The Providence of God

The Providence Of God Defined

Indeed the doctrine of God’s Providence is one of the great mysteries of the Bible. However, it is found on almost every page of Scripture. In fact, Providence is assumed and implied constantly by biblical writers, as we shall see. So what does Providence mean, and how is it described in the Bible? The best definition that I have seen of God’s Providence comes from Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology, it reads……

“God is continually involved with all created things in such a way that he (1) keeps them existing and maintaining the properties with which he created them; (2) cooperates with created things in every action, directing their distinctive properties to cause them to act as they do; and (3) directs them to fulfill his purposes.”

“Preservation”…

“God is continually involved with all created things in such a way that he (1) keeps them existing and maintaining the properties with which he created them;

Here Providence is described as God’s “continual involvement.” God has not left the world to spin of its own power, but He is constantly maintaining its activity by His own hand…

Hebrews 1:2-3 – 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. NASB

Here the Scripture says of God that He “upholds all things.” Could there be a more explicit statement of His “continual involvement?” Well, consider Colossians 1:17….

Colossians 1:16-17 – 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities– all things have been created by Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. NAS

Here the context of both the Hebrews and Colossians passages make it crystal clear that the scope of this “Preservation” is “all of the created order of matter and beings.” It would be wrong to think that God is somehow merely holding the planet in orbit, but not men and angels. This is continually affirmed in Scripture…..

Acts 17:28 – 28 for in Him we live and move and exist, NASB
Job 34:14-15 – 14 "If He should determine to do so, If He should gather to Himself His spirit and His breath, 15 All flesh would perish together, And man would return to dust. NASB

Therefore, when we think about God’s activity of Providence in His world, we should think of it as “continual involvement.” God is outside and separate and distinct from His creation, yet He is governing it by a mighty Providence. God is not somehow abstractly intervening in the events of History when He thinks its time to do something, but rather He is literally “the glue which holds it all together” and is constantly at work in the universe to hold everything together. God is not the creation (Pantheism), nor has God abandoned the creation to run by itself (Deism). Rather, God “keeps them existing and maintaining the properties with which he created them.”

“Concurrence.”

It is stated as….

(2) cooperates with created things in every action, directing their distinctive properties to cause them to act as they do;

Here we are saying that God “cooperates.” God is not everything, but rather cooperates with everything. He is separate and distinct from everything and further is cooperating with the things He has made is such a way as to “direct them.” This is seen is so many places in the Bible that it can hardly be mistaken. God is literally in control of Nature and History in such a way that He is involved in “every action, directing” them.

God’s control of Nature

When we speak of God’s control of nature we are saying that He is in control of planetary movements, weather patterns, animals and people, angels and demons, and every creature He has made. At the command of God burst forth the great springs of the deep in the days of Noah. With His voice opened He the heavens to pour down rain for 40 days and nights. Tornado and tempest, lightning and thunder, winds and waves- each one the servant of God sent to do His bidding and performing all His good pleasure. There is not a maverick storm in all the ages that He did not command its every whim!

Job 37:1-13 – "At this also my heart trembles, And leaps from its place. 2 "Listen closely to the thunder of His voice, And the rumbling that goes out from His mouth. 3 "Under the whole heaven He lets it loose, And His lightning to the ends of the earth. 4 "After it, a voice roars; He thunders with His majestic voice; And He does not restrain the lightnings when His voice is heard. 5 "God thunders with His voice wondrously, Doing great things which we cannot comprehend. 6 "For to the snow He says, ‘Fall on the earth,’ And to the downpour and the rain, ‘Be strong.’ 7 "He seals the hand of every man, That all men may know His work. 8 "Then the beast goes into its lair, And remains in its den. 9 "Out of the south comes the storm, And out of the north the cold. 10 "From the breath of God ice is made, And the expanse of the waters is frozen. 11 "Also with moisture He loads the thick cloud; He disperses the cloud of His lightning. 12 "And it changes direction, turning around by His guidance, That it may do whatever He commands it On the face of the inhabited earth. 13 "Whether for correction, or for His world, Or for lovingkindness, He causes it to happen. NASB
Mark 4:38-41 – 38 And He Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" 39 And being aroused, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still." And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. 40 And He said to them, "Why are you so timid? How is it that you have no faith?" 41 And they became very much afraid and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?" NASB
Psalm 103:20 – 20 Bless the LORD, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word! NASB

God’s control of events in History

Not only does God control Nature, but because of this is “in every action directing” the events of History. The Scripture plainly declares that God is the primary cause behind everything that happens.

Lamentations 3:37-38 – 37 Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass, Unless the Lord has commanded it? 38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High That both good and ill go forth? NASB
Isaiah 45:7 – 7 The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these. NASB

Now the fact that events are seen to be under the control of God is plainly evident in Scripture. In fact this is the main theme of the whole Bible! God is Providentially working His will in all things to accomplish His own purposes for the display of His own Glory, Name and Power!

Examples from the Old Testament

Many examples could be cited from the Old Testament, here are a few…..

The Creation Account – Genesis chapters 1-2
The Flood – Genesis chapters 6-8
The Confounding of the Languages – Genesis chapter 11
The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah – Genesis chapter 19
The Plagues of Egypt – Exodus chapters 7-12
The Exodus, Red Sea, Manna, Water from the Rock – Exodus chapters 14-17
Mt Sinai and the Giving of the Law – Exodus chapters 19-20
Defeat of Sihon and Og – Numbers chapter 21
Conquest of Canaan – Joshua
Numerous interventions in Judges – Judges
Defeat of Sennacherib and 185,000 Assyrians – 2 Kings chapter 19

Now concerning the doctrine of “Concurrence” , remember that God….

(2) cooperates with created things in every action, directing their distinctive properties to cause them to act as they do;

See now from the above passages that the Old Testament is literally riddled with accounts of God’s constant “directing of things to act as they do.” The Scripture plainly declares that God controls the events of History to achieve His own purpose and will. Further, consider that….

God’s providence over the nations is explicitly taught in the Scripture.

Job 12:16-22 – 16 "With Him are strength and sound wisdom, The misled and the misleader belong to Him. 17 "He makes counselors walk barefoot, And makes fools of judges. 18 "He loosens the bond of kings, And binds their loins with a girdle. 19 "He makes priests walk barefoot, And overthrows the secure ones. 20 "He deprives the trusted ones of speech, And takes away the discernment of the elders. 21 "He pours contempt on nobles, And loosens the belt of the strong. 22 "He reveals mysteries from the darkness, And brings the deep darkness into light. NASB

Here is seen God’s Providence over the economic and religious systems of the world…..kings and priests….God is seen to be Sovereign over the wise and the foolish, the strong and the weak….

Job 12:23-24 – 23 "He makes the nations great, then destroys them; He enlarges the nations, then leads them away. 24 "He deprives of intelligence the chiefs of the earth’s people, And makes them wander in a pathless waste. NASB

Here we see also that when a nation becomes great and powerful, it is God’s doing. And when a nation is destroyed, it is God’s doing. This is an irrefutable reality…. God is Sovereign over the nations of the earth! They belong to Him and exist for His purposes and for the good pleasure of His will. This fact is clear from many places in the bible like Psalm 22:28, 82:8 or 47:78 which says….

Psalms 47:7-8 – 7 For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with a skillful psalm. 8 God reigns over the nations, God sits on His holy throne. NASB

Note then that the Old Testament plainly declares that God providentially directs the outcome of the rise and fall of nations and explicitly teaches that God is constantly directing the affairs of the History of mankind.

Examples from the New Testament

Consider that the entire life and ministry of Jesus the Christ is a manifestation of God’s Providence in the affairs of History. Examine just a few of the accounts in the gospels….

The Virgin Birth of Jesus the Christ – Luke chapters 1-3
The Calming of the Raging Sea – Matthew 8:26
The Lame Walk – John chapter 5
The Blind See – John chapter 9
The Dead Live Again – John chapter 11
The Resurrection – Matthew chapter 28

Many other examples of “Concurrence” could be cited from the New Testament, here are a few…..

The Coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost – Acts chapter 2
Numerous Signs and Wonders done by the hand of the Apostles – Acts
Peter’s Deliverance from Prison – Acts chapter 12
The Conversion and Calling of Saul of Tarsus – Acts chapter 9
The Death of Herod – Acts chapter 12
The Trumpet and Bowl Judgments – Revelation chapters 7-11, 16
The Beast, False Prophet thrown into the Lake of Fire – Revelation chapter 19

Note then that the New Testament plainly declares and explicitly teaches that God is constantly directing the affairs of the History of mankind.

“Government”

(3) directs them to fulfill his purposes. This third aspect of God’s providence indicates that God has a purpose in all that he does in the world and he providentially governs or directs all things in order that they accomplish his purposes. This idea is clearly taught in Scripture.

Job 23:12 – 13 "But He is unique and who can turn Him? And what His soul desires, that He does. NASB
Psalm 115:3 – 3 But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases. NASB
Psalm 135:6 – 6 Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps. NASB
Isaiah 14:24-28 – 24 The Lord of hosts has sworn saying, "Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand, 25 to break Assyria in My land, and I will trample him on My mountains. Then his yoke will be removed from them, and his burden removed from their shoulder. 26 "This is the plan devised against the whole earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out against all the nations. 27 "For the Lord of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?" NASB
Isaiah 46:10-11 – 10 Declaring the end from the beginning And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’; 11 Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man of My purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it. NASB
Ephesians 1:9-11 – 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him 10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fulness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth. In Him 11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, NASB

Further, think of how God mysteriously works in the free choices of men to accomplish His purposes. This “Government” is most clearly seen in the passages in Acts…..

Acts 2:22-24 – 22 "Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know — 23 this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. 24 "And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power. NASB
Acts 4:27-28 – 27 "For truly in this city there were gathered together against Thy holy servant Jesus, whom Thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever Thy hand and Thy purpose predestined to occur. NASB

Consider then, if these things be true about God we should;

Fear and Honor Him

Obey Him

Love Him