LESSON 5: THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

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1 FOUNDATIONS OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH LESSON 5: THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD Why is every person accountable to God? 1: SUMMARY In this lesson you will learn that God created you, He continues to sustain you and knows everything about your life. You are therefore accountable to Him for what you do with your life. 2: BIBLE STUDY PSALM 139 Psalm 139 is written by David and is part of a group of Psalms (Ps ) which all deal with the theme of deliverance. They celebrate God s sovereign power and His faithfulness to deliver the righteous and judge the wicked. In Ps 139 David recognizes that he too is accountable to this God who: 1. Knows him (Ps 139:1-6) 2. Is always with Him (Ps 139:7-12) 3. Created him (Ps 139:13-18) 4. Judges justly (Ps 139:19-24). We will consider each section of the Psalm under these headings 2.1: God knows you (Ps 139:1-6) What words/ phrases in vs 1 6 suggest that God knows each one of us intimately and comprehensively? The verbs in vs 1-5 are all in the perfect tense which suggests that God is not continually examining me, but already possesses a perfect and comprehensive knowledge of me. Vs 1 could be paraphrased, You have fully searched me and minutely known me, you have dug deep into me. Vs 2 affirms that God knows our every action and He even knows our thoughts while they are still busy forming in our own minds. He knows all our activities (vs 3) and all our conversations (vs 4). In fact, before the words are even on our tongues God already knows what we are about to say (vs 4). Moreover, God s knowledge is not merely factual, but is personal (vs 5). As David tries to imagine how God knows every person in the universe so comprehensively, he realizes that finite human beings could never grasp the extent of God s infinite knowledge (vs 6) 1

2 Nobody else in the universe knows us as well as God does, He literally knows and understands us better than we understand ourselves. We can keep no secrets from God, even the thoughts and motives of our hearts are not hidden from Him. Theologians call this characteristic of God His omniscience which means that God knows all things about all things perfectly. Is God s complete knowledge of you a comfort, or a fearful thing for you? Explain. 2.2: God is always with you (Ps 139:7-12) From vs 7 the psalm moves from considering God s knowledge to considering God s presence. Vs 7 contains Hebrew parallelism which basically means that that the author is saying the same thing in two slightly different ways. Paraphrase the question that the Psalmist asks in vs 7 in your own words. In David s imagination he pictures himself travelling to different places in order to see whether he can escape God s presence. List the different locations David mentions in vs David affirms that wherever he might think of going, God is already there. However he might try to hide himself, God sees and God knows (vs 11-12). Theologians call this characteristic of God, His omnipresence which means that all of God is everywhere present all the time. 2

3 Why should it comfort to us to know that God is already present wherever we might be or go? 2.3: God created you (Ps 139:13-18) David goes on to acknowledge that God created him, literally weaving his sinews together while he was still in his mother s womb. By saying that he has been fearfully and wonderfully made David is acknowledging that he is exactly who God created him to be, with precisely the physical features, intellectual capacity, personality and talents that God intended. He has been intricately woven (vs 16) which means specifically, personally and carefully handcrafted in the finest detail. According to vs 16, God not only gave him life, but determined the length of his life even before he had lived a single day of it. Do you believe that God made you exactly as He intended, and that the years of your life have been determined by Him? How should this reality change the way you view yourself and others? Yes No What difference should this make to the way you live? 2.4: God is Your Judge (Ps 139:19-24). God is not an impersonal force, but a personal, moral being. We were created by Him in order to know Him, worship Him and serve Him. Measured against God s creation purpose, our lives can be judged to be either good or bad, righteous or wicked. In vs David is clearly siding with God against those who hate God and rebel against Him. 3

4 Their rebellion is shown in their: Actions (19): They are men of blood, indicating that they hate and murder. Words (20): They speak with malicious intent against God and blaspheme His name. They show no regard for the honour and reputation of God. Attitudes (21): They rise up in rebellion against God. Their whole lives betray the purpose for which God created them. We live in a fallen world, full of people hating one another and hurting one another in word and deed. The very people who receive their life and breath from God, fail to use that life to worship, love, serve and obey Him. What evidence do you see of the above reality in the world around you? When we measure ourselves against each other, we may not seem that bad, but we when we measure ourselves aginst the purpose for which God created us, we are all falling far short. We are not our own judge, God is our judge. David ackowledges this fact and therefore in vs closes this psalm by asking God to search him and try him and show him of any grievious way. This is what the Bible calls sin, when we grieve God in attitude, word or deed. We might be very happy with ourselves and our lives. We might be content for our good deeds to outweigh our bad, or strive simply to be good relative to others. But the ultimate judge is God and the ultimate judgment is the one that He renders over our lives. David acknowledges that while he may not be as openly rebellious as the wicked yet that doesn t render him blameless by God s righteous standards. He not only asks God to show him his sin, but also to lead him in the way of righteousness. It is one thing to acknowledge our sin, it is another thing to want to turn away from it and pursue God s ways instead. Summary: It is abundantly clear from Psalm 139 that we have been created by God and for God. Both the quality and the length of our lives have been determined by Him and He continues to be intimately involved with every detail of our lives. We belong to Him and were created by him and for Him. He is our ultimate judge. These truths together are what some Theologians call The Sovereignty of God. They point to God s supreme rule over the universe and over our individual lives. Whether we accept it as such or not, God is the only sovereign ruler over all. 4

5 List some ways that God demonstrates His sovereign rule over His creation 3: APPLICATION Do you regularly ask God to show you your sin? Yes Occasionally No Do you confess your sin and ask Him to change you? More often Daily Weekly Monthly Less often How would you rate yourself? Explain Wicked Not so bad Could be better Righteous How can you become more aware of God s presence with you throughout the day? 4: FURTHER DISCUSSION These questions are intended to help you think more deeply about the subject matter at hand and provide the basis for further discussion with another mature believer. Verse 1-12 show that God is all knowing, all powerful and present everywhere at the same time. How should this understanding of God s sovereignty effect why we pray, how we pray and when we pray? Verse of this Psalm indicate that God personally crafts every human being while still in their mothers womb. How is this relevant to the practice of abortion? 5

6 This psalm celebrates the fact that we are each made by God personally and intentionally. What might God s purpose be in creating people with physical and mental defects? (see Ex 4:10-11; 2 Cor 12:7-10) Does He have the sovereign righ to do so? The Sovereignty of God means that He has absolute authority over your life, to do with you as He pleases. It means that you are accountable to Him for your life, decisions and actions. What aspects of this doctrine are encouraging, what aspects of it are difficult? The alternate to the Sovereignty of God is the Sovereignty of Man. In what ways are people rejecting the former and pursuing the latter? What are the effects of this rebellion against God s sovereignty? What is the ultimate outcome? 5: MEMORIZATION The following Scriptures would be good to memorize and meditate upon as they summarize the truths contained in this lesson: Ps 139:1-3 Is 40: : FUTHER STUDY The book of Job wrestles with the sovereigty of God particularly in the light of present suffering. At the end of the book God interrogates Job with a series of questions (Job 38-42) which demonstrate His absolute sovereignty. The book of Job, but particularly Job are worth careful study and meditation in order to better understand the sovereignty of God. Read the booklet Does God Control Everything? (Crucial Questions Series Book 14 by R.C Sproul; obtainable from 6