“He Does Whatever He Pleases“
“I know that the Lord is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods. The Lord does whatever pleases Him…” Psalm 135:5
The whole Bible testifies to this great truth about the Lord God Almighty: He does whatever pleases Him. From His creating work to the final scene in Revelation, the Lord makes all things, good and bad, work together to accomplish His predetermined pleasure and purpose for His creation. Only the Sovereign Lord is able to declare the end from the beginning, and bring it to pass.
The first two chapters of Genesis give a detailed account of God creating the heavens and the earth, and everything in them; no one advised or counseled the Lord—He made everything as it pleased Him. The scope and detail of His workings is far beyond man’s finite brain and imagination: the universe, the sun, moon and stars, and how the Lord put the earth into rotation in relation to them staggers the mind. All things to this day continue just as the Creator ordered them.
From the beginning we see the Lord making sovereign judgments regarding His creation. When Adam sinned, He made clear what the consequences would be for his and Eve’s disobedience; but more importantly, the Lord foretold how He would bring, from a woman, a Seed that would destroy the Devil.
In time, the Lord chose a man to be the father of a nation that would become His chosen people, and in time, produce that promised Seed. From Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, down through the many generations ‘til Christ was born, God oversaw and providentially selected the people from which His only begotten Son would come. Jesus Christ was born of a virgin in Bethlehem, a Jew from the house of David, just as the Lord had foretold.
From His birth, God watched over His Son, keeping Him safe and in obscurity until it was time for Jesus to come forth for the work prepared for Him by His Father. Six months before Jesus was conceived in Mary, God chose a couple who were old and had no children, to bear a son who would go before Jesus at a set time, and publicly introduce Him to the nation of Israel. The Lord filled him with the Holy Ghost while he was in his mother’s womb: he was John the Baptist.
When Jesus’ day came, He came to the river Jordan and was baptized by John, according to the purpose and plan of God. It was God’s will to allow Jesus to be tempted of the Devil. God sent Jesus into this world to be a light and a Savior to those who were walking in darkness; who were dead in trespasses and sin. In the three years of His public ministry Jesus, chose the men who would be the foundation of His church, and He preached and taught the Word of God. He did many miraculous works, and sovereignly saved sinners who came to Him.
Jesus’ final work on earth was to allow evil men to crucify Him. I use the word allow because He could have stopped them if He had chose to, but He didn’t. It was for this purpose Jesus came into the world. It was God’s purpose and plan for His Son to be crucified. Hear this:
“…It pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief…” and the purpose of God?
“He [Jesus] was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities…by His stripes we are healed…the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53
It is of the utmost importance to know and understand that God’s salvation does not come from the will of man, but from the will of God. It is His good pleasure to draw sinners to His Son: to save them and keep them until the day Jesus returns for them.
“…He predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will…” Ephesians 1:5
Brother Bill is a Bible teacher and can be contacted at bboldham@sbcglobal.net