THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD
By David J. Riggs
Intro.
A. The word "providence" means "divine guidance or care; God
conceived as the power sustaining and guiding human destiny."
(Webster's New Collegiate Dict., p. 928)
1. The word means basically "go provide, provision." (See
Vine's Expository Dict. of N.T. Words, p. 227)
2. The word itself is found only once in the King James Version
of the bible and was used by Tertullus in flattery of Felix
for providing good things for the Jewish nation. Acts 24:2.
B. Nevertheless, the principle of the providence of God is
taught everywhere in the Scriptures.
1. God works through natural means (not by miracles) to
provide for His people.
2. We are speaking here of the ways in which God works in
addition to, or besides, those in His Word.
3. It is true that God works through His Word, and never
contrary to His word, but there are other ways in which God
deals with those who obey Him.
I. GOD'S PROVIDENCE IN BLESSINGS.
A. There are certain physical blessings that come to all men. Acts
17:14; Matt. 5:45
B. There are special blessings to Christians because they are
Christians and do His will.
1. We are not referring to spiritual blessings which come
through obedience to His Word, but to physical blessings
which come through obedience by means of His providence.
2. Some of these are:
a. Blessed a hundred fold. Mark 10:28-30; Matt. 19:29
b. Long life and good days. 1 Pet. 3:10-12; Eph. 6:2-3
c. All things work together for good. Rom. 8:28
(1) Some examples: Phil. 1:12; Phile. 15; Gen. 50:20
d. Never beggars. Psalm 37:25; Matt. 6:33
e. Every need supplied. Phil. 4:19; 2 Cor. 9:8-11
f. God's special care. 1 Pet. 3:12; Psalm 34:6,17; 41:1-2;
128:2-4
C. In contrast to the above blessings, the Lord works against
those who disobey Him. 1 Pet. 3:12; Psalm 7:10-17; 11:6;
37:12-20
D. If we want to be successful in life, truly having "the good
life," we need to do God's will. Josh. 1:8; Job 36:11
1. On top of the physical blessings we gain, we receive
spiritual ones which are far greater.
a. To the hundred fold blessings in this life, Jesus added,
"...And in the world to come, eternal life." Mark 10:30
b. Paul said, "Godliness is profitable unto all things,
having the promise of the life that now is, and of that
which is to come." 1 Tim. 4:8
II. GOD'S PROVIDENCE IN TRIALS.
A. God has always tested or tried His people. Jer. 20:12
1. Job was tested. Job 23:10
2. Abraham was tried. Gen. 22:1-2; Heb. 11:17
B. We also are tried and tested. Here, again, we are not speaking
of those trials which the Word of God places upon the hearts of
men, but of external ones.
1. Notice some of the ways God works through His providence
in trials:
a. Every man's works shall be tried by fire. 1 Cor. 3:13
b. A man's faith will be tried with fire. 1 Pet. 1:7
c. Fiery trials come upon all Christians. 1 Pet. 4:12
d. Some were cast into prison to be tried. Rev. 2:10
e. Some God delivered from trials. Rev. 3:10
C. The Greek word which is translated "temptation," and its
equivalent "tempt," is defined as "trials of all kinds." (See
Thayer's Greek-English lexicon, pp. 498-499).
1. The word "temptation" includes, first of all, "trials with
beneficial purposes and effects."
a. James 1:2-3; (see also 1 Pet. 1:6; Gal 4:14 for
temptations of this kind).
b. Christians, realizing their own weaknesses, are to pray
that God will not lead them into these kind of
temptations. Matt. 6:13
c. However, at the same time they are to remember that in
all temptations God provides a way of escape. 1 Cor.
10:13
2. The word "temptation" in the original also includes,
"trials definitely designed to lead to wrong doing." 1 Tim.
6:10
a. God tries the righteous, but God never tempts them to
do evil. James 1:13-14
b. It is the deceiver, man's adversary, the old serpent who
does the tempting to evil.
(1) God allows Satan to tempt man on a limited basis
in this present age, but in the next age, Satan will
be cast into the lake of fire. Rev. 20:10
D. In those trials which God brings upon us to prove and
strengthen us, we must have patience. James 1:3-4; Rom. 5:3-4
1. Remember the patience of Job and the prophets. James 5:10-
11; Job 23:10
E. In those temptations which Satan brings upon us to destroy us,
we must have resistance. James 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:8-9; Eph. 6:11
1. Remember Jesus. Matt. 4:1; Luke 4:13; Heb. 2:18; 4:15
III. GOD'S PROVIDENCE IN PRAYERS.
A. God's providence has its working among men as He deals with
them in answering their prayers.
1. God's providence and prayers go hand in hand.
2. The person who denies the providence of God unwittingly
places himself in opposition to prayer.
3. God accomplishes many good things through His providence
in answering prayer. Notice a few examples:
a. Gives good gifts. Matt. 7:7-11
b. Delivers out of troubles. Psalm 34:17
c. Heals the sick. James 5;15; Phil. 2:27
d. Sends rain. Zech 10:1; James 5:16-18
e. Gives wisdom. James 1:5
f. All things for which we pray, believing, keeping His
commandment, asking according to His will, and in
Jesus' name, we receive. Matt. 21:22; 1 John 3:22: 5:14-
15; John 14:13
B. God's providential care is upon all who diligently seek Him.
1. This principle was well illustrated in Ezra and those with
him who returned from the captivity. Ezra 8:22-23, 31
2. Jacob, the patriarch of old, diligently petitioned the Lord
to provide for him as he went to the land of Padanaram to
seek a wife. Gen. 28:20-22
a. He went out empty, crossing the Jordan with only a staff
in his hand (Gen. 32:10), but came back in great plenty
(Gen. 31:13-15; 33:5-11).
C. God is able to abundantly provide for us.
1. He raises the poor out of the dust (1 Sam. 2:7-8), gives
food to the hungry (Psalm 146:7), and gives strength to the
distressed (Isa. 25:4-5).
2. He comforts the lowly (2 Cor. 7:6), heals the sick (Phil.
2:27), and frees the prisoners (Psalm 146:7).
3. Eph. 3:20-21
D. Consequently, we ought always to pray and not to faint. Luke
18:1; 1 Thess. 5:17; Rom. 12:12; Phil. 4:6-7
IV. GOD'S PROVIDENCE IN CHASTISEMENT.
A. Jesus said, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be
zealous therefore, and repent." Rev. 3:19
B. For the longest treatise in the Bible on chastisement, see Heb.
12:5-11.
1. The immediate context of the passage indicates that trials
and persecutions sometimes are god's chastisement (see
especially verses 3-5).
2. God chastens in the following ways:
a. With the sword of His mouth. Rev. 2:16
b. with sickness and great tribulation. Rev. 2:21-22
c. In hot displeasure. Psalm 6:1; 38:1; 118:18; Jer. 10:24;
Lev. 26:27-28
d. With the rod of men. 2 Sam. 7:14; 1 Kings 11:4-
11,14,23,26
e. As a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke. Jer. 31:18
f. As a father does his son. Heb. 12:5-10; Deut. 8:5
C. There are two extreme positions taken on the providence of God
in chastisement.
1. One is that God chastens only through His Word.
a. God chastens through His Word, but that is not the only
way He chastens.
b. Does God work only through His Word in blessings,
trials and prayers?
c. Some argue that if God physically chastened one, it
would make Him a respecter of persons.
(1) On the contrary, it no more makes Him a respecter
of persons than it does a parent who chastens one
of his children.
(2) Neither God not the parent are a respecter of persons
because each chastens all children alike.
(3) One of the strongest passages in the Bible showing
that God does indeed punish men physically is Rev.
22:18-19.
(a) The plagues written in the book of Rev.
consist of such things as famine, mourning,
and death. Rev. 18:8
(b) They were stresses inflicted upon sinful men to
avenge the blood of the saints. Rev. 19:2
(c) Under them the wicked should have repented,
but didn't. Rev. 16:9; 9:20
(d) Any who add to the word of God shall receive
like afflictions from God.
2. Another extreme is that God will chasten until the saved are
brought back to Him--once saved always saved.
a. Several years ago, a brother in Christ who was
converted from the Baptist Church was with me in a
discussion with a Baptist preacher on "once saved
always saved."
b. The brother said to the Baptist preacher, "If a man can't
fall from grace as you claim, what about me? I was once
a faithful member in the Baptist Church and was used
publicly in their services, but now I completely
denounce the Baptist Church. Am I still in grace?"
c. The Baptist preacher, after long hesitation answered,
"One of these days God is going to grab you and turn
you every way but loose, and you'll come back to the
Baptist Church."
d. The Baptist preacher was wrong both on His doctrine of
"once saved always saved" and on his extreme position
on chastisement.
(1) Some of God's children will despise God's
chastening. Heb. 12:5
(2) The Bible nowhere teaches that God will chasten to
the extent of forcing men to repent.
D. We need to endure the chastening of the Lord (Heb. 12:7), and
be in subjection the Father of spirits and live (Heb. 12:9).
1. God chastens for our profit that we might be partakers of
His holiness. Heb. 12:10
2. Heb. 12:11
Concl.
A. God's providential care has it working in:
1. Blessings. Rom. 8:28
2. Trials. 1 Pet. 1:7
3. Prayers. Matt. 7:11
4. Chastisement. Heb. 12:5-6