Introduction: What do you think God’s “providence” means?
Our recent lessons remind me of a meat slicing machine that
I observed as a young man. The machine could make impossibly
thin slices. In the last few lessons we have discussed
interrelated topics such as whether God is responsible for
evil, whether God is just, and whether God executes
judgment. These all have in common the question of how God
deals with humans. This week our “slice” is whether God,
consistent with His providential care, controls all that
happens on earth? If He does, why doesn’t He put a brake on
terrible events? Why doesn’t He eliminate adversity in our
lives? Once again, let’s plunge into our study of the Bible
to see what we can learn about our God!
I. Who Is In Charge?
A. Read Genesis 22:1-2. What does God’s providence
look like in this instruction to Abraham? (This
makes no sense. In Genesis 21:12 God promised
Abraham that his descendants would come through
Isaac. On the theological front, 2 Kings 16:3
tells us offering your child as a burned sacrifice
was a “despicable” practice of the nations God
drove out of the promised land.)
B. We will skip the verses telling us that Abraham
took the steps to obey God. Read Genesis 22:9-12.
What is God’s will in this story? (His will is
that Isaac not be killed. This is not obvious to
the reader until we get to this verse.)
C. Read again Genesis 22:12. If God knows everything,
how can he say, “Now I know that you fear God?”
(The easy answer is that God allows us to choose,
and He does not control or know our choice in
advance.)
1. How does this story make sense? (Genesis 22:1
tells us that this is a “test.” Of greatest
importance is that this illustrates how hard
it was for God the Father to give up Jesus to
torture and death.)
2. How is God letting us choose consistent with
God being in charge? And why would God the
Father give up His own Son to torture and
murder? (God is, because of our sin, forced to
make choices that He does not want.)
3. How do we reconcile this verse to the idea
that God knows the future? (I look at this like
a chess board. God knows all the moves that we
can make, and He knows the outcomes of the
moves. In that sense He is in charge. But that
also creates problems for His providence as we
will see next.)
D. Read Psalms 81:10-14. Let’s take a little tour of
history. God’s people were enslaved in Egypt for
hundreds of years. When God rescued them from
slavery, only two of the original group of
thousands survived to enter the land promised to
them. How do these verses answer those who say
that following God is a risky business? (They tell
us that while God remained available for help and
to ensure success, the people were not following
God. They chose to follow their own desires. The
result was calamity.)
E. Read Isaiah 30:15. Has God laid out a path for
rest and success? (Yes. God says if you follow My
plan and return to Me you will enjoy rest,
salvation, and quiet confidence.)
1. Did the people follow God’s plan? (No. They
were “unwilling.”)
F. Read Isaiah 30:16. What is special about fleeing
on horses? Riding “swift steeds?” (Horses were the
cutting edge military invention. Horses meant you
could move with quickness and power.)
1. For what are God’s people using them? (To
flee!)
2. Is it working? (No. Those pursuing them also
have horses.)
G. Read Isaiah 30:17. Are the people confident in
victory? (No. They are cowards. A thousand of them
run away from one person. Five enemy soldiers make
them run. The end of all of this cowardice is that
they are completely vulnerable, they are in plain
sight, and the enemy cannot miss seeing where they
are located.)
H. What are we to conclude from Psalms 81 and Isaiah
30 regarding God protecting us from evil? (He
protects us and gives us peace if we turn to Him.
If we do not, we are destroyed.)
1. What do these texts teach us about God getting
His way? God’s providence being fulfilled? (He
wanted His people to win. God did not get what
He wanted.)
II. The Difficulty of Providence
A. Read Hebrews 11:32-34. In the prior section we saw
that people did not enjoy the great things God had
planned for them in His providential care because
they did not listen and obey Him. What about the
people named here? Did they obey God? (We know
that some, like Samson, obeyed God imperfectly.
But in general they obeyed. Even Samson obeyed in
the end.)
B. Read Hebrews 11:36-38. Are these people who did
not obey God and suffered the consequences of it?
C. Read Hebrews 11:39. What does this teach us about
those who suffered? (They were faithful. They were
commended for their faith.)
1. How do we explain God’s providence in this? It
was a simple and obvious lesson that if you do
not follow God, He is thwarted in giving you
the great things He has planned for you. But
these followed God’s will and suffered
terribly. How is that possible?
D. Read Hebrews 11:40. This is the explanation of why
some faithful followers of God suffered terribly
even though they were faithful. How do you
understand this explanation? (God has a better
future for them. God’s ultimate providence for
them is coming.)
1. What does the “apart from us they should not
be made perfect” mean? (God is working on
putting the positive result of His providence
in place. At some time in the future, all of
the followers of God who remain faithful and
trust Him will be made perfect. All the great
things God has in mind for them will come to
pass.)
2. That leaves the question about why it works
out so well for some and so terribly for
others? (The obvious answer is that things
work out badly for those who follow their own
will. But for those who follow God’s will, and
still suffer, we are left with the answer
given to Job: we must trust God.)
III. Getting Traction for God’s Providence
A. Read Ephesians 1:9-10. This tells us that God has
a mysterious plan. What does looking at the
experience of Jesus teach us about this plan?
(Jesus died and was tortured so that God’s plan
might ultimately take place. This shows us that
God’s plan is a process that sometimes involves
suffering.)
1. What should we make of the fact that God’s
will is a “mystery” that is explained in
Jesus? (If we ever doubt God’s providence, we
simply need to look at what Jesus has been
doing for us.)
B. Read Ephesians 1:11-12. What is God’s
predestination for all of us? (We are predestined
to follow the will of God. To receive the
inheritance He has for us. And to give Him glory.)
1. Does this mean that we have no free-will in
this? (Just the opposite, we see that those
who refused to follow the will of God did not
receive the benefit of His great plans for
them. God has great things in mind for us!)
C. Read Ephesians 1:13-14. Can you explain why
Christians engage in heroic medical efforts to
stay alive? Or to extend the length of life by a
few months? (Perhaps someone depends on them.
However, generally someone that sick is unable to
help others. I wonder if the problem is that down
deep they are not sure they are saved.)
1. What does this text teach us about the
assurance of salvation? (The Holy Spirit seals
us for salvation. If you have the Holy Spirit
working in you, then you have the “guarantee”
of your heavenly inheritance.)
D. Read John 16:33. Would you like to have peace in
the middle of trouble? (If yes, this text tells us
that we can have peace because Jesus has “overcome
the world.”)
E. Friend, God has a plan for you. That plan, that
divine providence for you, is to spend eternity
with Him. You can thwart the plan by rejecting
God’s will. But if you accept the plan eternal
life is yours even though you may face temporary
hardships here on earth. Why not choose God’s plan
for you right now?
IV. Next week: The Cosmic Conflict.
Copr. 2025, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are
from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing
ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All
rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within
parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail,
but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this
link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the
Holy Spirit as you study.
