all things, which may
hereafter befall us, we place our firm trust in our faithful God and Father,
that nothing shall separate us from His love; since all creatures are so in His
hand, that without His will they cannot so much as move. (Q&A 28)
A third benefit,
therefore, is patience in adversity. We naturally respond to adversity by
sinking into self-centered bitterness or falling into despondency. However,
even when our circumstances are turbulent or painful, the Christian should
cultivate inner quietness by exercising faith in God’s providence. David said,
“I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it” (Ps. 39:9). Godly quietness
under sorrow comes not from hardening our hearts and shutting down our emotions
but from clinging to God in the midst of the storm.
Christian patience
in adversity (“longsuffering”) is a supernatural fruit of God’s Spirit (Gal.
5:22). Unbelievers may grimly resign themselves to circumstances they cannot
change; believers, however, persevere in faith, believing that the greatest evils
will be turned to their profit, and will work for their good, in the hands of a
loving, faithful God. By God’s grace and in answer to prayer, we can be
“strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all
patience and longsuffering” (Col. 1:11). By the Spirit, Christ’s disciples are
willing cross bearers (Luke 9:23).
Those who believe
in providence rest in God’s purposes for their afflictions. They understand and
approve of God’s intention to train up His children to mature holiness by their
sorrows and trials (Prov. 3:11–12; Heb. 12:5–11). They say, “Before I was
afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word. . . . It is good for me
that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes” (Ps. 119:67, 71).
Though they often cannot see how, they trust that God is glorifying Himself
through their struggles, not least by showing that He is worthy of their faith
and godly fear even when He does not give them happiness here and now (Job 1:1,
8–11, 20–21). They live in union and communion with Christ and rejoice to
suffer with Him, knowing that one day they shall reign with Him in glory (Rom.
8:17). They resolve to “run with patience the race that is set before us,
looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:1–2).
The Christian’s
hope in God’s purposes depends on faith that He really does control all things.
Johannes VanderKemp said, “If no universal Ruler directed whatsoever comes to
pass, how should good men be able to quiet and comfort themselves in all their
tribulations? Would not their condition be worse than that of the wicked?”
One of the greatest
trials a believer may endure is that of spiritual darkness. Westminster
Confession of Faith 18.4 notes, “True believers may have the assurance of their
salvation divers ways shaken, diminished, and intermitted,” sometimes “by God’s
withdrawing the light of His countenance, and suffering even such as fear Him
to walk in darkness and to have no light” (see Isa. 50:10). Anthony Burgess
explained that God may temporarily withdraw a believer’s joy and assurance of
His love so that His beloved child may taste the bitterness of sin and learn to
hate it more, grow in humility, treasure joy and peace and not take them for
granted, glorify Him by obedience, and increase in compassion to comfort
others.
Whether or not the
saint walking in darkness can discern its spiritual benefit, he can rest in
knowing that his sovereign God always works for His glory and the good of His
elect. William Gurnall said, “The Christian must trust in a withdrawing God.”
Dear believer,
imagine for a moment that everything in life always went “your way.” You were
never afflicted. You never faced adversity. What would you be like? I know what
I would be like: I’d be a spoiled, immature, self-centered, proud sinner who
only believed in myself. Though my flesh does not always want to admit it, I
know deep within that I’ve needed every affliction that my heavenly Father has
ever sent my way to deliver me from myself and to conform me increasingly to
His Son. Without adversity, I never would be a sin-hater, a Christ-lover, and a
holiness-pursuer. I would not be the Christian that I am. I suspect you are no
different from me.
In all our
afflictions, but especially after we have come out of afflictions (Heb. 12:11),
we shall find that the bitterness of our sorrows is far outweighed by the
sweetness of God’s good purpose. Our loving Father will not waste one tear of
His dear children (Ps. 56:8). Samuel Rutherford said, “When I am in the cellar
of affliction, I look for the Lord’s choicest wines.”
THANKFULNESS IN
PROSPERITY
A fourth benefit of
providence, which can be as difficult to exercise as patience in adversity, is
thankfulness in prosperity. Although adversity is real, frequent, and sometimes
overwhelming, we are also immersed in God’s good creation, which is to be
“received with thanksgiving” (1 Tim. 4:4). God “giveth us richly all things to
enjoy” (6:17). We never lack good gifts, and therefore, never lack reasons to
praise the God of providence (Eph. 5:20). Wilhelmus à Brakel said, “The proper
use of God’s providence will render you an exceptional measure of gratitude and
will teach you to end in the Lord as the only Giver of all the good which you
may receive for soul and body.”
Gratitude is
essential to godliness. Without thanksgiving, we cannot obey God’s will: “In
everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning
you” (1 Thess. 5:18). Calvin said,
I call “piety” that
reverence joined with love for God which the knowledge of his benefits induces.
For until men recognize that they owe everything to God, that they are
nourished by his fatherly care, that he is the Author of their every good, that
they should seek nothing beyond him—they will never yield him willing service.
Both adversity and
prosperity have their dangers. “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me
with food convenient for me: lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the
LORD? Or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain” (Prov.
30:8–9). Both adversity and prosperity have accompanying duties: “Is any among
you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing psalms” (James 5:13).
Knowing God’s
providence fosters humility, which is vital for prayer.
At the heart of
thankfulness is the faith to look past God’s good gifts to appreciate the
goodness of God Himself. The Christian loves God more than His gifts and, while
grateful for daily mercies, counts the Lord as his portion (Lam. 3:22–24). He
sings, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God
of our salvation” (Ps. 68:19).
People rarely
appreciate the good things they receive, for they delude themselves into
thinking they deserve them. Few have learned the lesson of Jacob: “I am not
worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth faithfulness,
which thou hast shewed unto thy servant” (Gen. 32:10). The fact is that we
deserve to be tormented in the flames of God’s wrath and to be denied even a
drop of water (Luke 16:24–25).
When I visited my
father after his open-heart surgery, I found him crying with thankfulness. When
I asked why he was so grateful, he said: “A nurse just came in and moistened my
lips with an ice cube, and I couldn’t help but think of the rich man in hell
who had not one drop of water to cool his tongue. I deserve his portion.”
Have you ever been
truly thankful for an ice cube? May God help you and me to be truly grateful
for the smallest kindnesses shown to us by Him and by each other.
A GOOD EXPECTATION
FOR AN UNKNOWN FUTURE
Finally, providence
grants us as Christians an assured trust in God for the unknown future.
Therefore, Christians should be eternal optimists. Heidelberg Catechism 28 says
that the doctrine of providence encourages us to “place our firm trust in our faithful
God and Father.” Literally, the Dutch reads, “have a good expectation.” Child
of God, do you have a good expectation for your future? The hand of our Father
rules the world, and no one can stop His purposes from being fulfilled (Dan.
4:35). “God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord
Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:9). You are in the hand of the Father and the Son,
and there is no safer place in the world (John 10:28–29).
Since God rules
over all things, we can rejoice now that we will one day arrive safely at our
everlasting inheritance. Paul says: “If God be for us, who can be against us?
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he
not with him also freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:31–32). Paul glories in
the certain outcome of providence:
I am persuaded,
that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor
things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other
creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord. (vv. 38–39)
The doctrine of
providence also implies that the opposite is true. If God is against you, who
can help you? Nothing in all creation can shield you from the wrath of God if
you continue in your sins and refuse to receive His Son with a broken-hearted
faith. If you are an unrepentant sinner, consider that you are an enemy of the
God of providence. You do not trust His fatherly sovereignty but deeply resent
Him and prefer to worship gods of your own imagination. You proudly rely on
yourself rather than seeking His grace in prayer. You do not have a thankful
heart, though every day you breathe God’s air and drink His water. If you do
not repent, then He will take all good away from you and use His sovereign
power to punish you forever.
By His providence,
the Lord is gathering a people to Himself out of this wicked world. The most
extraordinary providence of God is His sending His Son to redeem sinners (Gal.
4:4–5). When evil men crucified Jesus Christ, they fulfilled the sovereign
purpose of God that His Son die as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45; Acts
4:27–28). God raised Christ from the dead by His power, and now Christ sits at
God’s right hand as the King of kings and Lord of lords (Pss. 2:6; 110:1).
Today, God is working through the gospel so that everyone who turns from sin, trusts in Christ, and calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Rom. 10:13). Could it be that God’s providence arranged for you to come across this article so that you would be converted and follow Christ? If you are not yet saved from your sin, then recognize that you are not reading these words by accident. God is speaking to you. By God’s grace, turn away from what you have formerly relied on and put your hope in the living God. And then rejoice, for God causes all things to work together for the good of those converted by His call, those who love Him (Rom. 8:28). In all their afflictions on the way to glory, they can say, “We are more than conquerors” (v. 37).
