God’s Sovereignty
Isaiah 37:16
Introduction: Reader’s Digest told a pre-teen girl who went to mom asking her where they came from. The mother thought that it was time to tell her girl about the wonders of birth, how a husband & wife in love create a new life, & that baby grows in the womb & after 9 months enters the world. The girl’s eyes grew wider & finally said, “Wow mom! That’s so much cooler than what uncle Rusty said. He said that he came from Pennsylvania.” Some things in life are mysteries. We can give complicated explanations but the simple explanations are the most accurate. One of the cornerstones of the Bible is the teaching about God’s sovereignty—meaning that God is in charge of all that happens in the universe. How can we explain God’s sovereign control in light of Sept. 11? Was it God’s will that those 19 hijackers kill 3000 people? What kind of answer do we give?
1. Isaiah & God’s Sovereignty
a. Isaiah 36-37 mention a crisis in Israel when king Sennacherib invaded Judah threatening to annihilate Jerusalem unless they volunteered to pay taxes to Assyria. That would be like Red China threatening the USA with nuclear war unless we pay a yearly tax to them. There were at least 185,000 troops encamped—probably more. So king Hezekiah prayed to God & asked for His help. Note how he began his prayer in 37:16—“O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned upon the cherubim! You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made the heavens and the earth.” (NASB). Observe, God of hosts, Jehovah Sabaoth—God of armies (plural). God has heavenly armies at his beckon call. He is called Israel’s God—meaning a relationship existed between God & Israel. He sits between the Cherubim, special angels who are always connected with defending God’s honor & name. Similar statement in Psalm 99:1 “The LORD is king, the peoples tremble; God is enthroned on the cherubim, the earth quakes.” How did God respond to Hezekiah’s prayer: An angel slew 185,000 of Assyria’s men in one night & Sennacherib went home in humiliation & defeat.
b. When God acts, we’d better be afraid. There is not one maverick molecule in the universe. This is the 1st thing we need to know about God but often it is the last. Men don’t often deny God’s existence as much as they deny the sovereignty of God, His right to tell us what to do. Most men want a jack-in-the-box god. We call him & he pops up; then when we are done, we push him away in the box & in the closet shelf & tell him to stay out of our lives. Some churches paint a picture of a God who is the savior but not the sovereign. Man wants a god on our terms, not his. We must be careful when people ask about the problem of evil & suffering in the world that in our explanations, we do not diminish God in any way. Some Christians in defending God’s honor actually deny His majesty. “Some things just happen in the world. God didn’t know about it & couldn’t do anything about it anyway.” Was God off His throne on Sept. 11th? On vacation? Caught off guard by the amount of evil? I am not minimizing the evil done on that day but neither do we need to diminish God’s authority. Some things are mysteries & too high for us. God’s sovereignty was not bestowed upon Him. He did not earn it. He did not acquire it over time. Think about it—how could you secretly plot to overthrow a God who knows everything? Could you hide an army in a place where God is not? What weapon could you shoot at a God to injure Him & force Him to surrender?
2. Daniel & God’s Sovereignty
a. When we accept this truth, it changes how we live, make decisions, face trouble, & how we treat other people. To deny this Bible truth is insanity. Daniel 4 tells of king Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of the world. He dreamed of a tree that reached unto heaven giving shade for all kinds of animals & food for men. In this dream, he saw an angel cut down the tree so only a dew-covered stump was left. He asked all his wise men the meaning of the dream & only Daniel could interpret it. Daniel was terrified & told the king, he wished it was about his enemies. Paraphrased—God doesn’t like how you strut. That tree is you. God had made you ruler over this planet but you live as if you are over God. You are cruel to men & you ignore the poor. He’s going to cut you down & you will become crazy—thinking you are a cow. “Seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will” (Dan. 4:25). A year later, the king is on his balcony admiring the city. “I built this by myself!” As soon as those words formed, God struck him insane for 7 years. They had to drive him out of the palace. He ate grass. He didn’t have the sense to cut his hair or trim the nails of his fingers/toes. When his sanity was restored, he made a great confession in Daniel 4:34-37. “And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honored him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honor and brightness returned unto me; and my counselors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.”
b. What did Nebuchadnezzar learn?
i. That God should be worshiped—“I blessed the Most High…” We should pray to Him, sing, & be enthusiastic about His kingdom. We should have a sense of appreciation & gratitude for what he does for us. Romans 1:21 “when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” Paul shows there is a link with ingratitude & mental illness—which is not to suggest that every person ungrateful to God will lose their mind; but some do.
ii. That God should be obeyed—“Whose dominion is an everlasting dominion…” Dominion is authority, rulership, and sovereignty. The Aramaic word means empire. God’s empire includes the righteous angels, godly men who have died, little babies, children, & mentally challenged people & faithful members of God’s church. God’s authority extends even to wicked men (living & dead) & wicked angels. There is coming a day when the Old Serpent must submit to his eternal destiny & all the kicking & screaming will be of no avail. “he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven…” No one is able to confront God for what He does in the universe. When Job wrestled with the problem of evil, God gave Job a list of questions that no one could answer. God’s point to Job is when you can create your own universe, then you can question how it is run.
iii. That we should be humble.