Text:  Psalm 135:6

Last week, I continued the discussion on God’s sovereignty, provided Scriptural references, and reiterated its definition.  In this Journal, I will discuss the overview of God’s sovereignty.  As I argued in my series, God is not confined to our cultures, rules, nor regulations that define who we are.  God does what He pleases, and his sovereignty is not partial.

This Journal shows and proves how God’s sovereignty bypassed the rights and privileges of the firstborn, which was held in high esteem, in many cultures around the world, including the Israelites. In Israel, the firstborn son had unique privileges: the right of inheritance (Dt 21:15-17; 2Ch 21:3); a title of honor in the family(Ge 10:15; Ge 43:33; Ge 22:21; 25:13; 35:23; 36:15; 46:8; Dt 33:17); and most importantly, the right to a blessing from the father (Ge 27:19, 30-39).

Now, I want to provide an overview of God’s sovereignty found in the Scriptures, which was offensive, according to the cultural norm, and was considered partiality.

Because God’s redemptive plan, perfection, and His will are beyond man’s comprehension, we think that God is partial if He does anything against our cultural norm or standard.  Let’s begin with:

First, Seth: In God’s redemptive plan, He selected Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve, to be the line of the Messiah, not Cain, who murdered his brother, Abel (Gn 41ff).  In this case, Cain disqualified himself by killing his brother.

Second, Shem: The redemptive thread fell to Shem. The Patriarch Noah had three sons: The oldest son is Japheth, and the youngest is Ham. This means Shem is the second son of Noah (Gn 10:21). Culturally, Japheth, the oldest should have taken the mantle of the patriarch. However, instead, it was Shem.

Third, Isaac: With Isaac and Ishmael, God’s choice was Isaac the second, and not Ishmael the first born of the Patriarch Abraham. 

Fourth, Jacob: The redemptive plan of God was reenacted with Jacob and Esau.  In fact, God spoke to their mother, Rebecca, that Jacob was selected to continue the Messianic line.

Fifth, Judah:  The Messianic thread fell to Judah, the fourth son of Jacob (Gn 29:35), not Reuben, Jacob’s first-born nor Joseph, who became powerful after many years of suffering in Egypt.

Sixth, Moses: In a careful study of Moses and Aaron, Scripture tells us that the first-born of Amram (the father) and Jochebed (the mother) is Miriam, the second is Aaron, but God’s choice was Moses, the youngest child in the family.

Seventh, David: Among the seven  sons of Jesse (1 Sm 16:10), David, the youngest son is selected as king over Israel and the Messianic line for His redemptive purpose.    

Conclusion

The point I want you to grasp here is that God does what He pleases. It is in this special act of God that the Gentiles were also called to faith in Christ. Next week, I’ll focus upon the fact that Gentiles’ redemption was an act of God’s sovereignty.    

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

To be continued.    

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