The Sovereignty of God

Proverbs 16:1-15

Main Idea: Submit to the sovereign rule of God and his Messiah.

1. God Is in Complete Control (16:1-3).
2. God Will Sovereignly Judge Evil (16:4-5).
3. God Sovereignly Saves and Rewards Sinners Who Submit to Him (16:6-9).
4. God Sovereignly Rules the World through the Messiah (16:10-15).

Sometimes the Word of God is difficult to swallow. The Bible is clear that God is supremely sovereign and in control of all things. He knows everything before it happens. He declares the end from the beginning (Isa 46:10). Nothing surprises him. But God’s sovereignty means more than that. God does whatever he wants (Ps 115:3). Whatever God wants to happen is what will happen. These things are not difficult to understand, but they can be really difficult to accept. They can really challenge our faith.

The concept of God’s sovereignty makes us uncomfortable because “I’ve got free will, and God can’t infringe on my choices, otherwise it’s not free will.” Well, yes, you do have free will, and no, you really don’t. There is no such thing as absolute free will. There are two biblical reasons we understand that our free will is not absolute, that we cannot do anything we want to do. First, your will is constrained by your nature. You can only make choices in accordance with your nature. For example, I’m free to dunk a basketball, but I ( Jon) cannot because I lack the ability in my nature. Since you are a sinner by nature, you cannot choose not to sin. It is inevitable that you will sin, regardless of how much you might not want to sin. While we might have the natural ability to make certain choices, our sin nature constricts us morally from actually doing it.

Second, the Bible teaches that God can and does override human free will when he so desires. Proverbs 21:1 says, “A king’s heart is like channeled water in the Lord’s hand: he directs it wherever he chooses.” God looks at a human king and says, I can turn you whichever direction I want to turn you. We see an example of this in Genesis 20 when Abraham goes to Gerar, where King Abimelech reigns. As Abraham was prone to do, he lied about his wife Sarai and said she was his sister. He was fearful that the men of that region would try to kill him and take beautiful Sarai as their wife. King Abimelech likes what he sees, and so he takes Sarai to be part of his harem of wives. But God comes to Abimelech in a dream and says he is a dead man because he is about to commit adultery with another man’s wife. Abimelech objects that he did not know that. And God says this: “Yes, I know that you did this with a clear conscience. I have also kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I have not let you touch her” (Gen 20:6; emphasis mine). Abimelech certainly wanted to touch her, but God would not allow him. God can override the will of a human king, and he certainly can do that with us. God can prevent you from doing certain things. He can keep you from sinning.

God is supremely sovereign: he ordains everything that happens (without being the author of evil; see Jas 1:13). Everything that happens in the world or in your life, he either causes it or permits it. While this concept makes many uncomfortable, it is actually really, really good news. God’s sovereignty means that he can use evil acts to accomplish his good purposes. God can turn the suffering in our lives into something really good for his glory and our good (Rom 8:28). For example, Joseph was cruelly mistreated by his brothers and sold into slavery, but God used all of that suffering to save the people of Egypt and the members of Jacob’s family. So Joseph told his brothers, “You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people” (Gen 50:20). God is sovereign because he can take rebellious acts meant for evil and use them to bring about his good plan. Nothing will thwart or frustrate or prevent his will and plan for the world or for your life as a Christian (Eph 1:11). Therefore, the miseries in our lives are never the final word because we serve a sovereign God. This is the greatest news in the world. We see Solomon lay this out clearly in Proverbs 16:1-15.

God Is in Complete Control

Proverbs 16:1-3

Proverbs 16:1-15 is one of those rare texts in Proverbs 10–31 that is a unit, where Solomon is making a sustained argument, rather than a random collection of verses (Waltke, Proverbs, Chapters 1–15, 5–6). The passage is a unified whole because thematically it speaks of God’s sovereignty, man’s responsibility, and God’s sovereign rule on earth through the Messiah, symbolized here by a “king.” And we know it is a unity because of key catchwords: detestable (both in reference to Yahweh and the Messiah; vv. 5,12), wicked (those who come against Yahweh and the Messiah; vv. 4,12), and atone or appease (vv. 6,14). These words link verses 1-9 about Yahweh with verses 10-15 about the Messiah. God exercises his sovereign rule on earth through the Messiah.

God is sovereign over every aspect of our lives, including our free actions and choices. He is sovereign over the areas we think we control. Proverbs 16:1 says, “The reflections [or the plans] of the heart belong to mankind, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.” That means we make plans, but God’s will is what determines if they succeed, not our ingenuity (Murphy and Hurwiler, Proverbs, 79). Yes, we are responsible to plan and make wise decisions, but God is the final determiner of whether they succeed or fail. Verse 3 says this reality should cause humble dependence on him: “Commit your activities [ESV, “work”] to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” God’s sovereignty is meant to diminish our pride, so the right response is to lean on him. These verses do not discourage planning or decision-making at all, but they do make us humbly aware of God’s role in the final outcome (Longman, Proverbs, 328). The result belongs to God, not to you. So we don’t say, “Look what I did,” but rather, “Look what God did.” God is the one who oversees all of this.

Verse 2 says that God’s sovereignty extends to judgment: “All a person’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs motives.” God is the sovereign judge because he judges rightly. He judges motives, not just actions. We all think we are right. As sinful human beings, we have a tendency to deceive ourselves about our own goodness (Longman, Proverbs, 328). If judgment belonged to us, we would certainly find ourselves innocent. But that is because we are judging ourselves against our own standard and because we typically want to see the good in ourselves. We are much harsher judges of other people than we are of ourselves. We are also masters of justifying and rationalizing our sin so that we are at peace with it. We say, “I know I shouldn’t have lost my temper, but what they did to me was really awful.” Or, “I know I have troubling controlling my tongue, but there’s this guy at work who swears like a sailor. At least I’m better than him.” We measure ourselves against our own, wrong standard that is far beneath God’s standard. That is a big problem for us because God judges us against his righteous standard. And he even knows the secrets of our hearts (1 Cor 4:4-5). We might put on masks with other people, but nothing is hidden from him, not even our motives and thoughts. He even knows the times that you do a good thing but do it for your own selfish gain. That is a scary thought!

Our response should be to commit our work to him (16:3). Submit to him in all things. Waltke connects the first three verses and says,

Since the Lord assumes ownership of the disciple’s initiatives (v. 1) and he alone can evaluate the purity of the motives behind them (v. 2), the disciple should commit his planned deeds to the Lord (v. 3a) to establish them permanently, outlasting the wicked person’s temporary triumphs (v. 3b). (Proverbs, Chapters 15–31, 11)

Now let’s be clear. We are not to be determinists. We are not fatalists. That is a pagan concept. We make real choices. We are free and responsible to make wise decisions. Divine sovereignty and human responsibility go together and somehow work together. The Bible says to embrace both of them.

There are two wrong assumptions that we often make. First, we think for us to be truly free, God cannot be completely sovereign. Second, we conclude for God to be truly sovereign, we have to be robots. Both of those assumptions are dead wrong. The Bible teaches both that God is in complete control and that we make real choices that really matter and for which we are accountable.

These verses mean you should not go about doing your own work and making your own plans and then pray and ask God to make them successful (Longman, Proverbs, 328). Rather, you pray beforehand and allow God’s Word to be the supreme guide as you make your plans. Then you work hard to do your work, submitting all of it to the Lord. Do not be paralyzed in fear forever. Act. Plan. Work. Trust. Depend. Submit. Recognize that even if your plans do not work out as you had hoped, God can use what happened for a deeper, better plan in your life that you may not see. Live in peace, recognizing that God is in control and you can sleep at night. We really misunderstand the Bible if the doctrine of God’s sovereignty makes us scared and uncomfortable. It is meant to be a soft pillow at night. God has got this! You are not in control of your life, so stop fretting like you are. After all, as we sang in VBS, “He’s got the whole world in his hands.”

God Will Sovereignly Judge Evil

Proverbs 16:4-5

Proverbs 16:4 is one of those verses that grates us. It reads, “The Lord has prepared everything for his purpose—even the wicked for the day of disaster.” God brings everything to his desired end and goal, even the wicked for judgment. There are two possible ways to interpret the last line of that verse. Either it means that God has created the wicked for destruction or that even the punishment of the wicked is part of his plan. Whichever option you take, the Bible is clear that God is not the author of evil. It seems to best fit the flow of the passage if we interpret this verse as meaning that God uses human rebellion for his good purposes (as Longman argues, Proverbs, 329).

Again, this truth is good news because it means that nothing escapes God, including wickedness. There is no exception. Even though it may look like the wicked are getting away with it, verse 5 assures us that the prideful who do not submit to God will not go unpunished. They will not escape judgment. It is certain that there will be an ultimate reckoning and a final accountability. The wicked will not get away with it in the end. The text is not concerned with the how or the when; it is just concerned with the certainty of it. That is both frightening, since we are sinners, and comforting, since all of us have thought from time to time, “Why doesn’t God do something about the evil and injustice in the world?” He will!

Also, these verses teach that people’s wickedness does not frustrate or thwart the plan of God. That’s also good news! He actually uses their evil to accomplish his plan. No one can stop God’s plan from coming to fruition. God can even use the wickedness of evil men crucifying the Son of God to sovereignly accomplish his purpose of saving the world.

God’s sovereignty is good news because it means that evil and suffering won’t last forever. Evil and suffering won’t win in the end; God does. If you ever find yourself uncomfortable or questioning the notion of God’s supreme sovereignty, ask yourself the question, “Do I really want to live in a world where God is not supreme and in control?” If God is not in complete control, how can we be sure that what Revelation 21 says about a day with no more tears will actually come about? If he is not sovereign, we cannot be certain that he will conquer evil and stop suffering. Without the sovereignty of God, there is no way to say that there will be no more tears, sickness, pain, sorrow, or death.

God Sovereignly Saves and Rewards Sinners Who Submit to Him

Proverbs 16:6-9

God must pour out his wrath on sin, but he also makes atonement for sin. All evil breaks his heart and must be judged, but he graciously judges human sin at the cross so we can escape hell. Proverbs 16:6 says, “Iniquity is atoned for by loyalty and faithfulness, and one turns from evil by the fear of the Lord.” All sin is evil and an affront to God, but God graciously turns his wrath away from our sin by the blood of a substitute in our place. In the Old Testament, atonement was made by the blood of an animal, but all of the animal blood of the old covenant points to the final sacrifice of Christ on the cross for the sins of the world. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world ( John 1:29). Proverbs 16:6 indicates that atonement reveals God’s covenant love—his loyalty and faithfulness—toward us (Murphy and Huwiler, Proverbs, 80).

We know that atonement leads to being made more like Jesus because the end of verse 6, after atonement has been made, references the fear of the Lord and turning away from evil. After you are saved by the atonement, you are then made wise and holy through fear of the Lord—dependence on him. Verse 7 says that salvation includes the defeat of your enemies. In the new covenant our enemies are not flesh and blood but rather sin, Satan, and death. Jesus has defeated them all in his death and resurrection, and we get to share in that. God’s sovereignty is good news because it means that he saves us from our sin, makes us wise (see Rom 8:28-29), and defeats our enemies.

The cross of Christ clearly reveals the supreme sovereignty of God. The cross is the ultimate example of God using evil to accomplish his good plan. Acts 2:23 states, “Though [Jesus] was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail him to a cross and kill him.” The cross was God’s plan, but lawless people hung Jesus there because they wanted him dead. Acts 2 holds both man’s responsibility and God’s sovereign plan together. Acts 4:27-28 says,

For, in fact, in this city both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, assembled together against your holy Servant Jesus, whom you anointed, to do whatever your hand and your will had predestined to take place.

God predestined the cross, but men freely and wickedly chose to kill Jesus. These work together. Pontius Pilate, Herod, the Jews, and the Romans were not kicking and screaming with their hands tied behind their backs saying, “We don’t want Jesus to die, but we are being forced to do this.” God used the wicked choices of man to bring about his glorious, sovereign plan.

God’s sovereignty is good news because it means he can take evil and use it for good. His sovereignty means that the suffering and chaos in your life is not meaningless or ultimate. You may not see how in the world what is happening to you could ever be a good thing, and you may never understand it until eternity, but you can trust that a God who did not remain distant from your suffering—but rather entered into your world, suffered even beyond what you are suffering, and died in your place—has a good reason and plan for why he is allowing all these things to happen in your life. Plus, one day he will do away with evil and suffering forever. Revelation 21–22 is on the way!

God makes sure that things work out in the end. Proverbs 16:8 is the only verse in 16:1-9 that does not mention God. We think there is a reason for that. We take Waltke’s argument that the absence is intentional because he seems absent in a “morally upside-down world” (Proverbs, Chapters 15–31, 16). It says, “Better a little with righteousness than great income with injustice.” It is better to be poor and righteous than to be rich having gotten your money in a sinful way. This verse is a qualification. Generally in Proverbs the righteous get rich and the wicked become poor, but Solomon says it doesn’t always work out that way. There will be times when the wicked become enriched because of their wickedness, and there are times when the righteous will be poor because of their righteousness. In those times, you will be tempted to think God is absent and not involved, but he is still working all things together for his good purposes. There may be a season where it looks like evil is winning and things are not working out the way they should. But even though it may seem that God is not there, he is working and superintending the process. Evil can succeed temporarily and the righteous can suffer, but in the end God turns the tables.

Proverbs 16:9 ends this section on God’s sovereignty by saying, “A person’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps.” Verse 9 caps Solomon’s argument with a final statement on God’s ultimate sovereignty. We make plans, but God orders our steps. He ordains all things.

God Sovereignly Rules the World through the Messiah

Proverbs 16:10-15

Proverbs 16:10-15 gives the picture of the ideal, messianic king who rules as God’s vice-regent on earth (see Waltke’s great discussion on this in Proverbs, Chapters 15–31, 16–22). The word “king” is prominent, appearing in every verse but verse 11 ( just as God appeared in every verse in 1-9 except 8). These verses are deliberately paired with the sovereignty of God in verses 1-9 to show that Messiah’s reign mirrors the sovereign reign of God.

In the Old Testament, God’s sovereignty is mediated to the people through the human king. Let’s walk through this description and see God’s rule through the Messiah. Verse 10 says that God’s verdict is on the king’s lips so that he can make infallible judgments. When the king judges, he judges rightly. He does not do anything that is unjust. When he judges, he literally speaks for God. So the Davidic king reigns and judges on earth in God’s stead, upholding and executing justice. This is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus (see Acts 2:25-36).

Proverbs 16:11 gives an example of Yahweh’s justice, which is mediated through the king, when it talks about honest scales. This advises against an unethical business practice where sellers would cheat the buyer by changing up the weight system, perhaps by having heavy counterweights for buying and lighter ones for selling (Deut 25:13). Solomon says that God oversees that and is concerned about people not being cheated. The way God oversees it on earth is through the human king. The messianic king will make sure there is equity in his kingdom. The church, as an outpost of the kingdom, should model fairness, equity, and righteousness to the world.

Verse 12 shows how and why the king must uphold justice. Similarly to verse 11, it indicates that wicked behavior is detestable to any king. Those who practice wickedness—like the merchants with unfair weights—are abhorrent to the king ( just like the wicked of v. 5 are repulsive to Yahweh). It is detestable to the king because his dynasty—his throne—will only last if he reigns in righteousness and justice. This is the point of Proverbs. Solomon attempts to train his son to be the ideal king who sets up the messianic kingdom by righteousness. Solomon wants to be a Deuteronomy 6 parent who trains his son in the law so that his son can become a Deuteronomy 17 king who is a man of the law. The problem is Solomon and all of his descendants fail, and this leads to the hope in Israel for a king who embodies the wisdom of Proverbs (Isa 11:1-5) and who can finally establish the eternal, Davidic kingdom. This is fulfilled in the Messiah Jesus.^[24]Jesus sets up a kingdom where there is no wickedness or injustice. He establishes his eternal kingdom in righteousness by judging the wicked. Goldsworthy notes this as well:

For, in fact, in this city both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, assembled together against your holy Servant Jesus, whom you anointed, to do whatever your hand and your will had predestined to take place.

Jesus comes as the only king of Israel to rule perfectly according to the ideals of kingship set out in Deuteronomy 17:14-20. He is the true son of David, thus fitting that role in a way that sinful Solomon could never do. (Tree of Life, 125)

Since the kingdom is established in righteousness, kings are pleased with those who speak rightly (Prov 16:13). The author here encapsulates all of the activities of the kingdom: work, actions, and speech. The king is to govern all of these actions to establish the kingdom. He does this by carrying out judgment, including capital punishment (v. 14). The wise person appeases the king because his favor is like a new creation blessing (v. 15). Thus, the king—fulfilled in Messiah Jesus—is to be judge and punisher. Life and death are in his hands just like they are in Yahweh’s hands. The king wields life and death on Yahweh’s behalf. Jesus is both Savior and Judge, so we should bow the knee to him.

We see this same picture of Yahweh ruling on earth through his Messiah in Psalm 2. This rule includes wrath against those who stand against the Messiah and Yahweh. The wise person kisses the Son so that he does not become angry (Ps 2:12). As in Proverbs 16:15, blessed are all those who take refuge in the Messiah!

Conclusion

Our response to the sovereign Lord and his Messiah is to bow the knee. Why? We bow to the King because God’s sovereign plan for the world is centered on the Messiah. God’s sovereign plan is to exalt the Son and through him to redeem persons from every people group on earth (see Rev 5; 7). God’s plan will not be stopped, so do not take a stand against it. Rather, embrace it. It is foolish to attempt to live outside the sovereignty of God. Submit to the King! Anyone who repents of sin and believes in Jesus will be saved and be part of God’s plan for the world. For some of you this may be scary, or you might have a hard time agreeing with it, but deep in your heart you believe this and are comforted by it. After all, we sing about this all the time: “He’s got the whole world in his hands,” and “From life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny. No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from His hand” (Getty and Townend, “In Christ Alone”). That is good news!

Reflect and Discuss

1. Why do you think people have such a difficult time accepting the supreme sovereignty of God?
2. What do verses like Proverbs 21:1 and Genesis 20:6 make you feel?
3. How can we see God’s sovereignty as good and comforting news?
4. In what ways can you practically commit your plans to the Lord?
5. In what ways do we try to rationalize or justify our sin?
6. Why do we like to play the comparison game rather than evaluate ourselves according to God’s standard?
7. How does God’s sovereignty help us understand and answer the problem of evil and suffering in the world?
8. How can we as sinners escape the wrath of God?
9. What does it look like in daily life to bow the knee to King Jesus?
10. How do the songs we sing and the prayers we pray reveal that we actually believe in God’s sovereignty?