*THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
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BY WILLIE WONG
The Sovereignty of God is a big and profound subject of the Holy Bible.
According to https://www.htmlbible.com/kjv30/easton/east3487.htm
“Sovereignty – of God, his absolute right to do all things according to his own good pleasure (Dan. 4:25, 35; Rom. 9:15-23; 1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 4:11).”
According to https://biblehub.com/topical/t/the_sovereignty_of_god.htm
“The sovereignty of God is a foundational doctrine in Christian theology, affirming that God is the supreme authority and all things are under His control. This concept is deeply rooted in Scripture and reflects God’s ultimate power, authority, and governance over the universe.”
When deluded by the devil, Eve was stretching her hand to pick the forbidden fruit, I was surprised that God did not chop off her hand. When Cain was going to kill Abel, I was dismayed that God did not intervene. Why do the wicked do? I was dismayed when I watch the three branches of American government (the executive, legislative and judiciary), business and indutry, vested interest — all united to destroy America. I was dismayed to watch the wicked and crooked world leaders and politcians (including governors) do to destroy the world.
Although I was familiar with the Scripture, 1Jo 5:19,
“We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”
I used to worry that some nations are not doing the right thing. What will be the end result?
Until I came to the knowledge:
Rev 11:15, “Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in Heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of the world have become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.”
The world will come to an end, no matter what. The Lord Jesus will reign in the Kingdom of Heaven forever and ever, because He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.
I discovered to learn and study the Sovereignty of God, it is not enough to know 1. Omnipotence. 2. Omniscience. 3. Providence of God. You must also take into account the Will of God which is all purpose of God. Not only God is able, it must be according to the Will of God. Nothing will be impossible with God. Nothing is too hard for God.
Dan 4:35, “All the inhabitants of the earth are of no account, but He does according to His will among the army of Heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can fend off His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?”
And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing – Are regarded as nothing in comparison with him. Compare Isaiah 40:15, note 17, note. Precisely the same sentiment occurs in Isaiah which is expressed here: “All nations before him are as nothing; and they are accounted unto him less than nothing and vanity.”
And he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven – In the host of heaven – בחיל bechēyol – Greek, “in the power of heaven,” ἐν τῇ, δυνάμει en tē, dunamei. The Chaldee word means properly strength, might, valor; and it is then applied to an army as possessing strength, or valor, or force. It is here applied to the inhabitants of heaven, probably considered as an army or host, of which God is the head, and which he leads forth or marshals to execute his puroses. In Daniel 3:20, the word is rendered “army.” The sentiment here is, that in respect to the inhabitants of heaven, represented as organized or marshalled, God does his own pleasure. An intimation of his will is all that is needful to control them. This sentiment is in accordance with all the statements in the Scripture, and is a point of theology which must enter into every just view of God. Thus in the Lord’s prayer it is implied: “Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.” So Ephesians 1:11 – “Who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.” In heaven the will of God is accomplished in the most strict and absolute sense, for his will is law, and the only law to all the dwellers there. The obedience is as entire as if the will of each one of the dwellers there were but a form or manifestation of the will of God itself.
And among the inhabitants of the earth – This cannot mean, even as understood by Nebuchadnezzar, that the will of God is actually done among the inhabitants of the earth in the same sense, and to the same extent, as among those who dwell in heaven. His design was, undoubtedly, to assert the supremacy and absolute control of God; a fact that had been so strikingly illustrated in his own case. The sentiment expressed by Nebuchadnezzar is true in the following respects:
- That man has no power to prevent the fulfillment of the Divine purposes.
- That God will accomplish his design in all things, whatever opposition man may make.
- That he has absolute control over every human being, and over all that pertains to anyone and everyone.
- That he will overrule all things so as to make them subservient to his own plans.
- That he will make use of men to accomplish his own purposes. Compare the note at Isaiah 10:7.
- That there is a great and glorious scheme of administration which God is carrying out by the instrumentality of men.
And none can stay his hand – literally, “none can smite upon his hand” (Gesenius, “Lex.”); that is, none can restrain his hand. The language is taken, says Bertholdt, from the custom of striking children upon the hand when about to do anything wrong, in order to restrain them. The phrase is common in the Targums for to restrain, to hinder. The Arabs have a similar expression in common use. See numerous instances of the use of the word מחא mechâ’ in the sense of restrain or prohibit, in Buxtorf. – “Lex. Chal.” The truth taught here is, that no one has power to keep back the hand of God when it is put forth to accomplish the purposes which he intends to execute; that is, he will certainly accomplish his own pleasure.
Or say unto him, What doest thou? – A similar expression occurs in 2 Samuel 16:10 : “So let him curse, because the Lord hath said unto him, Curse David. Who shall then say, Wherefore hast thou done so?” Also in Job 9:12 : “Behold, he taketh away: Who can hinder him? Who will say unto him, What doest thou?” See the note at that passage. The meaning here is plain. God is supreme, and will do his pleasure in heaven and in earth. The security that all will be done right is founded on the perfection of his nature; and that is ample. Mysterious though his ways may seem to us, yet in that perfection of his nature we have the fullest assurance that no wrong will be done to any of his creatures. Our duty, therefore, is calm submission to his holy will, with the deep conviction that whatever God does will yet be seen to be right.”
God has no limitations. God can do the impossible. God can heal every sickness and disease. But it is not always God’s will to heal. The Pentecostal church teaches a false doctrine: “If you have faith, God will always heal you.” This is not true. Don’t tell me you have more faith that Apostle Paul. It is written, 2Co 12:7-9, “Because of the extraordinary greatness of the revelations, for this
reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times
that it might leave me. And He has said to me,
“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”
2 Corinthians 12:8-11. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice — All kinds of affliction had befallen the apostle, yet none of these did he deprecate. But here he speaks of his thorn in the flesh, as above all the rest one that macerated him with weakness, and by the pain and ignominy of it, prevented his being lifted up more, or at least not less, than the most vehement headache could have done, which many of the ancients say he laboured under. That the Lord to whom the apostle prayed was Christ, is evident from 2 Corinthians 12:9. It is supposed by some, that in praying thrice he imitated his Master’s example in the garden. But perhaps his meaning is only that he prayed often and earnestly. That it might depart from me — Hence we see that it is lawful to pray for the removal of bodily pain, weakness, or any peculiar trial; yea, to be frequent and fervent in prayer for it. But he said to me — In answer to my third, or often-repeated request; My grace is sufficient for thee — Namely, to support thee under these trials, though I permit them to continue. How tender a repulse! Probably Christ appeared to his apostle and spake to him. At any rate, it was another revelation of the Lord, which his subject led him to mention, though his modesty did not allow him to insist on it directly. “This example of prayer rejected ought to be well attended to by all good men, because it shows that they neither should be discouraged when their most earnest prayers seem to be disregarded, nor discontented when they are rejected; because in both cases their good is designed and effectually promoted.” My strength is made perfect in weakness — That is, is more illustriously displayed in the weakness of the instrument by which I work. Therefore will I glory in my infirmities — Rather than my revelations; that the power of Christ may rest upon me — Greek, επισκηνωση, may pitch its tent over me, or cover me all over like a tent, and abide on me continually. We ought most willingly to accept whatever tends to this end, however contrary to flesh and blood. Therefore I take pleasure — Ευδοκω, I am well pleased with, or take complacency in, infirmities — Of the flesh, bodily weaknesses of whatever kind. In reproaches — Suffered on that account; in necessities — The various wants which I suffer in the execution of my office; in persecutions, in distresses — To which I am exposed; for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak — Deeply sensible of my weakness; then am I strong — Through the power of Christ resting on me; and my ministry is then most successful, the Lord working with me in a peculiar manner. I am become a fool in glorying — As I have done above, but consider where the blame lies; ye have compelled me — To do it, even against my will. For I ought to have been commended by you — Or vindicated, when my character, as an apostle, was attacked by the false teachers. For in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles — As ye well know: he means Peter, James, and John, whom he calls pillars, Galatians 2:9. Though I be nothing — In the account of some, or of myself, without the aids of divine grace; not would I assume to myself any glory from what grace hath made me.”
Furthermore, It is not always God’s will to apparently, openly and publically intervene in the affairs of mankind. I was dismayed why God did not execute the wicked leaders and crooked politicians I abhor. Then I have found comport in the life of Joseph.
For it is written, Gen 50:19-20, “But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result,
to keep many people alive.” Did Joseph realize that from slavery to the Prime Minister, it was the sovereignty of God?
Verse 20. – But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good (literally, and ye were thinking or meditating evil against me; Elohim was thinking or meditating for good, i.e. that what you did should be for good), to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive (vide Genesis 45:5). Genesis 50:20.”
I used to plan retirement in any of the three world cities. Thank God, none of my plan came true or it would be disaster to me.
God is always on His throne and He rules and controls everything. The sovereignty of God means God has the power and right to rule and control everything and whatever comes to pass.
Sovereingty without power is pitiful. As an example, the sole superpower attacked Venezuela for oil, but the sovereign nation cannot defend and protect itself.
Now I rest in the sovereignty of God. I watch the world events with intelligent interest, knowing history is unfolding according to the plan of God. History of the world is marching as directed by God. I have nothing to worry because God is sovereign, and He controls whatever comes to pass. I rest in the Sovereinty of God. I bow to my Heavenly Father three times and say Holy, Holy, Holy; Lord God Almighty.
1.) GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY RULES OVER ALL.
Psa 103:19, “The LORD has established His throne in the Heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all.”
Sovereignty in Hebrew is malḵûṯ which means royal power, sovereign power, dominion, reign, realm, kingdom — which occurs 91 times in the Old Testament.
Rule is māšal in Hebrew which means to have dominion, to reign, to have power; — which occurs 82 times in the Old Testament. God’s sovereignty means to rule over all. God’s sovereignty means God has power over everything and God rules the Universe.
The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens – He has “fixed” his throne there. This is the ground of the security that his blessing will be imparted to those who fear him, and to their children’s children, or that it will be transmitted to coming generations. God is a Sovereign. His throne is fixed and firm. His dominion is not vacillating and changing. His reign is not, like the reign of earthly monarchs, dependent on the capriciousness of a changeable will, or on passion; nor is it liable to be altered by death, by revolution, or a new dynasty. The throne of God is ever the same, and nothing can shake or overthrow it. Compare the notes at Psalm 11:4.And his kingdom ruleth over all – He reigns over all the universe – the heavens and the earth; and he can, therefore, execute all his purposes. Compare Psalm 47:2.”
Rev 4:8, “And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say,
“HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD GOD, THE
ALMIGHTY, who was and who is and who is to come.”
Verse 8. – And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within. The stop should probably be after wings: are full of eyes about and within. In Isaiah 6:2 we have “six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.” These actions appear to indicate reverence, humility, obedience. The eyes denote ceaseless activity. And they rest not day and night, saying. In the Authorized Version “day and night” is attached to “rest not.” but probably should be taken with “saying,” for, if connected with the negative phrase, “nor” would be more likely to occur than “and.” But the point is practically immaterial, since the sense of the passage is the same in both readings. These representatives of life display the characteristics of life in its fullest energy. They have no part in anything which savours of death – no stillness, rest, or sleep. Holy, holy, holy. The thrice-repeated “holy” has very generally been held to indicate the Trinity of the Godhead. Such is evidently the intention of the English Church in ordering this passage to be read in the Epistle for Trinity Sunday. This ascription of praise is often, though wrongly, spoken of as the “Trisagion.” Lord God Almighty. “Almighty” is παντοκράτωρ, the “All-Ruler,” not παντοδύναμος, the “All-Powerful.” The former, as Bishop Pearson says, embraces the latter. Which was, and is, and is to come. This phrase is no doubt intended to attribute to God the quality of eternal existence. But it may also symbolize three aspects or departments of God’s dealings with mankind: the creation, which has been effected by the Father; the redemption, which is now occurring by the intercession of the Son; and the final perfect sanctification by the Holy Ghost. Revelation 4:8.”
Psa 121:4, “Behold, He who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.”
Behold, he that keepeth Israel – The Keeper – the Guardian – of his people. The psalmist here passes from his own particular case to a general truth – a truth to him full of consolation. It is, that the people of God must always be safe; that their great Guardian never slumbers; and that he, as one of his people, might, therefore, confidently look for his protecting care.
Shall neither slumber nor sleep – Never slumbers, never ceases to be watchful. Man sleeps; a sentinel may slumber on his post, by inattention, by long-continued wakefulness, or by weariness; a pilot may slumber at the helm; even a mother may fall asleep by the side of the sick child; but God is never exhausted, is never weary, is never inattentive. He never closes his eyes on the condition of his people, on the needs of the world.”
Heb 1:3, “Who being the brightness of His glory,
and the express image of His person, and upholding
all things by the Word of His power, when He had by himself purged our sins, sat down on
the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
- the brightness] The substitution of “effulgence” for “brightness” in the Revised Version is not, as it has been contemptuously called, “a piece of finery,” but is a rendering at once more accurate and more suggestive. It means “efflux of light”—“Light of (i.e. from) Light” (“effulgentia” not “repercussus”) Grotius. It implies not only resemblance—which is all that is involved in the vague and misleading word “brightness,” which might apply to a mere reflexion:—but also “origin” and “independent existence.” The glory of Christ is the glory of the Father just as the sun is only revealed by the rays which stream forth from it. So the “Wisdom of Solomon” (Hebrews 7:26)—which offers many resemblances to the Epistle to the Hebrews, and which some have even conjectured to be by the same author—speaks of wisdom as “the effulgence of the everlasting light.” The word is also found in Philo where it is applied to man. This passage, like many others in the Epistle, is quoted by St Clement of Rome (ad Cor. 36).
of his glory] God was believed in the Old Dispensation to reveal Himself by a cloud of glory called “the Shechinah,” and the Alexandrian Jews, in their anxious avoidance of all anthropomorphism and anthropopathy—i.e. of all expressions which attribute the human form and human passions to God—often substituted “the Glory” for the name of God. Similarly in 2 Peter 1:17 the Voice from God the Father is a Voice “from the magnificent glory.” Comp. Acts 7:55; Luke 2:9. St John says “God is Light,” and the indestructible purity and impalpable essence of Light make it the best of all created things to furnish an analogy for the supersensuous light and spiritual splendour of the Being of God. Hence St John also says of the Word “we beheld His glory” (John 1:14); and our Lord said to Philip “he who hath seen Me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9). Comp. Luke 9:29.
the express image] Rather, “the stamp” (charactçr). The R. V. renders this word by “very image” (after Tyndale), and in the margin by “impress.” I prefer the word “stamp” because the Greek “charactçr” like the English word “stamp,” may, according to its derivation, be used either for the impress or for the stamping-tool itself. This Epistle has so many resemblances to Philo that the word may have been suggested by a passage (Opp. i. 332) in which Philo compares man to a coin which has been stamped by the Logos with the being and type of God; and in that passage the word seems to bear this unusual sense of a “stamping-tool,” for it impresses a man with the mark of God. Similarly St Paul in the Epistle to the Colossians (Colossians 1:15)—which most resembles this Epistle in its Christology—called Christ “the image (eikôn) of the invisible God;” and Philo says, “But the word is the image (eikôn) of God, by Whom the whole world was created,” De Monarch, (Opp. ii. 225).
of his person] Rather, “of His substance” or “essence.” The word hypostasis, substantia (literally that which “stands under”) is, in philosophical accuracy, the imaginary substratum which remains when a thing is regarded apart from all its accidents. The word “person” of our A. V. is rather the equivalent to prosôpon. Hypostasis only came to be used in this sense some centuries later. Perhaps “Being” or “Essence,” though it corresponds more strictly to the Greek ousia, is the nearest representative which we can find to hypostasis, now that “substance,” once the most abstract and philosophical of words, has come (in ordinary language) to mean what is solid and concrete. It is only too possible that the word “substance” conveys to many minds the very opposite conception to that which was intended and which alone corresponds to the truth. Athanasius says, “Hypostasis is essence” (οὐσία); and the Nicene Council seems to draw no real distinction between the two words. In fact the Western Church admitted that, in the Eastern sense, we might speak of three hypostaseis of the Trinity; and in the Western sense, of one hypostasis, because in this sense the word meant Essence. For the use of the word in the LXX. see Ps. 38:6, 88:48. It is curiously applied in Wis 16:21. In the technical language of theology these two clauses represent the Son as co-eternal and co-substantial with the Father.
upholding all things] He is not only the Creative Word, but the Sustaining Providence. He is, as Philo says, “the chain-band of all things,” but He is also their guiding force. “In Him all things subsist” (Colossians 1:17). Philo calls the Logos “the pilot and steersman of everything.”
by the word of his power] Rather, “by the utterance (rhemati) of His power.” It is better to keep “word” for Logos, and “utterance” for rhema. We find “strength” (κράτος) and “force” (ἰσχύς) attributed to Christ in Ephesians 6:10, as “power” (δύναμις) here.
when he had by himself purged our sins] Rather, “after making purification of sins.” The “by Himself” is omitted by some of the best MSS. (א, A, B), and the “our” by many. But the notion of Christ’s independent action (Php 2:7) is involved in the middle voice of the verb. On the purification of our sins by Christ (in which there is perhaps a slight reference to the “Day of Atonement,” called in the LXX. “the Day of Purification,” Exodus 29:36), see Hebrews 9:12, Hebrews 10:12; 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Peter 1:9 (comp. Job 7:21, LXX.).
sat down] His glorification was directly consequent on His voluntary humiliation (see Hebrews 8:1, Hebrews 10:12, Hebrews 12:2; Psalm 109:1), and here the whole description is brought to its destined climax.
on the right hand] As the place of honour comp. Hebrews 8:1; Psalm 110:1; Ephesians 1:20. The controversy as to whether “the right hand of God” means “everywhere”—which was called the “Ubiquitarian controversy”—is wholly destitute of meaning, and has long fallen into deserved oblivion.
of the Majesty] In Hebrews 10:12 he says “at the right hand of God.” But he was evidently fond of sonorous amplifications, which belong to the dignity of his style; and also fond of Alexandrian modes of expression. The LXX. sometimes went so far as to substitute for “God” the phrase “the place” where God stood (see Exodus 24:10, LXX.).
on high] Literally, “in high places;” like “Glory to God in the highest,” Luke 2:14 (comp. Job 16:19); and “in heavenly places,” Ephesians 1:20 (comp. Psalm 93:4; Psalm 112:5). The description of Christ in these verses differed from the current Messianic conception of the Jews in two respects. 1. He was divine and omnipotent. 2. He was to die for our sins.”
Lam 5:19, “You, LORD, rule forever;
Your throne is from generation to generation.”
A powerful king does not rule forever, because his sovereignty may be removed OR he may die.
Dan 4:31, “While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice came fromHeaven, saying, ‘King
Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty
has been removed from you.”
There is not one moment when God is weak or vulnerable that we have concern over Divine rule.
even Homer (sometimes) nods
Even the most scrupulous and exact person may fall
victim to mistakes and errors. An allusion to the
Greek poet Homer, whose epic poems contain several apparent errors in continuity.The film
is without a doubt the filmmaker’s masterpiece,
despite a minor plot hole in the third act–even Homer nods, after all. Now, even Homer sometimes nods, to be sure, but any errors in this matter, no matter how small, could
cost the company millions. A: “I’m so sorry—that section makes no sense because I was
supposed to remove it before I gave you the
draft.” B: “Aha. Well, that’s all right—even Homer sometimes nods.”
Luk 12:30-31, “For all these things are what the nations of the world eagerly seek; and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His Kingdom, and these things will be provided to you.”
Phl 4:19, “And my God will supply all your needs
according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Gen 22:14, “And Abraham named that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”
I recalled I was very ill, almost died. So I went back to my home town although my parents had moved to another mission field. I totally had no means to fly to another island. I asked the pastor to buy airplane ticket for me although I had not one penny. God provided the exact sum for the ticket. That was marvellous and wonderful in my eyes.
Rev 19:6, “Then I heard something like the shout of a vast multitude, and like the boom of many pounding waves, and like the roar of mighty peals of thunder, saying,
“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty,
the Omnipotent, the Ruler of all reigns.”
2.) God is absolutely secure.
From everlasting to everlasting, there is nothing, no one, natural disasters, man-made disasters, or anything can threaten God.
Psa 29:10, “The LORD sat as King at the flood;
Yes, the LORD sits as King forever.”
Psalm 29:10. The Lord sitteth upon the flood — He moderates and rules the most abundant and violent effusions of waters which are sometimes poured from the clouds, and fall upon the earth, where they cause inundations which would do much mischief if God did not prevent it. And this may be mentioned as another reason why God’s people praised and worshipped him in his temple; because, as he sendeth terrible tempests, thunders, lightnings, and floods, so he restrains and overrules them. But most interpreters refer this to Noah’s flood, to which the word מבול, mabbul, here used, is elsewhere appropriated. And so the words may be rendered, The Lord sat upon the deluge; namely, in Noah’s time, when, it is probable, those vehement and unceasing rains were accompanied with terrible thunders. Bishop Hare thus paraphrases the verse, “This is the same God who, in Noah’s flood, sat as judge, and sent that destruction upon the earth.” And so the psalmist, having spoken of the manifestation of God’s power in storms and tempests in general, takes an occasion to go back to that ancient and most dreadful example of that kind, in which the divine power was most eminently seen. And, having mentioned that instance, he adds, that as God had showed himself to be the King and the Judge of the world at that time, so he doth still sit, and will sit as King for ever, sending such tempests as it pleases him to send. And therefore his people have great reason to worship and serve him.”
Even there is flood, God sits as King forever.
3.) God controls nature.
Mar 4:37-41, “And a fierce gale of wind developed, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling with water. And yet Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who, then, is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”
Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
And they feared exceedingly,…. That is, the men in the ship, the mariners to whom the ship belonged, and who had the management of it:and said to one another, as persons in the greatest amazement,
what manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? Surely this person must not be a mere man; he must be more than a man; he must be truly God, that has such power over the wind and sea. This best suits with the mariners, since the disciples must have known before, who and what he was; though they might be more established and confirmed in the truth of Christ’s deity, by this wonderful instance of his power.”
Mat 14:25-26, “And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. When the disciples
saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear.”
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
- In the fourth watch of the night.—The Jews, since their conquest by Pompeius, had adopted the Roman division of the night into four watches, and this was accordingly between 3 A.M. and 6 A.M., in the dimness of the early dawn. St. John adds, as from a personal reminiscence, and as guarding against explanations that would minimise the miracle (such as that our Lord was seen on the shore, or was swimming to the boat), that they were about twenty-five or thirty furlongs from the point from which they had started—i.e., as the lake was five miles wide, nearly three-fourths of the way across.
Walking on the sea.—Here, again, we have to choose between the simple acceptance of the supernatural fact as another instance of His sovereignty, or rejecting it as a legend. On the former supposition. we may see in it something like an anticipation (not unconnected, it may be, with the intensity of that crisis in His life) of that spiritual body of which we see another manifestation in the Transfiguration, and which became normal after the Resurrection, reaching its completeness in the wonder of the Ascension. We speculate almost involuntarily on the nature, and, as it were, process of the miracle, asking whether the ordinary laws that govern motion were broken or suspended, or counteracted by higher laws. No such questions would seem to have suggested themselves to the disciples. They, as yet not free from the popular superstitions of their countrymen, thought that it was “a spirit” (better, a phantom, or spectre) taking the familiar form, it might be, to lure them to their destruction, or as a token that some sudden mischance had deprived them of that loved Presence, and, therefore, in their vague terror, they were troubled, and cried out for fear.”
Mat 14:28-33, “Peter responded and said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and when he began to sink, he cried out, saying, “Lord, save
me!” Immediately Jesus reached out with His hand
and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little
faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are truly God’s
Son!”
Verse 33. – Matthew only. Then – and (Revised Version, δέ) – they that were in the ship; boat (Revised Version). If there were others than the disciples in the boat, as is probable, these also would be included; but the disciples would naturally take the lead (cf. the notes on Matthew 8:23, 27). Came and. The Revised Version omits these two words, with the manuscripts. They are due to the analogy of Matthew 8:2; Matthew 9:18. Worshipped him (Matthew 4:9, note). In Matthew 8:27 we read of wonder; here, of homage. Saying, Of a truth (ἀληθῶς); cf. Matthew 5:18, s.v. “verily.” The word seems to imply that the suggestion did not enter their minds now for the first time. Two had, perhaps, heard the words spoken at the baptism (Matthew 3:17), and most of them, if not all, the utterance by the demons in Matthew 8:29. Yet these utterances in reality far surpassed what they even nosy imagined (vide infra). Thou art the Son of God (Θεοῦ υἱὸς εϊ). Although the phrase is not of the definite form found in Matthew 26:63 and Matthew 16:16, where it is used with express reference to the Messiahship of Jesus (cf. for the intermediate form, Matthew 27:40 with 43), yet it is impossible to take it here as merely referring to a moral relation between Jesus and God. In Matthew 27:54 this might be sufficient (Luke has “righteous”); but here there is no question of coming up to a standard of moral uprightness, but rather of manifestation of power, and this is connected with Messiah. His authority over the elements leads to the homage of those who witness its exercise, and forces from them the expression that he is the promised Representative of God on earth (Psalm 2:7; cf. Matthew 2:15, note). Observe, however, that not even so is it a profession of faith in his absolute Divinity. (Kubel’s note on this subject in Matthew 8:29 is very good.) Matthew 14:33.”
Psa 89:9, “You rule the surging of the sea;
When its waves rise, You calm them.”
4.) God’s creative power is unlimited.
Gen 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Gen 1:21,”And God created the great sea
creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind; and God saw that it was good.”
Col 1:16-17, “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 through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
- For by him . . . all things were created by (through) him, and for (to) him.—Carrying out the idea of the preceding clause with accumulated emphasis, St. Paul speaks of all creation as having taken place “by Him,” “through Him,” and “for Him.” Now we note that in Romans 11:36, St. Paul, in a burst of adoration, declares of the Father that “from Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things;” and in Hebrews 2:10 the Father is spoken of as One “by whom are all things, and for whom are all things” (the word “for whom” being different from the word so rendered here, but virtually equivalent to it). Hence we observe that the Apostle here takes up a phrase belonging only to Godhead and usually applied to the Father, and distinctly applies it to Christ, but with the significant change of “from whom” into “in whom.” The usual language of holy Scripture as to the Father is “from whom,” and as to the Son “through whom,” are all things. Thus we have in Hebrews 1:2, “through whom He made the world;” and in John 1:3-10, “All things were made”—“the world was made”—“through Him.” Here, however, St. Paul twice adds “in whom,” just as he had used “in whom” of God in his sermon at Athens (Acts 17:28), probably conveying the idea, foreshadowed in the Old Testament description of the divine “Wisdom,” that in His divine mind lay the germ of the creative design and work. and indirectly condemning by anticipation the fancy of incipient Gnosticism, that He was but an inferior emanation or agent of the Supreme God.
In heaven and . . . earth . . .—Here again there is a reiteration of earnest emphasis. “All things in heaven and earth” is the ancient phrase for all creation. Then, lest this phrase should be restricted to the sublunary sphere, he adds, “visible and invisible.” Lastly, in accordance with the general tone of these Epistles, and with special reference to the worship of angels introduced into Colossæ, he dwells, like the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, on the superiority of our Lord to all angelic natures, whether they be “thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers.” (Comp. Ephesians 1:21; Philippians 2:9-10.)
Thrones, or dominions . . .—Compare the enumeration in Ephesians 1:21. The word peculiar to this passage is “thrones,” which in all the various speculations as to the hierarchy of heaven, naturally represents the first place of dignity and nearness to the Throne of God. (Comp. Revelation 4:4, “Round about the throne four-and-twenty thrones.”) But it seems difficult, if not impossible, to attach distinctive meanings to those titles, and trace out their order. If St. Paul alludes at all to the Rabbinical hierarchies, he (probably with deliberate intention) takes their titles without attending to their fanciful orders and meanings. Whatever they mean, if they mean anything, all are infinitely below the glory of Christ. (See Note on Ephesians 1:21.)”
Jhn 6:9-14,“There is a boy here who has five barley
oaves and two fish; but what are these for so many
people?” Jesus said, “Have the people recline to eat.” Now there was plenty of grass in the place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.
Jesus then took the loaves, and after giving thanks He distributed them to those who were reclining; likewise also of the fish, as much as they wanted.
And when they had eaten their fill, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover pieces so that
nothing will be lost.” So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with pieces from the five barley
loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.
Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
- Then those men] Rather, The men therefore.
the miracle that Jesus did] Better, the sign that He did. The name Jesus has been inserted here, as elsewhere, because this once was the beginning of a lesson read in church. The same thing has been done in our own Prayer Book in the Gospels for Quinquagesima and the 3rd Sunday in Lent: in the Gospel for S. John’s Day the names of both Jesus and Peter have been inserted; and in those for the 5th S. in Lent and 2nd S. after Easter the words ‘Jesus said’ have been inserted. In all cases a desire for clearness has caused the insertion. Comp. John 8:21.
that prophet that should come] Literally, the Prophet that cometh: the Prophet of Deuteronomy 18:15 (see on John 1:21). But perhaps the Greek participle here only represents the Hebrew participle, which is properly present, but is often used where a future participle would be used in Latin or Greek. S. John alone tells us the effect of the miracle on those who witnessed it: comp. John 2:11; John 2:23. These two verses (14, 15) supply “a decisive proof that the narrative in the fourth Gospel is not constructed out of that of the Synoptists, and we might almost add a decisive proof of the historical character of the Gospel itself … The Synoptists have nothing of this … Yet how exactly it corresponds with the current Messianic expectations! Our Lord had performed a miracle; and at once He is hailed as the Messiah. But it is as the Jewish, not the Christian Messiah. The multitude would take Him by force and make Him king. At last they have found the leader who will lead them victoriously against the Romans and ‘restore the kingdom to Israel.’ And just because He refused to do this we are told a few verses lower down that many of His disciples ‘went back, and walked no more with Him,’ and for the same cause, a year later, they crucified Him. It is this contrast between the popular Messianic belief and the sublimated form of it, as maintained and represented by Christ, that is the clue to all the fluctuations and oscillations to which the belief in Him was subject. This is why He was confessed one day and denied the next … It is almost superfluous to point out how impossible it would have been for a writer wholly ab extra to throw himself into the midst of these hopes and feelings, and to reproduce them, not as if they were something new that he had learned, but as part of an atmosphere that he had himself once breathed. There is no stronger proof both of the genuineness and of the authenticity of the fourth Gospel than the way in which it reflects the current Messianic idea.” S. pp. 123, 124.”
Luk 3:8, “Therefore produce fruits that are consistent
with repentance, and do not start saying to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children for Abraham.”
Verse 8. – Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance. In other words, “Since you profess to have taken flight from the wrath to come, show at once, by your change of life, that your repentance is worth something, has some meaning in it.” Begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father. These words show that John had the splendid courage to strike boldly at the very root of Jewish pride. Gradually Jewish belief in the especial favor of God, which they were to enjoy through all eternity, had grown up till it resulted in such extravagant expressions as these: “Abraham would sit at the gates of hell, and would not permit any circumcised Israelite of decent moral character to enter it;” “A single Israelite is worth more in God’s sight than all the nations of the world;” “The world was made for their (Israel’s) sake.” This incredible arrogancy grew as their earthly fortunes became darker and darker. Only an eternity of bliss, of which they alone were to be partakers, could make up for the woes they were made to suffer here, while an eternity of anguish for the Gentile world outside Israel was a necessary vengeance for the indignities this Gentile world had inflicted upon the chosen people. Long ago the great Hebrew prophets had warned the deluded race that their election would profit them nothing if they failed in their duties to their God and their neighbor. For I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham; pointing, no doubt, to the rough shingle lying on the river Jordan’s banks. John’s thought was the same which Paul afterwards expressed to the Galatians in his own nervous language, “Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham;” “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:7, 29). Luke 3:8.”
5.) God who has mercy that matters.
Rom 9:16, “So then, it does not depend on the person who wants it nor the one who runs, but on God who has mercy.”Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
- of him that willeth] Not that human willing and running are illusions; but they are not the cause of mercy. They follow it; they may even be the channel of its present action; but they are not the cause. Its origin is not “of” them. Cp. Php 2:13.
runneth] The idea is of one actively moving in the path of right His energy may tempt him to think that he originated the motion; but he did not.—The word “runneth” belongs to St Paul’s favourite metaphor of the foot-race. See 1 Corinthians 9:24-26; Galatians 2:2; Galatians 5:7; Php 2:16.”
6.) God is unfathomable in His ways.
Rom 11:33, “Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
33–36. Doxology to the Eternal Sovereign
33. O the depth] Here, at the close of this discussion of the case of Israel,—in which he has held up for our submission the unfathomable mystery of electing sovereignty, and also the strange ways by which Divine judgment is often made the instrument of Divine mercy,—the Apostle turns to the Supreme Object of his thought and love, and utters his ascription of worship and praise to the All-Wise and Almighty. Such a doxology is perfectly in the manner of Scripture, in which the ultimate aim ever is not the glory, nor even the happiness, of Man, (dear as his happiness is to God and His messengers,) but the Glory of God.
depth] Cp. Psalm 36:6, “Thy judgments are a great deep.”
riches] See on Romans 2:4.
wisdom and knowledge] Scarcely, in such a passage as this, to be minutely distinguished. They blend into one idea—omniscience acting in eternal righteousness and love.
unsearchable] It is well to weigh, and accept, this word at the close of such an argument. In his very act of praise the Apostle confesses the inability of even his own inspired thought to explain the Divine mercies and judgments, in the sense of clearing all difficulties. “Who art thou that repliest against God?” “Clouds and darkness are round about Him;” and, in certain respects, it is only the intelligent but profound submission of faith that can say, in view of those clouds, “Righteousness and judgment are the habitation of His throne.” (Psalm 97:2.)
past finding out] Same word as Ephesians 3:8, (E. V. “unsearchable,” lit. “not to be tracked by footprints,”) an instructive parallel passage.”
7.) God’s healing powers are unlimited.
Mat 9:35, “Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing
every disease and every sickness.”
| Benson CommentaryMatthew 9:35-36. Jesus went about all the cities, teaching in their synagogues — See on Matthew 4:23. When he saw the multitude he was moved with compassion — Having come from heaven to earth to seek and save lost sinners, he was affected to see such multitudes desirous of instruction, and yet destitute of it, and in danger of perishing without it, being either deserted or misled by their spiritual guides, and living in ignorance of the things which it most concerned them to know, and in a state of guilt and depravity. Because they fainted — The original expression: εκλελυμενοι, denotes here a kind of faintness, or weakness, which is caused by hunger and weariness. Perhaps the expression may refer partly to the fatigue of their frequent journeys in following Christ from place to place; for many of them came, not only from the several parts of Galilee, but also from Judea and Idumea, from beyond Jordan: and the borders of Tyre and Zidon. Faintness of soul, however, is undoubtedly intended here, rather than of body. And were scattered abroad — Gr. ερριμμενοι, an expression which, according to Elsner, means exposed to continual danger, as sheep having no shepherd. And yet this people had many teachers; they had scribes in every city, and the priests, whose lips should have dispensed knowledge, and at whose mouth the people should have sought the law, (Malachi 2:7,) were to be found in all parts of the land. But they had no teachers who cared for their souls; and none who were able, if they had been willing, to have given them such instruction as they needed. They had no pastors after God’s own heart. “The teachers just mentioned,” says Macknight, “were blind, perverse, lazy guides, who every day discovered their ignorance and wickedness more and more. They either neglected the office of teaching altogether, or they filled the people’s minds with high notions of ritual observances and traditions, to the utter disparagement of moral duties, which in a manner they trampled under foot; so that instead of serving God, they served their own glory, their gain, and their belly. Wherefore, any appearance of religion which they had, was wholly feigned and hypocritical; insomuch that they rather did hurt by it than were of real service to the interests of [piety and] virtue. Besides, the common people, being distracted by the disagreeing factions of the Pharisees and Sadducees, knew not what to choose or refuse. The case therefore called loudly for the compassion of Jesus, which indeed was never wanting to them at any time, for he always cherished the tenderest affection toward his countrymen; but it flowed particularly on this occasion, when he considered that they were in great distress for want of spiritual food.” And therefore being deeply touched with a feeling of their miserable condition, he resolved to provide some remedy for it; which, as the evangelist here states, he proceeded to do immediately, directing his disciples to intercede with God to send forth labourers into his harvest, and immediately afterward appointing and sending those labourers.” |
The powers of Jesus cover every disease and every sicknees. None is incurable. Many do not know this Sricpture, Isa 53:5, “But He was pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our wrongdoings; the punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”
- ) Rebellion does not affect God.
Isa 14:12-20, “How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!
For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’
Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol,
To the lowest depths of the Pit.
“Those who see you will gaze at you,
And consider you, saying:
‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble,
Who shook kingdoms,
Who made the world as a wilderness
And destroyed its cities,
Who did not open the house of his prisoners?’
“All the kings of the nations,
All of them, sleep in glory,
Everyone in his own house;
But you are cast out of your grave
Like an abominable branch,
Like the garment of those who are slain,
Thrust through with a sword,
Who go down to the stones of the pit,
Like a corpse trodden underfoot.
You will not be joined with them in burial,
Because you have destroyed your land
And slain your people.
The brood of evildoers shall never be named.”
Lucifer sinned by saying five “I wills.” The most
Aggravated sin was, “I will be like the Most High.”
Anyone who wants to be like the Most High is unpardonable.
Rev 12:7-17, “And there was war in Heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they did
not prevail, and there was no longer a place found for them in Heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Then I heard a loud voice in Heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down, the one who accuses
them before our God day and night.
“And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the Word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.
“For this reason, rejoice, you Heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you with great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time. And when the
dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male
Child. But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time, times, and half a time, away from the presence of the serpent. And the serpent hurled
water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with
the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon had hurled out of his mouth.
So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”
And there was war in heaven – There was a state of things existing in regard to the woman and the child – the church in the condition in which it would then be – which would be well represented by a war in heaven; that is, by a conflict between the powers of good and evil, of light and darkness. Of course it is not necessary to understand this literally, anymore than the other symbolical representations in the book. All that is meant is, that a vision passed before the mind of John as if there was a conflict, in regard to the church, between the angels in heaven and Satan. There is a vision of the persecuted church – of the woman fleeing into the desert – and the course of the narrative is here interrupted by going back Revelation 12:7-13 to describe the conflict which led to this result, and the fact that Satan, as it were cast out of heaven, and unable to achieve a victory there, was suffered to vent his malice against the church on earth. The seat of this warfare is said to be heaven. This language sometimes refers to heaven as it appears to us – the sky – the upper regions of the atmosphere, and some have supposed that that was the place of the contest. But the language in Revelation 11:19; Revelation 12:1 (see the notes on those places), would rather lead us to refer it to heaven considered as lying beyond the sky. This accords, too, with other representations in the Bible, where Satan is described as appearing before God, and among the sons of God. See the notes on Job 1:6. Of course this is not to be understood as a real transaction, but as a symbolical representation of the contest between good and evil – as if there was a war waged in heaven between Satan and the leader of the heavenly hosts.
Michael – There have been very various opinions as to who Michael is. Many Protestant interpreters have supposed that Christ is meant. The reasons usually alleged for this opinion, many of which are very fanciful, may be seen in Hengstenberg (Die Offenbarung des heiliges Johannes), 1:611-622. The reference to Michael here is probably derived from Daniel 10:13; Daniel 12:1. In those places he is represented as the guardian angel of the people of God; and it is in this sense, I apprehend, that the passage is to be understood here. There is no evidence in the name itself, or in the circumstances referred to, that Christ is intended; and if he had been, it is inconceivable why he was not referred to by his own name, or by some of the usual appellations which John gives him. Michael, the archangel, is here represented as the guardian of the church, and as contending against Satan for its protection. Compare the notes on Daniel 10:13. This representation accords with the usual statements in the Bible respecting the interposition of the angels in behalf of the church (see the notes on Hebrews 1:14), and is one which cannot be proved to be unfounded. All the analogies which throw any light on the subject, as well as the uniform statements of the Bible, lead us to suppose that good beings of other worlds feel an interest in the welfare of the redeemed church below.”
And his angels – The angels under him. Michael is represented as the archangel, and all the statements in the Bible suppose that the heavenly hosts are distributed into different ranks and orders. See the Jde 1:9 note; Ephesians 1:21 note. If Satan is permitted to make war against the church, there is no improbability in supposing that, in those higher regions where the war is carried on, and in those aspects of it which lie beyond the power and the knowledge of man, good angels should be employed to defeat his plans.
Fought – See the notes on Jde 1:9.
Against the dragon – Against Satan. See the notes at Revelation 12:3.
And the dragon fought and his angels – That is, the master-spirit – Satan, and those under him. See the notes on Matthew 4:1. Of the nature of this warfare nothing is definitely stated. Its whole sphere lies beyond mortal vision, and is carried on in a manner of which we can have little conception. What weapons Satan may use to destroy the church, and in what way his efforts may be counteracted by holy angels, are points on which we can have little knowledge. It is sufficient to know that the fact of such a struggle is not improbable, and that Satan is successfully resisted by the leader of the heavenly host.”
Those who keep the commandment of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus are enemies to the dragon who is the devil.
- ) Jdg 8:23, “But Gideon said to them, “I will not
rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the LORD shall rule over you.”
Jdg 8:23. I will not rule over you — As a king. He rejected their offer, because he looked upon God as their king, who appointed what deputy he pleased to govern them; and because he considered this proposal as an effort, or at least as tending to alter that form of government which God had instituted and had given them no authority to change. The Lord shall rule over you — In a special manner, as he hath hitherto done by judges. These God particularly appointed and directed in all the more important concerns of their office, even by Urim and Thummim, and, in a special manner, assisted upon all occasions: whereas kings had only a general dependance on God. That God was their supreme Ruler and King, was the foundation of their whole state. Hence the judgment which was administered among them is called God’s judgment, Deuteronomy 1:17. And Solomon is said to sit upon the throne of the Lord, (1 Chronicles 29:23,) and the kingdom of his posterity is called the kingdom of the Lord, (2 Chronicles 13:8,) because before kings were settled in Israel, the Lord was their king; from whom the government was derived to the house of David by a special act of God.”
10.) Rom 15:12, “Again Isaiah says,
“THERE SHALL COME THE ROOT OF JESSE,
AND HE WHO ARISES TO RULE OVER THE GENTILES,
IN HIM WILL THE GENTILES HOPE.”
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
- And again, Esaias saith.—St. Paul still adheres to the LXX., which here diverges more widely from the Hebrew. The sense of this is rightly given by the Authorised version of Isaiah 11:10—“In that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek.” In either case the passage is Messianic.
A root of Jesse.—Strictly, the root, or, root-shoot of Jesse, as in Proverbs 5:5—i.e., the expected descendant of Jesse’s line, which, to bring out its intimate connection with the founder of the line, and to distinguish it from all other collateral branches, is identified with the very root, or first shoot, of the line itself.
Trust.—The same word as “hope” in the next verse, the introduction of which was probably suggested, through the association of ideas, by the concluding words of the LXX. quotation—“On Him shall the Gentiles place their hopes. Now the God of hope, &c.”
11.) Rev 2:27, “AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE SHATTERED, as I also have received authority from My Father.”
Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
And he shall rule them with a rod of iron,…. Either with the Gospel, which is the rod of Christ’s strength, and is the power of God unto salvation, and by which the kingdom of Christ is enlarged, and the power of the church of Christ over the antichristian party is increased; or it may design great strictness and severity, with which the man of sin will be used by the saints of the most High, when they shall take away his dominion from him:
as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers; which may be expressive either of the breaking of rocky hearts in pieces at conversion, and of making souls humble and contrite; or of the irreparable ruin and destruction of antichrist, when the saints shall consume and destroy him:
even as I received of my Father; Christ, as God, has an underived power and government; but, as Mediator, his rule and power over the nations are asked by him, given to him, and received by him, Psalm 2:8. This “as” does not intend equality, but similitude; and denotes the participation the saints will have with Christ in the judgment and destruction of antichrist, and in his kingdom and power.”
12.) God causes all things to work together.
Rom 8:28, “And we know that God causes all
things to work together for good to those who
love God, to those who are called according
to His purpose.”
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(28-30) These verses contain a third reason for the patience of the Christian. He knows that whatever happens, all things are really working together for good to him.
(28) All things.—Persecution and suffering included.
Work together.—Contribute.
There is a rather remarkable reading here, found in the Vatican and Alexandrian MSS., and in Origen, inserting “God” as the subject of the verb, and making “all things” the object. “God works all things with,” or “co-operates in all things.” This reading is very early, if not original.
To them who are the called.—Further description of those “who love God.” They have also, as in His eternal counsels He had designed it should be, obeyed the call given to them in the preaching of the gospel, and definitely enrolled themselves in the kingdom of the Messiah.”
Many do not know the wonderful truth of this Scripture. If you are a child of God, there must be something secret that only you know how God caused all things to work together for your good. Years ago I planned to retire at one of some world cities. Thank God I did not retire at any of those cities which would be disaster to me. God caused all things to work together for my good. You know even hard for mankind to cause one thing to work together.
I used for worry for the state of the world that certain countries will do evil. Now I rest on the Sovegreinty of God knowing all nations will eventually become the Kingdom of God. I know the most evil country in the world today — Japan, its government and courts have denied killing 56 million Chinese, making thousands of women sexual slaves (comfort women), rewrote its history, covered up its 731 unit bio-virus war crimes, worship its convicted and executed war criminals as living gods and heroes, both government and courts denied and refused any war compensations — up till now the wrath and judgement of God has not fallen on the evil country.
13.) Rev 19:15, “From His mouth comes a sharp
sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads
the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.”
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) And out of his mouth . . .—Translate, And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with (literally, in) it He may smite the nations: and He (Himself) shall shepherd them with (literally, in) a rod of iron: and He (Himself) treadeth the winepress of the wine of the wrath of the anger of God the All ruler. The sharp sword is the same that we have read of before (Revelation 1:16); there it was called the two-edged sword. The omission of the epithet in this passage, which describes the Word of God as the conqueror and the judge, is not without significance. The sword is now wielded for but one work—the word that Christ spoke will judge men at the last day (John 12:48). The power of this word found an illustration in the falling back of the hostile band which came to take Him in the day of His humiliation (John 18:5); yet more gloriously will the power of His word be felt (comp. Isaiah 11:4; Jeremiah 23:29; 2Thessalonians 2:8) when He will slay the wicked with the word of His mouth. The passage in Psalm 2:9 must be borne in mind. Christ comes as King; His is a rule in righteousness; those who oppose this kingdom of righteousness find the shepherd’s staff as a rod of iron; the stone rejected falls upon the builders, and grinds them to powder. It is thus that the winepress of God’s wrath is set up, and the righteous King appears as one who treads it out. (Comp. Isaiah 63:1-3.) He Himself (the emphasis lies here) treads it. We have again the figure of the vintage made use of. (Comp. Revelation 14:20.) It is the harvest of retribution; the wicked are filled with the fruit of their own doings; so is the work seen to be the work of the All-Ruler.”
14.) Isa 45:23, “I have sworn by Myself; the Word has gone out from My mouth in righteousness
and will not turn back, that to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.”
Verse 23. – I have sworn by myself (comp. Genesis 22:17; Jeremiah 22:5; Jeremiah 49:15). “God swears “by himself,” because he can swear by no greater” (Hebrews 6:13). He condescends, for man’s sake, to confirm in this way promises that are exceedingly precious (see the Homiletics on Isaiah 14:24). The word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness. So Dr. Kay and Mr. Cheyne (comp. ver. 19, “I the Lord speak righteousness”). And shall not return; i.e. shall not be withdrawn or retracted. God’s gifts and promises are “without repentance.” Every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. This universal turning to God belongs to the final Messianic kingdom, prophesied in Isaiah 2:2-4; Isaiah 11:6-9; Isaiah 35:1-10; Isaiah 65:17-25; Isaiah 66:18-23; and also by Daniel (Daniel 7:9-14) and St. John the Divine (Revelation 21:1-4). The entire destruction of God’s enemies is to take place previously (Revelation 19:17-21). Isaiah 45:23.”
15.) Isa 46:9-10, “Remember the former things
long past, for I AM God, and there is no other;
I AM God, and there is no one like Me,
Declaring the end from the beginning,
and from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.”
Isaiah 46:9-11. Remember the former things — What I have done for you and in the world, my evident predictions of future things, justified by the event; and those other miraculous works, whereby I have abundantly proved my divinity. Declaring the end from the beginning — Foretelling from the beginning of the world, or from the beginning of your nation, those future events which should happen in succeeding ages, even to the end of the world, or to the end of your commonwealth; for such predictions we find delivered by Moses, the first founder of their state. My counsel shall stand — As I will not, so no other power can, disappoint my purposes and predictions. This is another argument urged for the divinity of the God of Israel, namely, his foreknowledge and prediction of future events, of which the prophet subjoins a particular instance in the next words. Calling a ravenous bird, or eagle, from the east — From Persia, as Isaiah 41:2. “There can be no doubt that Cyrus is here meant. Kings and princes are often compared in Scripture to eagles, Jeremiah 49:22; Ezekiel 17:3. But it has been thought that there is a peculiar propriety in this application to Cyrus, as the eagle well denotes the magnanimity, the quickness of judgment, the celerity in all his expeditions and motions, for which Cyrus was so remarkable. We are also told by Plutarch, that Cyrus had an aquiline nose; and Xenophon expressly relates, that his standard was a golden eagle; which yet continues, says he, to be the standard of the Persian kings.” — Vitringa.”
Only God can declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.”
In summary, the Sovereignty of God means our God is in the Heavens; He does all that He pleases. God can do all things, and that no purpose of God can be thwarted by anyone or anything at any time. Probably AUGUSTINE was quoted to have said, “THIS, therefore, is also essentially necessary and wholesome for Christians to know: That God foreknows nothing by contingency, but that He foresees, purposes, and does all things according to His immutable, eternal, and infallible will.”
The Sovereignty of God simply means God has power and wisdom to do as He pleases. The Sovereign God does not have to explain to me, to you, or anybody else what He does and what He does not do. I can only bow three times to my Heavenly Father and say Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty.
It is only right that you repent of your sins and believe in the Great God and our Savior Lord Jesus Christ to be saved. You must not neglect so great a salvation. You can do it now.
WILLLIE WONG THOUGHT
WILLIE WONG
JANUARY 30, 2026
Copyright © 2018 – 2026 by Willie Wong