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The God Who Is
Chapter 13
PROVIDENCE
Providence is the third work of God. In order to open the understanding, the reader is urged to prepare himself by reading Job chapter 36, beginning in verse 26, through chapter 42, verse 6; and Psalm 104. These chapters of the Bible will prepare the reader for this study by giving a sense of the majesty of God.
A Definition
Providence is the means God uses to effect His will. It is the means by which the good God brings about the purposes for which each thing has been made. All things happen by His direction, and therefore there is no place in the life of the Christian for fate: we are not fatalists. Neither is there any place for chance, for "The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD" (Proverbs 16:33). Nothing befalls any by chance. Neither is there such a thing as luck.
The Use Of Means
The London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689) declares the Bible teaches that God often uses ordinary means to accomplish His purpose. In Isaiah chapter 55, we read, "...the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater..." (10). In order to provide seed to the sower and bread to the eater, God sends forth rain from heaven to water the earth.
"So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it" (verse 11). The Word of God is not supposed to convert all: it is a two-edged sword that is intended to save some, and to call all others to judgment. It is the savor of life to some, and a savor of death to many.
Again, in Acts chapter 27, we have the record of Paul's shipwreck. Beginning in verse 30, we are told, "And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under color as though they would have cast anchors out of the fore ship, Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, `Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.' Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off."
Sometimes, God uses ordinary means to accomplish His purpose. He uses rain to provide food for the inhabitants of earth. He may use a boat to provide safety in time of storm. However, God is free not to use any means to effect His will.
The Lack Of Means
In Romans chapter 4, beginning at verse 19, we read, "And being not weak in faith, he," i.e. Abraham, "considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness" (19-22). God declared Abraham to be righteous because the patriarch believed Him. He simply took God at His word.
God is free to work without means to accomplish His purpose. In the case of Abraham and Sarah, God did not choose to use natural means to effect His purpose.
Above Means
God is free to work above instrumentation or "means." In Exodus chapter 14, the children of Israel were encamped before Pihahiroth. Before them lay the Red Sea. On each side were cliffs too steep to scale. Behind then in the distance they could see the army of Egypt in pursuit of them. Israel numbered 603,000 fighting men, not counting women and children, and the elderly. In all, approximately 3 million people came out of Egypt. The situation was desperate.
In verse 12, the people exclaimed, "Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, `Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians?' For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness. And Moses said unto the people, `Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever'" (12,13). Note the words of Moses: "Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD." God is able to work above means.
Against Means
God is also able to work against means as in the case of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. In Daniel chapter 3, in verse 27, we read, "And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them." God is able to work against means such as fire.