The Sovereignty Of God Over The Nations - Part 5

Wade Webster

In the previous parts of this study, we noticed the sovereignty of God defined and decared.  In this installment, we will see it displayed.

In Sovereignty Displayed

There are many examples in Scripture that show God’s sovereignty.  I think that it is easiest to see it in the lives of those who were kings.  After all, they had power, riches, and many servants at their disposal.  Although they were sovereigns, they were no match for God.  Consider three well-known examples from Scripture:

Pharaoh, ruler of Egypt – When Moses and Aaron delivered the command for Pharaoh to let God’s people go, Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go” (Exo. 5:2). Pharaoh was the ruler of the most powerful nation on earth at the time.  He was considered a god in Egypt.  He saw no need to submit to the God that his slaves worshipped.  When he refused to acknowledge the sovereignty of the Lord, he brought disaster on himself and on his kingdom.  In the Psalms, we read, “For I know that the LORD is great, And our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the LORD pleases He does, In heaven and in earth, In the seas and in all deep places. He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain; He brings the wind out of His treasuries. He destroyed the firstborn of Egypt, Both of man and beast. He sent signs and wonders into the midst of you, O Egypt, Upon Pharaoh and all his servants. He defeated many nations And slew mighty kings Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan, And all the kingdoms of Canaan—And gave their land as a heritage, A heritage to Israel His people” (Psalms 135:5-12). Again, we read, “To Him who struck Egypt in their firstborn, For His mercy endures forever; And brought out Israel from among them, For His mercy endures forever; With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, For His mercy endures forever; To Him who divided the Red Sea in two, For His mercy endures forever; And made Israel pass through the midst of it, For His mercy endures forever; But overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, For His mercy endures forever (Psalms 136:10-15). Amazingly, God used Pharaoh’s stubbornness to show His own sovereignty. We read, “What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens” (Romans 9:14-18).

The Sovereignty Of God Over The Nations - Part 4

Wade Webster

In the first three installments of this study, we defined the sovereignty of God and began noticing the Biblical declarations of it.  We will finish the declarations of it in this lesson.

The Sovereignty of God Declared

• “Then Job answered and said: “Truly I know it is so, But how can a man be righteous before God? If one wished to contend with Him, He could not answer Him one time out of a thousand. God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered? He removes the mountains, and they do not know When He overturns them in His anger; He shakes the earth out of its place, And its pillars tremble; He commands the sun, and it does not rise; He seals off the stars; He alone spreads out the heavens, And treads on the waves of the sea; He made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, And the chambers of the south; He does great things past finding out, Yes, wonders without number. If He goes by me, I do not see Him; If He moves past, I do not perceive Him; If He takes away, who can hinder Him? Who can say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’ God will not withdraw His anger, The allies of the proud lie prostrate beneath Him” (Job 9:1-13). Again, Job said, “But He is unique, and who can make Him change? And whatever His soul desires, that He does. For He performs what is appointed for me, And many such things are with Him (Job 23:13-14). Finally, we read, “Job answered the LORD and said: Again, Job said, I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You” (Job 42:1-2).
• “But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases” (Psalms 115:3).
• “For I know that the LORD is great, And our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the LORD pleases He does, In heaven and in earth, In the seas and in all deep places. He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain; He brings the wind out of His treasuries. He destroyed the firstborn of Egypt, Both of man and beast. He sent signs and wonders into the midst of you, O Egypt, Upon Pharaoh and all his servants. He defeated many nations And slew mighty kings— Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan, And all the kingdoms of Canaan—And gave their land as a heritage,A heritage to Israel His people. Your name, O LORD, endures forever, Your fame, O LORD, throughout all generations. For the LORD will judge His people, And He will have compassion on His servants. The idols of the nations are silver and gold, The work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see; They have ears, but they do not hear; Nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them are like them; So is everyone who trusts in them. Bless the LORD, O house of Israel Bless the LORD, O house of Aaron! Bless the LORD, O house of Levi! You who fear the LORD, bless the LORD! Blessed be the LORD out of Zion, Who dwells in Jerusalem! Praise the LORD!” (Psalms 135:5-21).
• “The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the LORD” (Proverbs 16:33).
• “The great God who formed everything Gives the fool his hire and the transgressor his wages” (Proverbs 26:10).
• “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen” (Matthew 28:18-20).
• “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left” (Matthew 25:31-33).
• “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:36)

These declarations make clear that God does what He wants and no man can prevent Him from doing so.

It may seem at times that no one is in charge. In the 1930’s, Winston Churchill felt that way. He was frustrated that no one, including Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, was taking Adolf Hitler seriously. Churchill went around fuming and quoting a line from a little poem. The poem asked, “Who’s in charge of the clattering train?” In Churchill’s mind the answer was obvious - no one (Jeremiah 178).. It may seem like that at times in our country, but we are not trapped in an aimless universe, living a meaningless life, or dying a hopeless death. God is on His throne. If He wasn’t, then we wouldn’t still be here (Heb. 1:3).

The Sovereignty Of God Over The Nations - Part 3

Wade Webster

In the last installment of this study, we notice the sovereignty of God declared in the titles of Scripture.  In this part of our study, we will see it declared in simple statements in the Scriptures.

Sovereignty Declared

In addition to the titles that we have in Scripture identifying God as sovereign over the nations, there are clear statements of His sovereignty. Consider a few of these statements:

• “And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength. They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble. The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, and he hath set the world upon them. He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed” (1 Sam. 2:1-10).
• “Then the LORD said to Samuel: “Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them. And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” So Samuel lay down until morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision. Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son!” He answered, “Here I am.” And he said, “What is the word that the LORD spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the things that He said to you.” Then Samuel told him everything, and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the LORD. Let Him do what seems good to Him” (1 Sam. 3:11-18).

“Therefore David blessed the LORD before all the assembly; and David said: “Blessed are You, LORD God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, And You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great And to give strength to all. “Now therefore, our God, We thank You And praise Your glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people, That we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, And of Your own we have given You. For we are aliens and pilgrims before You, As were all our fathers; Our days on earth are as a shadow, And without hope” (1 Chron. 29:10-15).

The Sovereignty Of God Over The Nations - Part 2

Wade Webster

In the first part of this study, we introduced the sovereignty of God.  In this second part of our study, we want to define it and to see it declared.

The Sovereignty Defined

What is the sovereignty of God? No doubt, most of us have heard of it, but we might struggle to define it. Let’s start with the word sovereign. A sovereign is a king or a ruler. Thus, the sovereignty of God deals with God’s position as a ruler. Sovereignty is defined as absolute rule or authority. God has absolute rule over His creation. He doesn’t have to answer to anyone for His actions. He doesn’t need anyone’s help to do what He wants to do.  Nor, for that matter, can anyone stop Him or hinder Him. God sits on the throne of the universe as Lord and He does what He wants. Consider some verses that speak of His rule:

• For the kingdom is the LORD’s, And He rules over the nations” (Psalms 22:28).
• “God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne” (Psalms 47:8).
• “Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; All nations shall serve Him” (Psalms 72:11).
• “Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Give to the LORD glory and strength. Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth. Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns; The world also is firmly established, It shall not be moved; He shall judge the peoples righteously” (Psalms 96:7-10).
• “The LORD has established His throne in heaven, And His kingdom rules over all” (Psalms 103:19).

Most sovereigns have a limited territory and rule. They rule a limited area for a limited time. God does not have these limitations.  He is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and eternal. No one can overpower Him, outthink Him, outflank Him, or outlive Him. He is Sovereign of sovereigns.

Sovereignty Declared

If the sovereignty of God is Biblical, and it is, then we should be able to find proof of it in the Bible. Please consider how God is described:

• Abraham called God the “Judge of all the earth” (Genesis 18:25).
• David called God “the King over all the earth” (Psa. 47; 83).
• •Isaiah called God “the God of the whole earth” (Isaiah 54:5).
• Jeremiah called God the “King of the nations” (Jeremiah 10:6-7).
• Micah and Zechariah called God, the “Lord of the whole earth” (Mic. 4:18; Zech 4:14).
• Paul described Jesus as “the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords” (1Timothy 6:13-16).
• John described God as “the Lord God Omnipotent” (Revelation 19:6).

Clearly, these titles identify God as being sovereign over the nations.

The Sovereignty Of God Over The Nations - Part 1

Wade Webster

The most important thought that a man can have is what He thinks about God.  If we think correctly about God, then we will likely get many other things right.  If we think incorrectly about God, then we will likely get many other things wrong.  Jesus suggested a similar thought in a discussion that He had with the Pharisees. He asked, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” (Mat. 22:41-42, NKJV).  What they thought about Christ was the most important thought that they could have.  As you know, they got this wrong and many other wrong things followed it. They understood that Christ was going to be the son of David (Mat. 22:42), but they missed that Christ was also going to be the Lord of David (Mat. 22:45).

How we think about God is the most important thought that we can have because it determines what we do for God.  If we think that God is a great God, then we will do great things for Him.  If we think less of God, then we will do lesser things for Him.  Compare how Solomon and the people of Malachi’s day thought about God.  Solomon thought that God was a great God and he did great things for him.  Consider what he said to Hiram, king of Tyre:

And the temple which I build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. But who is able to build Him a temple, since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I then, that I should build Him a temple, except to burn sacrifice before Him? Therefore send me at once a man skillful to work in gold and silver, in bronze and iron, in purple and crimson and blue, who has skill to engrave with the skillful men who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided. Also send me cedar and cypress and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants have skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and indeed my servants will be with your servants, to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the temple which I am about to build shall be great and wonderful (2 Chronicles 2:5-9).

Great thoughts about God produce great deeds for God.  In contrast, the people of Malachi’s day thought less of God and did less for Him.  In fact, their thinking about God was so bad that God confronted them about it.  We read, 

A son honors his father, And a servant his master. If then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence? Says the LORD of hosts To you priests who despise My name. Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’ “You offer defiled food on My altar, But say, ‘In what way have we defiled You?’ By saying, The table of the LORD is contemptible.’ And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, Is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, Is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably?” Says the LORD of hosts. “But now entreat God’s favor, That He may be gracious to us. While this is being done by your hands, Will He accept you favorably?” Says the LORD of hosts. “Who is there even among you who would shut the doors, So that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain? I have no pleasure in you,” Says the LORD of hosts, “Nor will I accept an offering from your hands. For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations,” Says the LORD of hosts. “But you profane it, In that you say, The table of the LORD is defiled; And its fruit, its food, is contemptible.’ You also say, ‘Oh, what a weariness!’ And you sneer at it,” Says the LORD of hosts. “And you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick; Thus you bring an offering! Should I accept this from your hand?” Says the LORD. “But cursed be the deceiver Who has in his flock a male, And takes a vow, But sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished—For I am a great King,” Says the LORD of hosts, “And My name is to be feared among the nations” (Malachi 1:6-14).

Little thoughts about God produce little deeds for God. It will be our goal in this study to get our thoughts about God to be right.  Specifically, we want to get our thoughts about God’s sovereignty right.  In this study, we will see God’s sovereignty defined, declared, displayed, and dismissed.