Tag: God’s sovereignty

Digging in Deeper: Romans 9:19-21

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“You will say to me, therefore, ‘Why then does he still find fault? For who resists his will?’ On the contrary, who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Will what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ Or has the potter no right over the clay, to make from the same lump one piece of pottery for honor and another for dishonor?” (CSB – Read the chapter)

You may have noticed I didn’t post anything at all last week. Then again, you may not have as well. Either way, my bride and I were able to get away for a week to celebrate our upcoming 20th anniversary. It was a wonderful trip in every way, but we are glad to be back home safe and sound and in our own bed again. Let’s get down to business.

Have you ever seen someone do something with their own stuff that you didn’t understand? Maybe you got all judgmental toward them about it. If you had sufficient self-control, you kept all those thoughts to yourself. If not…well…then you probably had some other issues to deal with. Here’s the thing, though: It wasn’t your stuff. You really didn’t have any place to register an opinion on what she did with her stuff. Your opinion doesn’t make a bit of difference. Again: it’s not your stuff. Well, when it comes to creation, that’s all God’s stuff. What He does with it is not something on which we get a vote. Let’s talk about it.

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Digging in Deeper: Romans 8:28

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“We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

There are some verses in the Bible that just lend themselves to bumper stickers and cheap, Christian-themed wall art from places like Hobby Lobby. The promise they seem to make or the encouragement they seem to offer is so good that even the least cynical person almost can’t help but wonder if it’s too good to be true. Regular skeptics immediately start thinking of all the obvious exceptions and counterexamples to show why it’s not, and therefore why none of the Bible can be trusted. This is one of those verses. Let’s talk about what Paul is saying here, what exactly he means by it, and why it’s such good news.

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Morning Musing: Exodus 34:19-20

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“The firstborn male from every womb belongs to me, including all your male livestock, the firstborn of cattle or sheep. You may redeem the firstborn of a donkey with a sheep, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. You must redeem all the firstborn of your sons. No one is to appear before me empty-handed.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

When you use something that belongs to someone else, the owner typically expects to either receive it back or else receive some sort of compensation for your using it. Credit companies charge interest. Stores expect you not to take the shopping cart home with you. Your neighbor would like you to give his blower back sometime (and preferably still in good working condition). How should we respond to the fact that God created and owns everything in the world? Let’s take a look at some expectations He expressed to Israel, and talk about what they might have to do with us.

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Morning Musing: Exodus 23:29-31

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“I will not drive them out ahead of you in a single year; otherwise, the land would become desolate, and wild animal would multiply against you. I will drive them out little by little ahead of you until you have become numerous and take possession of the land. I will set your borders from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates River. For I will place the inhabitants of the land under your control, and you will drive them out ahead of you.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

My oldest is learning how to drive. As his most regular passenger, I can say with authority that he is doing great. He’s a very comfortable driver. There are a few situations, though, where he has not yet driven. He’ll get there just fine, but before he does, we’ll get him some experience under our watchful eyes. One of these experiences is driving downtown. Downtown driving, especially when you are used to small town driving, is different from driving around where we live. It’s more crowded, more stressful, has less room for error, and so on. If I were to throw him right into that kind of a situation before he’s ready for it, things would likely not go well. First, we’ll get him very comfortable driving in general, and then we’ll start exposing him to more. This is all kind of like what God told the Israelites He was going to do with them when it came to their entrance into the Promised Land. Let’s explore what’s going on here.

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Digging in Deeper: Exodus 9:13-18

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“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Get up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh. Tell him: This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. For this time I am about to send all my plagues against you, your officials, and your people. Then you will know there is no one like me on the whole earth. By now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague, and you would have been obliterated from the earth. However, I have let you live for this purpose: to show you my power and to make my name known on the whole earth. You are still acting arrogantly against my people by not letting them go. Tomorrow at this time I will rain down the worst hail that has ever occurred in Egypt from the day it was founded until now.'” (CSB – Read the chapter)

We’ve talked about this before, but one of the reputations God has resulting from people’s reading the Bible without understanding is that He is all anger and wrath. He looks for opportunities to judge, and delights in raining down excessive punishment on people for the smallest and silliest things. At a glance, the plagues in general, but especially this seventh plague seems to be a case in point of this. After all, what else are we to call a deadly hailstorm? Yet this plague is set within the longest narrative any of them have so far received, and this narrative paints a very different picture of God than a mere cursory reading reveals. Let’s talk today about God’s character, the judgment for sin, and why you really can’t understand one unless you understand the other.

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