The Hand of God
“‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah.’”
Ezra 1:2
The term providence came to my attention this past year. Frankly, I didn’t know how to define providence; I had to look it up: “The theological doctrine of providence is that God both possesses and exercises absolute power over all the works of his hands.”* Constable goes on to say, and this I love, that providence means “the hand of God is in the glove of human events.”*
In the tiny book of Haggai we clearly find providence actively at work. History tells us that in 539 BC, when Cyrus conquered Babylon, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing (Ezra 1:1-2). The returning Jews were to rebuild God’s temple in Jerusalem.
Why did this pagan king imagine he was the one to rebuild God’s temple in Jerusalem? Ah, could it have been men like Daniel, living godly lives despite being in captivity in Babylon? Then add in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3) and Daniel’s rescue from the lions’ den (Daniel 6).
Yes God works in mysterious, or shall I say “providential” ways. He had promised His people would return from Babylon after 70 years, and He certainly provided the way. Precisely 49,897 Israelites went back with gold, silver, and priestly garments sufficient to rebuild the temple and reinstitute worship (Ezra 2:64-69).
Wasn’t it good that God had His hand in the glove of human events then? Isn’t it good He’s got His hand in the events of our lives now!
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth…
he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else…
he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live…
so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him…
‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’”
—Acts 17:24-28
Nancy P
*Thomas Constable, Sonic Light online
All Scripture quotations are from the NIV Translation 1973, 1978, 1984, unless otherwise noted
