GOD MOVES THROUGH HUMAN EVENTS AND HISTORY TO ACCOMPLISH HIS WILL ON EARTH
God accomplishes His will on earth throughout history by directing human events. A perfect example that is relevant to our time is found in Isaiah 45.1-13. In these verses we see Isaiah predicting the rebuilding of the first temple after the Babylonians destroyed it. God's instrument would be Cyrus king of Persia. Isaiah prophesied this almost 150 years before it would take place.
¶ Thus saith the LORD to his Messiah, to Cyrus, whom I have taken by his right hand to subdue Gentiles before him and to loose the loins of kings. To open before him the two-leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut:
2 I will go before thee and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut in sunder the bars of iron:
3 And I will give thee the hidden treasures and the well-guarded secrets that thou may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who gives thee thy name.
4 For Jacob my slave’s sake and Israel my elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.
God is telling Cyrus that he will be God's instrument in restoring salvation to Israel. The whole world will know that the LORD is the God of Israel when they see this. The entire world will benefit from this restoration, as they too, will see the one true God of the universe and worship Him.
God calls Cyrus His annointed one--Messiah. God is going to restore His people to their land through Cyrus.
5 ¶ I am the LORD, and there is no one else; there is no God beside me; I shall gird thee, though thou hast not known me
6 that it may be known from the rising of the sun and from where it goes down that there is no one beside me. I am the LORD, and there is no one else.
7 I form the light and create darkness; I make peace and create evil: I am the LORD that does all this.
8 Release, ye heavens, from above, and the clouds shall pour down righteousness; let the earth open up, and let salvation and righteousness bear their fruit; let them produce fruit together; I the LORD have created it.
God is not giving Cyrus great victories for Cyrus' sake. Rather, the purpose of Cyrus' success is to liberate Israel and spread the fame of the God of Israel throughout the nations.
Notice that God says He has formed light and created darkness. Darkness is the created substance out of which light comes forth. God speaks and there is light. Creation took place in darkness.
God makes peace and creates evil. All that God made was good--but evil came forth. Why? God does not create robots--he gave men and angels free will. Free will gives evil an opportunity. God desires we put away evil and turn to His ways.
9 Woe unto him that strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashions it, What doth thou make; thy work has no form?
10 Woe unto him that says unto his father, Why dost thou beget? or to the woman, Why hast thou brought forth?
The nations question and are surprised that God would choose a Gentile Persian king to restore Israel. God rebukes them for questioning His ways and means of choosing whom to work through.
11 ¶ Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come; inquire of me concerning my sons and concerning the work of my hands.
12 I have made the earth, and created man upon it, I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens and I have commanded all their host.
13 I have awakened him in righteousness, and I will make straight all his ways; he shall build my city, and he shall loose my captives, not for price nor for bribes, saith the LORD of the hosts.
God exhorts the nations/mankind to seek Him and His ways rather than questioning Him. He wants to share His plans with us and partner with us--we kick against the pricks and question.
The exiles will not have to pay a price to Cyrus for their liberation. God will personally reward Cyrus for this act.
How can we understand God's ways? In modern times He restored the Jewish people to the land of Israel through the horrors of the Holocaust. The Jewish people were kicking against the pricks--they did not believe that Hitler could do such horrible things. They refused to immigrate to Palestine. They thought they could integrate into European countries and that they would be accepted as citizens of the nations they called home--they were not. God moved them to the Holy Land through a terrible holocaust.
Why did Europe experience two devastating world wars? I believe it was because of their anti-semitism. They would not accept Jewish people as national citizens. They constantly harassed the Jews. The two terrible world wars were a judgment on Europe. These are difficult things for us to understand.
God knows that by giving us free will we have the seed of disobedience and evil within us. He does not want robots--He wants us to approach Him and yield to His wisdom and leading. He has established His law (Torah) and shown us how we are to live. The penalties for disobedience are laid out in Deut 28 and Lev 26.
It is man that brings judgment on himself. When we disobey God's spiritual laws then the consequences automatically begin to go into operation. Even in this God allows the consequences to play out very slowly--they do not always happen quickly. He gives us time to repent and change course.
When we look at the unfolding of history we see this principle working in human events. God is not some sniveling father. He allows us time. The laws are on the books and when we choose to ignore them we suffer the consequences personally and nationally.
The apostle Paul said, "We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to
sin."
He understood the principle. When we sin the spiritual laws begin to go into action. When we repent, our judge, the Lord, remits the sentence.
If we are hard hearted than the law takes matters into its own hands. God is not watching us and gleefully waiting to judge us. He is righteous and demands righteousness--so does His law. He is waiting for us to call out and turn back--then we experience His mercy!
Our God is active in human events. All that is happening has a purpose and a definite end. God will achieve His will on earth in spite of mankind. We will all be much better off in the Millennial Kingdom to come. Until that day God is shaking the nations and preparing to be glorified in the earth.
No comments:
Post a Comment