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Divine
By
Bob Myhan Two
historical accounts demonstrate God’s ability to use the free will decisions
of men and women to accomplish his will in providing for His people. The
first involved the preservation of the descendants of Abram until “the
iniquity of the Amorites” was complete. God
had told Abram, "Know
certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs,
and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the
nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great
possessions. Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be
buried at a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall return here,
for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete." (Gen.
15:13-16) In
the above prophecy are three stages in God’s providence. (1) The descendants
of Abram “will be strangers in a land that is not theirs,” (2) “they shall
come out with great possessions” and (3) “they shall return here.” A
different man was used for each phase—Joseph, Moses and Joshua, respectively. The
first phase was moving the descendants of Abram from the Promised Land to 1.
Jacob decided to make Joseph a coat of many colors. 2.
Joseph decided to tell his dreams to his brothers. 3.
Joseph’s brothers decided to move the flock from Shechem to 4.
A certain man decided to ask Joseph what he was looking for in Shechem, and then
told him that his brothers had said they were going to 5.
Joseph’s brothers decided to sell him to a band of Ishmaelite traders. 6.
They also decided to deceive Jacob into thinking Joseph had been killed by a
wild animal. 7.
The Ishmaelite traders decided to sell him into slavery. 8.
Potiphar decided to purchase him. 9.
Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph and then decided to frame him. 10.
Potiphar decided to put Joseph into prison. 11.
The jailer decided to make Joseph a trustee. 12.
Pharaoh decided to put his butler and baker into prison. 13.
The butler and baker decided to tell Joseph their dreams. 14.
Joseph decided to explain the dreams. 15.
Pharaoh decided to tell his dreams to the butler. 16.
The butler decided to mention Joseph to Pharaoh. 17.
Pharaoh decided to release Joseph. 18.
Joseph decided to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams. 19.
Pharaoh decided to appoint Joseph as Secretary of Agriculture. 20.
Jacob decided to send Joseph’s brothers to 21.
Joseph decided to keep things in their proper perspective. 22.
Jacob decided to move his entire family to As
a result of these decisions, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were
relocated to The
second account involved the preservation of the Jews during the reign of the
Persian king, Ahasuerus, as recorded in the book of Esther, after the
seventy-year captivity. 1.
Ahasuerus decided to put his beautiful wife, Queen Vashti, on display. 2.
Queen Vashti refused to be displayed. 3.
Ahasuerus decided to replace her. 4.
Ahasuerus decided to have a variety of virgins brought before him to choose a
new queen. 5.
Ahasuerus decided to make Esther his queen, not knowing she was Jewish. 6.
Mordecai decided to relate to Esther his discovery of a plot to kill the king. 7.
Esther decided to relate the plot to the king (as a result the plot failed). 8.
Mordecai decided not to bow down to Haman. 9.
Haman decided to ask Ahasuerus for permission to destroy all Jews. 10.
Ahasuerus decided to grant Haman’s request. 11.
Haman decided to build a gallows on which to hang Mordecai. 12.
After realizing Mordecai had not been honored for foiling the assassination
plot, Ahasuerus decided to ask Haman what honor should be paid to a great man. 13.
Thinking he, himself, must be the great man that was to be honored, Haman
decided that the great man should be arrayed in the king’s robe and paraded in
front of the people on the king’s horse. Mordecai was thus rewarded. 14.
Esther decided to petition the king that she and her people be given the right
to defend themselves. 15.
Ahasuerus decided to pass a law guaranteeing them that right. 16.
Ahasuerus decided to hang Haman on the gallows, which Haman had built for
Mordecai. Through
this series of free will decisions, the Jews were preserved. This is special
providence because it involved God’s special people—the Jews, through whom
was to come—and did come—spiritual deliverance for all mankind. & The
Creator of the Ends of the Earth By
Shane Williams Galaxies
upon galaxies stretch into space farther than we can comprehend. I wonder how
big the universe actually is? It
is almost humorous reading what scientists write about how big they think the
size might be. From what I've read, the possibilities range from 500 million
light years to 13.7 billion light years. Incidentally, one light year is 5.88
trillion miles. These
kinds of numbers are mind-boggling. It's ridiculous even to try to think in
those terms. Who can fathom that kind of distance? Here's
something even more amazing. God created all of those galaxies and sustains
everything that exists by His powerful hands. Yet that same mighty God takes a
close and caring interest in the lives of men, women, and children. "He
heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the
stars; He calls them all by name." (Psa. 147:3, 4) This
shows a couple of sides of God: The closeness to His people and the greatness of
His power that we can't even imagine. That
truth is echoed in Isa. 40:26-31. The all-powerful Creator is the One Who not
only created the stars but renews the strength of those who rely on Him. The
"Creator of the ends of the earth" wants to help us with our needs.
What a contrast--and what a comfort! Regardless
of how numerous your burdens are or how tangled your problems, the Creator has
power enough to meet all of your needs -- and incalculable power to spare. Put
your problems in His hands. He does care for us and wants us to rely on Him.
"Casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you." (1 Pet.
5:7) & |