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CHAPTER ONE GOD’S PROVIDENCE THROUGH THE BIBLE “It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD,” Lamentations 3:26. KJV Did God keep His fantastic promise to providentially care for His people in Bible times? Note: To gain the full beauty of the following stories, read them in their entirety from your Bible. God intervened in the lives of Adam and Eve. God intervened by sending Adam and Eve from the garden to keep them away from the tree of life, Genesis 3:24. If God had not sent them from the garden, they would have lived forever in sin. See Genesis 6:5. God intervened in the days of Noah. God intervened by warning Noah of a coming flood, Genesis 6:13. If God had not warned Noah, he would not have known that he needed to build an ark. God intervened by telling Noah how to build the ark, Genesis 6:15. If God had not given Noah instructions, Noah and his family would have drowned. God intervened in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah. God intervened by sending fire down upon these cities to prevent the evil of homosexuality from spreading, Genesis 19, 20. If God had not intervened, His people would have become so corrupted that He would have had to destroy them, also. See Lev 18:28. God intervened in the days of Joseph. God intervened by allowing him to be sold into slavery (Genesis 37:28); to become second in command in Egypt; to learn of the oncoming famine and how to prepare for it, Genesis 41:39, 40. If God had not intervened, Joseph, his family and thousands of others would have starved. God intervened in the days of Moses. God intervened by sending Pharaoh’s daughter to the river at the right time; by causing her to want baby Moses; by allowing Moses’ own mother to raise him in the palace (Exodus 2:8-10); by allowing Moses to be trained for leadership; by placing a desire in Moses’ heart to help his own people, (Genesis 2:11-13); by sending 10 plagues, (Exodus 9:14); by opening up the Red Sea for the Israelites to cross, (Exodus 14:19); and by allowing the water to drown Pharaoh’s army, Exodus 14:27,28. If God had not intervened, the Israelites would have remained in slavery. God intervened by placing in the hearts of the Egyptians the desire to give the Israelites much gold and other valuable things, Exodus 3:22. God intervened by sending quail into the camp, (Exodus 16:13); by pouring water from rocks, (Exodus 17:6 and Numbers 20:11); by sending manna from heaven, (Exodus 16:31); by keeping their clothes and shoes from wearing out, (Deuteronomy 29:5); and by providing a cloud to protect them from the heat by day and to warm them by night, Psalms 104:39. If God had not intervened, the whole Israelite nation would have very quickly died in the wilderness. God intervened by giving Moses the wisdom to mold a disorderly mob of 250,000 slaves into a mighty nation. God intervened, in the war against the Amalekites by giving victory to the Israelites as long as Moses’ hands were raised, Exodus 17:8. If God had not intervened, the Amalekites would have killed most of the Israelites and enslaved the rest. God intervened in the days of Joshua. God intervened by allowing Jericho’s walls to fall down so Joshua and his army could attack and conquer the city, Joshua 6:16. God intervened by sending hornets to drive out the enemy, Exodus 23:28; Deuteronomy 7:20; Joshua 12:12. God intervened by causing the hearts of the enemy to melt as Joshua marched toward them, Joshua 5:1. If God had not intervened, the Children of Israel would have been destroyed and would have had no homeland. Before Joshua died, he reminded the people, “The LORD gave Israel all the land He had sworn to give their forefathers, and they took possession of it and settled there. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the LORD handed all their enemies over to them. Not one of all the LORD's good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled,” Joshua 21:43-45. “Now fear the LORD and
serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers
worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving
the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom
you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River,
or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But as for me and
my household, we will serve the LORD,” God intervened in the days of Gideon. God intervened by causing the enemy to become panic stricken and turn against each other in battle. There were 135,000 enemy soldiers but Gideon had only 300. This was a ratio of 450/1, Judges 7:14. If God had not intervened, the enemy would have annihilated Gideon, and his army and would have taken over the land. God intervened in the days of Naomi. God intervened when Naomi became bitter because of the loss of her husband and sons, but God allowed her to become the surrogate grandmother of David and find happiness, Ruth 4:16, 17. God intervened in the days of Elijah and Elisha. God intervened by causing fire to come down from the sky and by giving Elijah power to kill 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah, 1 Kings 18:19,40. If God had not intervened, Elijah would have surely been put to death. God intervened by striking Elisha’s enemy with temporary blindness so he could lead them right into the city of Samaria and then send them away as friends, 2 Kings 6. God intervened by causing the Armenians to hear the sound of a huge army approaching. The sound so frightened them that the whole army ran for their lives and left their food behind, 2 Kings 7:5-7. If God had not intervened, the people of Samaria would have quickly starved. God intervened in the life of Jonathan. God intervened when Jonathan and his armor bearer were at an extreme disadvantage against their enemy. The enemy was on a little plateau with very steep sides. Jonathan had to climb up, before he could begin to fight. There were 25 soldiers on top with the whole Philistine army just beyond and only Jonathan and his armor-bearer below. Before Jonathan started up he said, “Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.” Jonathan and his armor bearer killed the 25 soldiers and then panic struck the whole army—those in the camp and field; the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God, 1 Samuel 14:1-15. God intervened many times in the life of David. God intervened by allowing the boy David to kill the nine-foot nine-inch tall giant Goliath. Goliath stood from three to four feet taller than David. “David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied… All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands,’” 1 Samuel 17. God intervened in the days of Jehoshaphat. When a vast army came against Jehoshaphat, he fasted, prayed, sang praises to God and thanked Him. Then he led the people out to meet the enemy. When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooked the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped. (They had killed each other.) It took three days to carry off the plunder, 2 Chronicles 20. God intervened in the time of Hezekiah. God intervened by
sending one angel to kill 185,000 enemy soldiers in one night, God intervened in the days of Cyrus. Cyrus wanted to conquer Babylon, but the city was impenetrable. The city was surrounded by a deep, wide moat. Directly inside the moat was an enormous wall made of large solid bricks. The wall was twenty feet thick and extended thirty-five feet below the ground and three hundred feet above the ground. Beyond the first wall was a space of forty feet and then another twenty-foot-thick wall just like the first one. The people of Babylon could drop rocks and boiling oil down on the heads of any invaders who attempted to break through the second wall. During the years that
followed the initial This made a solid wall, three hundred feet high and eighty feet thick. Chariots were driven six abreast on top of the wall. The wall had 250 lookout towers to provide extra protection. The Euphrates River made a bend and then went under the wall and across the middle of the city. The tunnels for the water flow under the walls were made secure by huge iron gates that extended to the bottom of the river bed. Two huge walls on the inside ran on either side of the river and stretched the length of Babylon. Drawbridges were used to span the river during the day, but these were removed at night for safety's sake. A tunnel under the river provided night access to both sides of the city. The king's palace was fortified by seven more walls which ranged up to fifty feet thick. Cyrus wanted to conquer Babylon, but the city was impenetrable. Someone showed Cyrus that his name was recorded in the holy writings in the book of Isaiah. Not only had Isaiah mentioned Cyrus 150 years before he was born, but he also outlined the way that Cyrus would conquer the city of Babylon. Cyrus was so impressed that he followed the directions found in the prophecy and conquered Babylon with very little bloodshed. To show his gratitude to God, he did what no other conqueror ever did willingly. He allowed his Jewish slaves to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple,1 Isaiah 44, 45. (1Norman Childs Sr. You Can Know There is a God in Heaven, Childs Family Publications, Olney, IL, pp 87-91.) This marvelous prophecy not only proves conclusively that there is a God in heaven and the Bible is His Word, but this is also proof that God intervenes in the affairs of men. If God had not intervened, the Israelites would have remained under the control of the Babylonians and would have never been able to return to their homeland. God intervened in the life of Esther. God intervened by saving the lives of Esther and the whole Jewish nation, for they were all being threatened with extinction. God intervened and destroyed their enemy. Read the book of Esther. God intervened in the life of Daniel. God intervened by
saving Daniel from the lions, God intervened in the life of Jonah. God intervened by providing a great fish to swallow Jonah, Jonah 1, 2. If God had not intervened, Jonah would have drowned, Nineveh would not have repented and God would have destroyed all of its inhabitants. God intervened during the days of Jesus’ childhood. God intervened by telling the wise men to go home by a different route and by sending an angel to warn Joseph to escape to Egypt, Matthew 2:12, 13. If God had not intervened, Jesus would have been killed and we would have no hope of salvation. God intervened in the life of Peter. God intervened by aiding Peter in his escape from prison, Acts 12. If God had not intervened, Peter would have surely been killed as James was, and we would not have his writings in the Bible. God intervened in the life of Paul. God intervened by keeping the poison of the snake from killing him, Acts 28. If the snake had killed Paul, he could not have written the prison epistles. God intervened in the life of John. God intervened by inspiring him to write nearly half of the New Testament. If God had not If God had not intervened, Jonah would have drowned, Nineveh would not have repented and God would have destroyed all of its inhabitants. God intervened during the days of Jesus’ childhood. God intervened by telling the wise men to go home by a different route and by sending an angel to warn Joseph to escape to Egypt, Matthew 2:12, 13. If God had not intervened, Jesus would have been killed and we would have no hope of salvation. God intervened in the life of Peter. God intervened by aiding Peter in his escape from prison, Acts 12. If God had not intervened, Peter would have surely been killed as James was, and we would not have his writings in the Bible. God intervened in the life of Paul. God intervened by keeping the poison of the snake from killing him, Acts 28. If the snake had killed Paul, he could not have written the prison epistles. God intervened in the life of John. God intervened by inspiring him to write nearly half of the New Testament. If God had not Chapter One Study Guide 1. What is the difference between misdirected fear and properly-directed fear? 2. Give an example of misdirected fear. 3. Give an example of properly-directed fear. 4. Give an example of how misdirected fear has robbed you of your full potential. Has fear caused you or a friend to experience some type of poor health? 6. Name an event in your childhood where misdirected fear robbed you of happiness. 7. What is the answer to the fear problem? 8. Name at least three ways we can build our faith. Name at least five reasons why God’s promise in Deuteronomy 28 is fantastic.
10. Site one
example from the Old Testament where God kept the
11. Site
one example from the New Testament where God kept the
12. Site
10 examples from the Old Testament where God directly
1
Which Old Testament story
about God’s intervention do you like
14.
Who said, “Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether 1 How can you apply the above statement to your own life? 1 What did David say to Goliath?
1
When the Devil is working your
case, would it be proper to tell
1
What were the steps that
Jehoshaphat took toward defeating his
Could you take the same
steps that Jehoshaphat took in your
2
God sent an angel to help
Hezekiah when everything looked
Do you think God sends his angels to help you when you cry to 2 Who conquered the city of Babylon? 2 How was the city of Babylon conquered? Read Isaiah 44 & 45.
2
How does the prophecy of
Isaiah 44, 45 show God’s Name some ways God has intervened in your life. Why did God destroy the world in the days of Noah?
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America's Providential Heritage Home Page  God's Providence Through The Bible God's Intervention In Medieval Times
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God's Intervention In The Life Of The Author
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