God’s Sovereignty over the Heavens and Earth
Revelation 4:11

Prior to Genesis 1:1, the universe was unborn and creation existed only in the mind of God, who was there to resist His will? If God determined to call into existence a million different creatures and endow them with the same faculties and placing them in the same environment; or, create a million creatures each differing from the others, and possessing nothing in common who was there to challenge His right? It was His Sovereign right to create, on the one hand, the exalted seraphim, and on the other hand, the tiny insect that dies the same hour that it is born, who was there to question His Sovereign pleasure?

Consider the birds as they fly through the air, the beasts as they roam the earth, the fishes as they swim in the sea, and then ask, who was it that made them different? Was it not their Creator?

In the heavens, there is the glory of the sun, the glory of the moon, and the glory of the stars. Why should the sun be more glorious than all the other planets? Why should there be stars of the first magnitude and others of the tenth, why such inequalities? Why are some of the heavenly bodies more favorably placed than others in their relation to the sun?

Why should two thirds of the earth be overed with water, and why should so much of its remaining third be unfit for human cultivation or habitation? Why should there be vast stretches of marshes, deserts and ice fields? Why should one country be so inferior, topographically, from another? Why should one be fertile, and another almost barren? Why should one be rich in minerals and another own none? Why should the climate of one be congenial and healthy, and another uncongenial and unhealthy? Why does one nation abound in rivers and lakes, and another almost devoid of them? Why should one area of the earth be constantly troubled with earthquakes, and another almost entirely free from then, the answer, because it pleases the Creator and Upholder of all things?

Consider the animal kingdom, what comparison is possible between the lion and the lamb, the bear and the kid, the elephant and the mouse? Some, like the horse and the dog, are gifted with great intelligence; while others, like sheep and swine, are almost devoid of it. Some animals are designed to be beasts of burden, while others enjoy a life of freedom. Why should the mule and the donkey live a life of drudgery while the lion and tiger are allowed to roam the jungle at their pleasure? Some animals are fit for food, others unfit; some are beautiful, others ugly; some are endowed with great strength, others are quite helpless; some are fleet of foot, others can scarcely crawl; some are of use to man, others appear to be quite valueless; some live for centuries, others a few months at most; some are tame, others fierce. But why all these variations and differences?

What is true of the animal kingdom is equally true of the vegetable kingdom. We might ask, why do roses have thorns, and lilies grow without them? Why should one flower emit a fragrant aroma and another has none? Why does one tree bear fruit which is wholesome and another that which is poisonous? Why should one vegetable be capable of enduring frost and another wither under it? Why is one apple tree loaded with fruit, and another tree of the same age and in the same orchard almost barren? Why should one plant flower a dozen times in a year and another bear blossoms but once a century? In Psalm 135:6, the psalmist answers the questions.

What about the angelic hosts, why are some higher in rank than others, more powerful than others, and nearer to God than others. Scripture reveals a definite and well-defined ranking in the angelic orders, from archangel, seraphim, cherubim, and “principalities and powers” (Ephesians 3:10), and from principalities and powers to “rulers” (Ephesians 6:12). Again we ask, Why this inequality, this difference in rank and order, all we can say is “Our God is in the heavens; He has done whatsoever He has pleased" (Psalm 115:3).

That brings us to the question, if the Sovereignty of God is displayed throughout all creation, why should it be thought a strange thing if we behold it operating in the midst of the human family? Why should it be thought strange if to one God is pleased to give five talents and to another only one? Why should it be thought strange if one is born with a robust constitution and another of the same parents is frail and sickly? Why should it be thought strange if Abel is cut off in his prime, while Cain is permitted to live for many years? Why should it be thought strange that some should be born black and others white; some born with low I.Q. and others with high I.Q; some born constitutionally lethargic and others full of energy; some born with a temperament that is selfish, fiery, egotistical, others naturally self-sacrificing, submissive and meek? Why should it be thought strange if some are qualified by nature to lead and rule, while others are only fitted to follow and serve? Heredity and environment cannot account for all these variations and inequalities; it is God who makes one different from another.

In an anti-authority society we need to learn this basic truth, the Creator is absolute Sovereign, executing His own will, performing His own pleasure, and considering nothing but His own glory (Proverbs 16:4), and He has a perfect right to do what He does. Since God is who He is to challenge His prerogative, murmur against Him is rank rebellion. To question His ways is to question His wisdom. To criticize Him is a sin. Have we forgotten who He is? Behold, “All nations before Him as are nothing; and they are counted to Him less than nothing, and vanity. To whom then will you liken God” (Isaiah 40:17, 18).

Suppose the opposite was true. Let us say that God created the world, designed and fixed certain laws, and that He then left the world to shift for itself. In such a case, we should have a world over which there was no intelligent, presiding Governor, a world controlled by nothing more than impersonal laws, gross materialism and atheism. A very superficial observation of the laws of nature reveals the fact that they are not uniform in their working. The proof of this is seen in the fact that no two seasons are alike. Since the laws of nature are irregular in their operations, what guaranties have we against some dreadful catastrophe striking our earth? The wind blows where it pleases, meaning that man can neither harness nor hinder it. Sometimes the wind blows with great fury, gaining in volume and velocity until it becomes a hurricane. If there is nothing more than the laws of nature regulating the wind, then, perhaps tomorrow, there may come a terrific tornado and sweep everything from the surface of the earth. What assurances have we against such a calamity?

Let us pursue a similar course of reasoning, let us assume that God has delivered over the control of the affairs of humanity to His creatures and see where such a supposition leads us. Consider the will of humans. Every man and woman enters this world endowed with a will that is free, and that it is impossible to compel or even coerce him or her to bend to the will of another human without destroying his or her freedom. Let us say that every man possesses knowledge of right and wrong, that he has the power to choose between them, and that he is left entirely free to make his own choice and go his own way, then what? Then it follows that man is sovereign, for he does as he pleases and determines his own destiny. However, in such a case we can have no assurance that before long every man will reject the good and choose the evil. In such a case, we have no guaranty against the entire human race committing moral suicide. Let all Divine restraints be removed and man left free, and all ethical distinctions would immediately disappear, the spirit of barbarism would prevail universally, and pandemonium would reign supreme.

Having shown, in brief, the imperative need for God to rein over our world, let us now observe still further the fact that God does rule over the world, and that His government extends to and is exercised over all things and all creatures.

In the land of Egypt at His bidding the light was turned into darkness and rivers into blood; hail fell, and death came down upon the godless land of the Nile, until even its haughty monarch was compelled to cry out for deliverance. Note particularly how the inspired record here emphasizes God's absolute control over the elements, “Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very severe such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. The hail struck all that was in the field, through all the land of Egypt, both man and beast; the hail also struck every plant of the field and shattered every tree of the field. Only the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, there was no hail” (Exodus 9:23-26). The same distinction was observed in connection with the ninth plague (Exodus 10:21-23).

At God's decree, fire and brimstone descended from heaven and the cities of the Plain were destroyed, and a fertile valley was converted into a loathsome sea of death. At His bidding, the waters of the Red Sea parted asunder so that the Israelites passed over dry shod, and at His word, they rolled back again and destroyed the Egyptians who were pursuing them. A word from Him, and the earth opened her mouth and Korah and his rebellious company was swallowed up. The furnace of Nebuchadnezzar was heated seven times beyond its normal temperature, and into it, three of God's children were cast, but the fire did not so much as scorch their clothes, though it slew the men who cast them into it.

The greatest demonstration of the Creator's governmental control over the elements was when He was asleep in a boat. A storm arises. The disciples, who are with Him, fearful lest their little craft should founder, woke Him saying, Master, do You not care that we perish, and He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, peace, be still, and the wind ceased and there was a great calm (Mark 4:39).

The Weather Bureaus may attempt to give forecasts of the weather, but God frequently mocks their calculations. Sun spots, the varying activities of the planets, the appearing and disappearing of comets, atmospheric disturbances, are merely secondary causes, for behind them all is God Himself. Truly, God governs inanimate matter. Earth and air, fire and water, hail and snow, stormy winds and angry seas, all perform the word of His power and fulfill His Sovereign pleasure.

Two alternatives confront us, either God governs, or He is governed; either God rules or He is ruled; either God has His way, or men have theirs. Is our choice between these alternatives hard to make? In man, do we see a creature so unruly that he is beyond God’s control? In man, do we see sin has alienated the sinner so far from God that he is outside God’s jurisdiction? On the other hand, has God endowed man with moral responsibility, and must leave him entirely free, at least during the period of his probation? Does it necessarily follow because the natural man rebels against the authority of God, God is unable to fulfill His purpose through him? Is every action of the natural man entirely under the control of God? Whether he knows it or does not know it, every action of the natural man is under the control of God. Jesus’ betrayal by Judas was under the control of God. If then the arch-rebel was performing the counsel of God is it too difficult to believe the same of all rebels?

The faithful angels are God's servants, His messengers; they are in subjection to the will of their Creator and perform His bidding. The same is true of evil spirits; they, too, fulfill God's Sovereign decrees. God sent an evil spirit to stir up rebellion in the camp of Abimelech (Judges 9:23). He sent another to be a lying spirit in the mouth of Ahab's prophets (1 Kings 22:23). The Lord sent an evil spirit to trouble King Saul (1 Samuel 16:14). In the New Testament: a whole legion of the demons did not go out of their victim until the Lord gave them permission to enter a herd of swine.

The good news in these troubled days is, the Lord God omnipotent reigns. His government is exercised over inanimate matter, over the animal kingdom, over humanity, over angels good and evil, and over Satan himself. No revolving world, no shining of star, no storm, no creature moves, no actions of men, no errands of angels, no deeds of Satan, nothing in all the universe can come to pass other than that which God has ordained. The Sovereignty of God is a foundation of faith, the resting place for the intellect, an anchor for the soul, both sure and steadfast. God and not Satan or man is ruling the world, ruling it according to His own good pleasure and for His own eternal glory.