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Job 23:14
14 For he performeth [shalam] the thing that is appointed [choq] for me: and many [rab] such [hennah] things are with him. KJV-Interlinear
14 'For He performs what is appointed for me, And many such decrees are with Him. NASB
The word here for perform, 'shalam' means to perform, to prosper, to recompense, render make, restore. The word for appointed, 'choq' means to appoint, command, decree law, measure, ordinance, set, statute.
Job gives us a first glimpse of the Divine Decrees, established by God in eternity past, for humanity in history as it unfolds before us.
We have already seen that God is omnipotent, 'Who can contend with Him.'
He is immutable, 'He is of one mind and purpose. He has decided.'
He is sovereign, 'He fulfills the will of his own soul.'
He is eternal, 'From everlasting to everlasting.'
One member of the Trinity represents us before the other, 'Our advocate.'
He is our savior, 'The one who would redeem us from slavery.'
He is both equal with God and man, 'the unique person of the universe, being both God and man, Jesus Christ.'
God has a plan. Better that history follows a plan than a history that is hit and miss or arbitrary. An unknown destination would raise many uncertainties and insecurities. But God knows the beginning and He knows the end, and he knows everything in between.
In eternity past, God considered all possible plans for history. There are an infinite number of possible plans for history. God does what He can in order to gain the best result for each one of us. Therefore, He selected the one single plan, which accomplishes that purpose.
Without coercion or interference, God set our historical plan into motion. He allows the free will of man to function. We are free to make up our own minds and act accordingly. However, God set history in motion for good, not for evil. When evil runs wild, God will place a check on it.
God has seen all of our thoughts, motives, spoken words and actions and has set out a plan which takes into account all that we say, think and do, including all our the direct and indirect interactions with other people, places and things. The Divine Decrees are an all inclusive, and very sophisticated and complex plan. No human being can possibly comprehend the near infinite details that make up human history.
Psa. 57:2
2 I will cry to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me. NASB
God appointed to each one of us a detailed plan for our very own personal life. We generally know what is in store for ourselves from day to day, but from month to month, or year to year, most of us have had plans that we thought were going to be our future, but discovered that God had something very different in mind for us. Life often takes us into some very funny or strange turns.
And as such our lives have taken twists and turns which we probably had no control over.
When we were born into this life, we were one giant potential. That potential originated with our physical birth and our spiritual death. With life comes the gospel and our first real decision in life. To believe in Christ or not.
With belief, a second potential opens up in our life. To study day to day in the Word and advance in our spiritual life toward spiritual maturity, or not.
With daily growth, then we ready ourselves for the third and final increment of our life. That completion will come at the Judgment Seat of Christ where our eternal rewards will be handed out. That is the ultimate achievement and ultimate completion of any person. And, it is available to every human being.
That ultimate completion will become a reality when the new heaven and earth are created and eternity begins.
Unfortunately, very few, the only legitimate minority in history, which is made up of mature believers, will pursue their spiritual lives to its completion. The vast majority of humanity faces their spiritual life with indifference, pretense, or some other negative attitude.
Evil fights the spiritual life with a vengeance. And again mature believers are the only legitimate targets of world prejudice. All other prejudice is nothing more than jungle activity.
When you elect to pursue your spiritual life then you become the target. Your plight will never make it in the news headlines. Your plight will never make it in the political debates. The world will do what it can to squash you and silence you.
But …
God has a plan, and God is greater than anything in this world. For every problem in your life, there is a solution, and God will deal with them all, if you allow it.
This does not mean that you are free from being responsible. Being responsible is a part of your spiritual obligation. But one day, there will be a time when your resources will run out and you are totally helpless. Faith, then is your most powerful weapon. Faith dips into the omnipotence, and sovereignty, and immutability, and eternal plan of God, which no one and nothing can alter.
But faith comes from growth, and growth comes from a daily study of the Word of God. No study means no growth. No growth means no faith. And then all you have is your emotional cries which lack a solid foundation in life.
We often live our lives and hear the words of scripture, but they do not have the power of reality in them until we face some very serious times in our life. It is then that our eyes will awaken and our hearts will take God and doctrine more seriously. Some folks cry foul, unfair, and look for some crutch to hang their excuses for life's problems, on.
Mature believers just ride it all out. God is in control. So suck it up and let the world have its best shot. You may be embarrassed or hurt for a time, but the end score has already been determined.
Have you ever recorded a ball game, or movie? Most of us have. How does it end? The same every time. You did not cause the scenes or actions, but the result is always the same when you play your recording.
That is the Divine Decrees. God recorded our history in advance. He has already seen all there is to see. He knows the final score, and it will never change. We are now living that recording, so to speak. We are participating live in a plan, which has already been laid out. God does not force us to do anything, He just knows before hand everything we will do.
So what that, that Iran president spoke at an American university. So what that someone cheated you. So what that you have been hurt or taken advantage of during your life. Grow up.
God has many decrees. He has many plans for everyone. Life strikes everyone the same. No one is exempt from life's problems. They just have different problems than you have.
No one will get away with anything. You should be honored when God unleashes an attack against you. It only means that He has not given up on you and there is something great awaiting you.
What you should be afraid of, is when God gives up on you because you have been negative or compromising, or otherwise unfaithful in your spiritual life.
A little story:
One day God was standing on His mountain. There with Him was man. God turned to man and said, 'Look here. My Son will build a vast land in which we can all live and be happy.'
Man looked down the mountain and saw the vast earth below. To him it seemed beautiful. More beautiful than the land God promised, but which man could not see.
Man said, 'I want to go down to the earth. It seems so beautiful and endless.'
God replied, 'Down there is heartache and misery, doom and gloom. The earth if filled with razor sharp rocks and angry hungry lions and snakes. You will not find the happiness you seek, down there.'
Man kept looking down the mountain and said, 'I want to fly down there right away and live the life of my dreams.'
God replied, 'You cannot fly. You will only fall into the depths of despair. My Son will build a land for you. A land in which we can all live and be happy.'
Man kept looking down the mountain. He could not see anything but what was in his own imagination. He jumped off the mountain and began to fall.
He fell throughout his entire life.
God called to man, 'My son will catch you in His hand and lift you back up to safety and happiness.'
Man ignored the call. Man kept falling. He tried to peer through the clouds, but they were thick and all he could catch a glimpse of was an occasional sharp rock or lion.
Man was falling, but there were times when he felt at ease, almost peaceful. He could drift left and right, but he remained in his downward fall. He knew he was falling, but he ignored that, believing that was going to the land of his dreams.
God called to man, 'My Son will catch you in His hand, stop your fall, and lift you up to safety and happiness.'
Man replied, 'No.'
God called out, 'My Son will catch you in His hand and lift you up to safety and peace and happiness and eternal life and to everything your heart can desire.'
Man covered his ears. Man kept falling and falling.
Then after a life of falling, the clouds parted and man was but a split second from the ground. There he saw the razor sharp rocks, the angry hungry lions, the poisonous snakes all looking up at man who was falling right into their domain. Looking with glee as their jaws opened wide to receive their new visitor.
God called to man, 'My son will catch you in His hand and lift you out of the mouths of destruction.'
Man kept falling. Man was not interested in what was above.
God stopped calling.
Man was out of time. And then the earth below ripped and tore into its ravenous portion.
Zech. 7:13
13 'And it came about that just as He called and they would not listen, so they called and I would not listen,' says the Lord of hosts; NASB
