Theology Thursday
19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the Lord, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the Lord, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
Psalm 103:19-22
At the heart of Biblical Theology (the concept we have been focusing on for the past bunch of weeks) is ‘Divine Providence’. We saw this in a recent sermon on Genesis 24 when Abraham sends his servant to find a bride for Isaac. But without ‘Providence’ there is no Biblical Theology. Let me show you why.
Divine Providence is a term describing God’s governance of all things. As the Psalmist says, God has established His throne in heaven. He is the King over all things. But unlike human kings, all things under God’s rule ultimately do His bidding. Everything in history is according to God’s blueprint and working towards a certain final goal which is all things under Christ for God’s glory.
Think about some of our Biblical Theological themes that we have traced through the Bible. How is it that deliverance in the Bible often comes on the third day? Or that there can be these consistent cycles of restoration (think Noah, the Exodus, return from Exile etc.). What about prophecy?
Here’s one. Crucifixion. It’s an important aspect of Christ’s death that He be killed ‘on a tree’. It’s an antithesis to the tree of life and a symbol of the curse. But how could crucifixion be certain? What if they just decided to hang Jesus? Or kill Him by the sword? But Peter tells us in Acts 2, “This man [Jesus] was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.â€
None of these things would be possible without divine providence. They would be coincidental rather than orchestrated. Furthermore, the ultimate fulfilment of all Biblical Theology - the thing we hope in - which is restoration and redemption of all things in a new creation. This would be an uncertain future and we would be wise to check our hope.
But we don’t need to. Because God is in control of all things and He never ceases His work in making all things new through and under Christ.
For Today:
Pray:
Praise the Father that He is in control of all things. Give thanks for Jesus Christ who was prepared before the foundation of the world to die for His people. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others trust in God’s providence and provision.
and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the Lord, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the Lord, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
Psalm 103:19-22
At the heart of Biblical Theology (the concept we have been focusing on for the past bunch of weeks) is ‘Divine Providence’. We saw this in a recent sermon on Genesis 24 when Abraham sends his servant to find a bride for Isaac. But without ‘Providence’ there is no Biblical Theology. Let me show you why.
Divine Providence is a term describing God’s governance of all things. As the Psalmist says, God has established His throne in heaven. He is the King over all things. But unlike human kings, all things under God’s rule ultimately do His bidding. Everything in history is according to God’s blueprint and working towards a certain final goal which is all things under Christ for God’s glory.
Think about some of our Biblical Theological themes that we have traced through the Bible. How is it that deliverance in the Bible often comes on the third day? Or that there can be these consistent cycles of restoration (think Noah, the Exodus, return from Exile etc.). What about prophecy?
Here’s one. Crucifixion. It’s an important aspect of Christ’s death that He be killed ‘on a tree’. It’s an antithesis to the tree of life and a symbol of the curse. But how could crucifixion be certain? What if they just decided to hang Jesus? Or kill Him by the sword? But Peter tells us in Acts 2, “This man [Jesus] was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.â€
None of these things would be possible without divine providence. They would be coincidental rather than orchestrated. Furthermore, the ultimate fulfilment of all Biblical Theology - the thing we hope in - which is restoration and redemption of all things in a new creation. This would be an uncertain future and we would be wise to check our hope.
But we don’t need to. Because God is in control of all things and He never ceases His work in making all things new through and under Christ.
For Today:
- Have you always believed in divine providence?
- How have you seen divine providence at work?
- Give thanks that God is in control and we can have true hope.
Pray:
Praise the Father that He is in control of all things. Give thanks for Jesus Christ who was prepared before the foundation of the world to die for His people. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others trust in God’s providence and provision.
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