Musing on Sovereignty and Freedom

God can do what he wants. That's a truth that scripture, logic, and personal experience cannot deny. When God wants to do something, who can stop him? Sometimes we assume that, because God can do what he wants, he would do what we would do in his place. We assume that, as Sovereign Ruler, he would, to some degree, control the minds, wills, and actions of his creation to fulfill his ultimate purpose. As I motioned in previous posts, there are verses and historical events that show he has done this in significant moments. But there are others that show his preference for a free and willing heart. "Come now, and let us reason together,"Says the Lord," Though your sins are as scarlet,They will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool. Isaiah 1:18 "How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who are grumbling against Me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me. Say to them, 'As I live,' says the Lord, 'just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will surely do to you.'" Numbers 14:27-28 Then the Lord said to me in the days of Josiah the king, "Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and she was a harlot there. I thought, 'After she has done all these things she will return to Me'; but she did not return..." Jeremiah 3:6-7 Did God really think Israel would return? He must have known otherwise. And if he did, why didn't he do something about it? In Deuteronomy chapter 30, God challenges Israel with a choice: "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them." But in chapter 31 we gain further insight into God's perspective: The Lord said to Moses, "Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers; and this people will arise and play the harlot with the strange gods of the land, into the midst of which they are going, and will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. Then My anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide My face from them, and they will be consumed, and many evils and troubles will come upon them; so that they will say in that day, 'Is it not because our God is not among us that these evils have come upon us?' But I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they will do, for they will turn to other gods. Now therefore, write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the sons of Israel; put it on their lips, so that this song may be a witness for Me against the sons of Israel." God knew what the people would do, how he would feel about it, and what he would do in response, but he didn't do a thing to change it. He even taught Moses a song so that people will remember the warning he gave them years before the rebellion would occur. This tells me a few important things about God's sovereignty: 1) God is not willing to manipulate rebellious hearts. In fact, I can find no instance in scripture where God softens a heart. We see him calling people, we see grace and mercy shown to the repentant, but not the involuntary softening of a rebellious heart. 2) God wants the rebellious to turn of their own volition, but eventually, if they do not turn, even after being warned, they will incur his wrath and judgment. 3) God is patient despite his foreknowledge. God can see the future, but chooses not to manipulate it unless he deems it absolutely necessary. Why? Because when he made men, it was for fellowship, not a cosmic chess game. Relationships are free. I don't want a robot for a wife, I want a woman who wants to be with me, who wants to share life with me. That's the fun of it. There is beauty and adventure in that. Humans are obsessed with relationships. And we want them unmanipulated. No wonder genies don't do "love wishes" and witches stay away from "love potions." We all know that it's supposed to be free. It's instinctive. Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not seek it's own. Bears all things. Hopes all things. Endures all things . . .