Is He Sovereign? Yes, Indeed!
Good to have you here. I love the message of this post! I hope you take great encouragement and gain some understanding from reading it! Eric
Today we are going to look at and consider the sovereignty of God. I believe the word ‘sovereignty’ and its meaning, because of its magnitude, can be difficult for us to grasp with our finite minds! So, we will begin with a definition and a few Scriptures which will help clarify our thoughts and understanding of what it means for God to be sovereign.
At dicitionary.com, sovereignty is defined as the quality or state of being sovereign, or having supreme power or authority.
Let’s begin with Psalm 103:19 (NASB20), “The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all.” In Strong’s, ‘sovereignty’ (malkut in the Hebrew) means: dominion, empire, kingdom, and realm. The Gesenius Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon adds: royal dominion. ‘Rules’ means: has dominion, reigns, and governs. What does God rule over? Over ‘all,’ which is: everything, the whole, or totality.
Psalm 47:2 (Amplified Bible) reads, “For the LORD Most High is to be feared [and worshiped with awe-inspired reverence and obedience]; He is a great King over all the earth.
We read in the book of Daniel that the Lord gave King Nebuchadnezzar dreams and visions of what was going to come upon him after he, in a rage, ordered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego be thrown into the fiery furnace when they refused to worship him. (Daniel 3:13-15). Then, we read in Daniel 4:24 and 25( NASB20) where Daniel interpreted the dreams and told the King ‘why’ he was going to go through the up-coming circumstances. (Being driven from mankind, living in the field and eating only grass with the animals, and being drenched with the dew of heaven) and for what period of time. The end of verse 25 reveals “until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes.” ‘Ruler’ (shalliyt - Aramaic) means having mastery. ‘Realm’ is the organized world and ‘mankind’ refers to the collective mankind or all human offspring. So, the circumstances that came upon Nebuchadnezzar took place in order that he would know, beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was not God, but that the Most High God is the ruler over the realm of mankind. The truth of what he learned has not changed! [ An important side note: realize that Nebuchadnezzar brought those circumstances on himself because of the choices he made. How often do we do something similar then get upset with God for what has happened to us?]
1 Samuel 2:2 (NKJV) reads, “No one is holy like the LORD, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God.” Then, we see in verses 6 and 8 that the Sovereign God determines the status of one’s life, “The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. ... 8 He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory. "For the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, And He has set the world upon them.” Indeed, the Lord has supreme authority and power.
We read a good description of the nations and their leaders in Psalm 2:1-4 which reveals that they conspire against the Lord and His anointed, shake their fists at God, and declare they will break off His chains and shackles. We are very aware that we see examples of that every day. Many in the world and even in the church have decided they do not need to live according to the Word or will of God and have totally walked away from His truth and righteous living. According to census.gov, (Sep 15, 2022) “the number of unmarried partners living together in the U.S. nearly tripled in two decades from 6 million to 17 million,” as just one example.
We are seeing the results of a ‘plan’ for a great falling away from Biblical truth, which is trying to claim as many of the inhabitants of the earth as possible. We know the instigator of this plan is the great deceiver himself, satan. He has been attempting to claim this planet since the deception in the Garden. He seems to have forgotten that he is a created being and therefore is subject to his Creator, or simply is so ugly, he wants to destroy as many of God’s creation as he can before he faces his final judgment from the Lord. Aside from that, it is vital that we realize, as those created by God, we are also to be subject to His sovereignty.
Again, God has both supreme power and authority.
Using the Greek meanings of the words of Hebrews 1:1-3 (CSB) the verses could be paraphrased in this way: ‘Jesus is the reflected brightness of God’s glory and is a precise reproduction of God in every aspect of His nature. He bears or endures all things by the miraculous power of His spoken word!’ Then, we discover in reading the textural notes for verse 16 of Colossians 1 that “Paul is declaring Christ’s authority above all negative cosmic powers which are subjects of His creation who fell.” Then also, the textural notes for verse 17 read, “Christ is portrayed as the Sustainer and Uniting Principle of the Universe.” What good news that is for us!
The Word of God conveys very emphatically that God is Sovereign. “He is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords.” (1 Timothy 6:15 NIV).
God’s plans and purposes will not be stopped. All that He has foreordained will be accomplished. In Isaiah 46:9 and 10 (BSB) the Lord speaks, “Remember what happened long ago, for I am God and there is no other, I am God and there is no one like me. I declare the end from the beginning, and ancient times from what is still to come. I say “My purposes will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.”
No one can defeat or frustrate God’s plan and purpose (Isaiah 14:27). The Word is God is very clear. And we need to remember that there is a promised day of accounting coming for each one of us.
We receive even more clarity and revelation from Psalm 33:11 (NIV) which reads, “‘but the plans of the Lord stand firm forever; the purposes of his heart through all generations.”
NSFLB textural notes reveal that “the purposes and plans of God stand firm for the whole program for human beings in history.”
God never changes! How amazing! We can rest assured that God has plans or purposes in His heart for all generations that will absolutely stand firm, remain, and endure. This is especially good news for those of us wo have grandchildren! Our Sovereign God’s purposes and plans will never fail, fall, or perish! Praise God!
We see it repeated again in Job 42:2 (CSB), “ I know that You can do all things and that no plan of Yours can be thwarted (withheld, restrained, or cut off).”
Through the centuries, men have attempted to put their own plans into play, however, they are not wise nor powerful enough to even begin to thwart God’s plans. Isaiah 55: 8 (NLT) states, “"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.” God’s plans transcend man’s. We humans cannot always understand God’s ways, however nothing can stop them. (Remember what King Nebuchadnezzar went through. Job lost his livelihood and entire family, aside from his wife. However, God restored and blessed both of them with more than they had previously possessed.
Proverbs 19: 21 (NIV) reads, “Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.”
Daniel 2:20 - 22 (BSB), “…Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him. 21 He changes the times and seasons; He removes Kings and establishes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. 22 He reveals the deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him.”
Regarding the changing of the times and seasons in verse 21, quoting Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, “The object of this is to assert the general control of God in reference to all changes which occur. Times and seasons are not under control of chance, but are bounded by established laws; and yet, God who appointed these laws, has power to change them and all the changes which occur under those laws are produced by his agency.”
“He removes kings and sets up kings " reveals that God has absolute control over all the sovereigns of the earth.”
Daniel 4:35b (BSB) reveals, “and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can restrain His hand or say to Him, “what have you done.” He is our Sovereign God!
Great men in history have only either, wittingly or unwittingly, fulfilled the purposes and plans of God. Speaking of the nations and people’s plots, including what Herod and Pontius Pilate did in sending Christ to the cross, we read in Acts 4:28 (BSB), “They carried out what Your hands and will had decided beforehand would happen.”
What the enemy influenced man to do to stop God’s plan of salvation (to crucify Christ), was exactly what needed to happen!
We can know that no matter what occurs on the earth or in our lives, as children of God, we win because He wins!
We are assured through God’s Word that He wants His very best for us. As we stand in faith, we believe that nothing can stop the good that God has planned for us. (Jeremiah 29:11). Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love - not death, life, angels, demons, fears, our worries, and not even the powers of hell. (Romans 8:28-39 Praise God!
Having defined the ‘sovereignty’ of God and knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is indeed Sovereign over our world, brings great comfort of mind and peace to me. I more fully realize that our God is in control and will bring about the fulfillment of His good purposes, plans, and will for mankind (you and me!). Even when to our mind’s eye, it seems like everything has turned into chaos - No! - God with His supreme power and authority is always in control! This I know, I can always trust Him!
In closing, I am sharing what our niece, LR Cruickshank, wrote a short while ago. It wonderfully expresses the Sovereignty of God. Thank you for allowing me to share it, Laurie.
“God is neither limited by what seemingly cannot be done nor is He limited by any emotion that permeates the mind. When difficult circumstances cloud hope, God is neither limited by hopelessness nor doubt. When overcoming the struggle seems impossible, God is neither limited by weaknesses nor lack of strength. When you’re feeling nothing but darkness, He can shine a light within you. God is light. The darkness has never overcome it. The darkness has never understood it. God is greater than darkness. God is not limited by anything. And His love and power are limitless. Praise be to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May your heart be filled with hope and peace.”
We would love to hear from you. If you have found this teaching to be helpful or a blessing, please feel free to let us know and/or share it with others.
NASB20 New American Standard Bible 2020
NKJV New King James Version
CSB Christian Standard Bible
NIV New International Version
BSB Berean Standard Bible
NSFLB New Spirit Filled Life Bible
NLT New Living Translation