Section 5 Notes

5:1

If you don’t believe this did you watch the assination atempt? God in his providence rules that world and everything in it

5:2

5:3

This is you and me, the church. Saint Augustine was converted after decades of his faithful mother praying for him, and when he saw piece of the Bible and heard children singing “take up and read.” this is us all

5:4

The claim here is that God authors all things but is not responsible for sin. Every man is responsible for his own sin.

This reminds me of the hardening of Pharaoh's heart. The text records that:

Exodus 9:12 ESV

12 But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses.

This is in keeping with the rest of the plagues of Egypt. Pharoah had hardened his own heart Ex. 7:22, 8:15, 8:19, 8:32, 9:7

Exodus 7:22 ESV

22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

You have to understand that God has us all in his hands we are all under his purview and control. the Bible says

Proverbs 21:1 ESV

1 The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.

The thing that is scary is when God takes his hand off of you as in Romans 1:18-31

Romans 1:18–31 ESV

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. 28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.

These acts accomplish God’s will, as Joseph said Gen. 50:20

Genesis 50:20 ESV

20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

You may have experienced this in your life. Scars leave lessons, some we can’t see but our hearts will always see.

In Church history their was a wonder as to why God would allow Islam to conquer so many Christian lands or allow the Pagan Vikings to pillage so freely. When you read their contemplation it reads like the news today. Sexual looseness, disrespectful children, greedy kings and merchants, Women rulers, men in women’s clothing and women in men’s clothing and so on. God was punishing them as he did the Hebrews with the Babylonians. Yes we are seeing this today, nearly 8 million in 4 years, mostly military aged men. Our army is only 1 million strong less then half active duty.

That is judgement. God is using the wicked to judge the land. We are not special God’s covenenats has promises, curses and blessings.