God’s Providence (Selected Scriptures)
God’s Purposeful Providence: From Shepherd to King
Last week, we studied Psalm 104 and learned about God’s Majesty, His sovereignty—how He created the universe and how He continues to maintain it. He not only created all things, but through Him all things hold together. I mentioned that R.C. Sproul often said there are no "maverick molecules" in the universe. Charles Spurgeon similarly commented that even the fine dust you see floating in the morning sunbeams is ordered and controlled by God.
The Bowers were flying in a small missionary plane over South America when the Peruvian Air Force misidentified their plane as a drug courier and opened fire. Veronica Bowers was holding her 7-month-old daughter, Charity, on her lap right behind the pilot. Her husband, Jim Bowers, and their young son, Cory, were on the other side of the plane. Bullets riddled the pilot’s legs; he immediately put the plane into a nosedive and crash-landed on a river. A bullet passed right by Jim’s head and exited the windshield. Cory was uninjured, but a single bullet had passed through Veronica and lodged in the baby, killing them both.
Let’s pray.
Are there stray bullets? How do we reconcile God’s pervasive love—as described in our Scripture reading this morning, that all things work together for good because He loves us—with tragedies like this? What would you say at Veronica and Charity’s funeral?
Understanding Sovereignty, Providence, and Glory
God’s majesty, or His sovereignty, has to do with His omnipotence—He is all-powerful. Providence is His sovereignty merged and intertwined with His wisdom. God is all-wise and all-powerful. His wisdom and sovereignty work together seamlessly to move all things in creation to His desired conclusion.
What is that conclusion? That He will be glorified. God’s providence—which is His purposeful wisdom working sovereignly—is moving all of creation to a day when He will be fully glorified.
Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians 1:9–10 that the unsaved:
“...will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed.”
God’s full glory will be realized when those who have rejected Him are removed from His presence and no longer witness His power. But for the saints, He will be glorified in us, and we will marvel at Him. For all eternity, we will sing: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!"
This morning, we will conduct a brief survey of David’s life from the time he was anointed king by Samuel to when he was recognized as king over all Israel. The history of his life is given to us as an example of God’s sanctifying work to prepare him to rule. It should confirm in our hearts that God is fully capable of providentially controlling circumstances to cause our greatest good. Paul summarizes this period in David’s life in Acts 13:21–23:
“Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised.”
The outline is:
1. God’s Providential Selection and Preparation
2. God’s Providential Testing and Refinement
3. God’s providential Preservation and Exaltation
God chose David to be king and declared that he was a man after His own heart. We know David was a sinner. However, what we see in David is a life of true repentance and a deep understanding that God is sovereign and must be glorified.
We have a similar promise from God in Romans 8:28–30 as we read earlier:
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”
In Ephesians 1:5, 7, 9–10, Paul reveals the ultimate purpose:
“He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace... In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace... making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth in him.”
The difference between Fate and God’s Providence is immense. Fate says, "Whatever will be, will be." Believing in God’s providence says, "I know there is a purpose in all things. God is working in my life to cause me to glorify Him, which is my ultimate good." Fate views everything as a haphazard sequence of random events with multiple movers. Providence sees the hand of God moving behind the scenes to accomplish His ultimate purpose: uniting all things in Christ. We are being conformed to the image of Christ, fully delivered from sin, to glorify Him. This is our ultimate good.
How do we apply 2 Corinthians 4:16–18 each day? Paul writes:
“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
God has given us a full testimony in His Word as to how He worked in David’s life to take him from a young shepherd boy to king over Israel. I trust that when we finish this study, we will have an almost palpable sense of God’s work in our lives to deliver his plan. We are in the school of God where everything He does, is working for our good with the purpose that we will glorify him.
1. God’s Providence in Selection and Preparation
We see the providence of God clearly in His selection of David for the throne. God chose Abraham out of paganism and promised, "I will make you exceedingly fruitful... and kings shall come from you" (Gen 17:6). Jacob prophesied over his sons, "The scepter shall not depart from Judah" (Gen 49:10). The scepter was the staff a king held, representing royal power and rule.
Israel endured slavery in Egypt, but God delivered them. Moses led them as they wandered in the desert for forty years due to rebellion. Joshua took them into the Promised Land, giving them victory over their enemies. The book of Judges concludes: "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25).
Israel demanded a king, Samuel prayed, and the Lord answered: “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them” (1 Sam. 8:7).
God rendered the verdict: by rejecting the Samuel, the prophet of God, they were rejecting Him.
King Saul’s reign turned out to be exactly what the people requested. He behaved just like the kings of the nations around them and set himself above God’s covenant and usurped the role of the priest. Samuel eventually declared to Saul: “Your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you” (1 Sam 13:14).
When God declared that David was a man after his own heart, as we read in Acts 13, he was not saying David was sinless. He was saying that David’s faith was evidenced by a life that recognized God’s sovereignty. He wrote in Psalm 139:23–24: "Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" David welcomed God’s inspection of his motives. We can often control our outward actions even when our hearts are unaligned, but David wanted an aligned heart.
For us under the New Covenant, God has promised: “I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart... And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes...” (Ezek 36:25–27) We have the Holy Spirit permanently indwelling us! “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Heb. 4:12).
In 1 Samuel 16:1–13, God sends Samuel to anoint one of Jesse’s sons. Jesse and Samuel start with Eliab, the oldest. However, God told Samuel: “...For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Sam 16:7)
After reviewing all the sons Jesse presented, God had not chosen any of them. Samuel asked, "Are all your sons here?" (v. 11). Jesse answered: “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him...” And he sent and brought him in... And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward.” (1 Sam 16:11–13)
God’s sovereign wisdom, his providence, was on full display. Neither Samuel nor Jesse had anything to do with who was chosen. Jesse saw nothing in 15-year-old David that suggested kingly potential. God chose him, and the Holy Spirit came upon him to guide him.
Turn over to 1 Samuel 16. David returned to caring for sheep. A couple of years later Saul’s servants sought a musician to soothe the king during his fits of depression and torment. One servant remarked: “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the Lord is with him.” (1 Sam 16:18)
We read this story from a historical perspective, knowing how it ends. But consider what God was doing providentially. David will be the king—why was he "wasting time" taking care of sheep? Two years spent writing hymns and defending a little flock from bears and lions! His oldest brother later disdainfully referred to them as a "few sheep in the wilderness" (1 Sam 17:28).
What would you do? If a prophet anointed you king, would you go back to your old job for two years, waiting for God’s next move? Did Saul’s servant just randomly suggest David? How did he know David was a man of valor? God providentially orchestrated every aspect of David’s entrance into the royal court to play the lyre.
David was brought in to serve the very king he was designated to replace! In the court, David learned the day-to-day operations of the kingdom—international affairs, military planning, and judicial matters—all while remaining largely unnoticed in the corner as a humble musician. Are you learning something today that God will use in the future? Every day we are in God’s classroom.
Are you like David? Do you rest in Ephesians 2:10: "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them"? Are you content to wait for God’s perfect will to proceed? Or are you like Baruch in Jeremiah 45:3, who complained that it was too hard, crying, "Woe is me!"? God rebuked him: "Do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not" (Jer 45:5). Baruch had lost sight of God’s control and wanted recognition and relief. God promised to preserve his life through coming judgment and urged him to be satisfied with that. Our lives are secure in Christ. He chose us, saved us, and is conforming us to His image. Is life in Christ sufficient, or are we seeking great things in this world?
About five years after David’s anointing, he arrived at the battle front in 1 Samuel 17 just as Goliath, a giant over nine feet tall, shouted challenges across the valley, demanding a fight. Goliath offered a winner-take-all duel.
Goliath viewed Israel as "servants of Saul," and the Hebrew army behaved like it, paralyzed with fear, as was Saul. Notice the contrast in David’s perspective: “...What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Sam 17:26). David saw the army as belonging to God, not Saul. He told Saul: “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” …drop down to 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God” (1 Sam 17:32, 36).
Is it a stretch to compare killing a lion or bear to fighting a seasoned warrior? David viewed his entire life as under God’s purview. Tending his father's sheep was the work God gave him to do, and he carried that same care over to God’s people.
Do we look at what God has given us to do as insufficient? Do we fall for the Eliabs of the world who mock our humble stations? Serve the Lord faithfully right where you are. Your faith and trust in the Lord develops you for future work. David knew God was his source of strength. The Lord does not operate by worldly means; faith and obedience deliver where physical strength fails. David declared to Goliath: “...that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand” (1 Sam 17:47).
2. God’s Providential Testing and Refinement
Slaying Goliath elevated David to national prominence. If I were David, I may have assumed exaltation to the throne was imminent. But God had an extended period of testing prepared for him. The praise that Saul craved soon went to David: “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?” (1 Sam 18:8).
1 Samuel 18 records: “Saul hurled the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David evaded him twice. Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul. So Saul removed him from his presence and made him a commander of a thousand... And David had success in all his undertakings, for the Lord was with him... But all Israel and Judah loved David...” (1 Sam 18:11–16).
In 1 Samuel 18 and 19, Saul tried to use his daughter Michal and David’s love for each other as a trap to get David killed by the Philistines. However, Michal saved David’s life when Saul sent men to ambush him house and helped him escape.
David fled to Samuel at Ramah. When Saul sent soldiers to arrest him, God’s Spirit came upon them and they began praising God. Even Saul prophesied when he came personally (1 Sam 19:18–24). Truly, The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will. (Prov. 21:1).
Do we recognize God’s providence—His wisdom aligned with His power—working in all circumstances in our lives? Even when people seek to destroy us, ruin our reputation, or cost us a job? Have you memorized 1 Peter 5:6–7? “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” David was exalted to the throne years later, but we may never be exalted in this life. Are we willing to cast our anxieties on Him? What is it that causes you to wake up in turmoil? Pray and cast it on the Lord. Move forward by faith knowing that he will take care of it. What is it in your life today that brings you to the following state:
David admitted to Jonathan: “...Truly, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.” (1 Sam 20:3)
David was brought to the brink and begins to doubt God’s protection. Has God ever brought you to your wits end? Several members here can speak of God’s intricate timing during an illness, where an hour’s delay would have meant death. Do you see God’s providence preserving you through those tests? Do you realize every breath you take is a gift from God? We are tested, if we turn to God for strength at those times rather than ourselves, our faith grows.
David’s lack of faith was evident in 1 Samuel 21 when David lied to Ahimelech the priest to get bread and Goliath’s sword. Doeg, one of Saul’s servants was there, and David knew his lie would be told to Saul. Caught between Saul and Philistine territory, David fled to Gath carrying Goliath’s sword—a move that seemed like certain death. Captured by the Philistines, David wrote Psalm 56:1–3: “Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me... When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” He praised God for who He is and put his trust in Him for deliverance. After feigning madness to escape Gath, David fled to the Cave of Adullam and penned Psalm 34:8–9: “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!”
If you were hiding in a cave with your family and 400 desperate outlaws, would you declare that you "have no lack"? David could, because he saw God’s hand preserving his life.
1 Samuel 23 records that: “David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life... And Jonathan, Saul’s son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God. And he said to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel...” (1 Sam 23:15–17).
Jonathan found David, Saul could not, and strengthened his hand in God, by reaffirming God's promise. When was the last time you sat down with someone in a difficult trial and reminded them that they are a child of God and prayed with them? Do you turn them to Christ as all powerful? Jonathan did this at great personal cost; Saul had previously tried to kill him for helping David.
Turn to 1 Samuel 23:26, Saul and his army were closing in on David “Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side... As Saul and his men were closing in on David... a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land.” So Saul returned from pursuing after David... Therefore, that place was called the Rock of Escape.” (1 Sam 23:26–28)
How many events did God align for that message to arrive at that exact minute? Think about it. Do you rejoice daily in God’s providence, or do you say in your heart, “I got lucky that time!”
In 1 Samuel 24, Saul entered the very cave where David and his men were hiding. David’s men whispered: “...Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you’” (1 Sam 24:4).
David knew Saul’s life was the only physical obstacle preventing his exaltation. With 400 men backing him, it was an extreme test of David’s trust in God. Murdering the king was unlawful. David was under God’s law and not his own. He spared Saul. God was preparing the kingdom for David, and David for the kingdom. David was a man after God’s own heart.
In 1 Samuel 26:7–12, David and Abishai slipped into Saul’s sleeping camp and took his spear and a jar. Abishai urged, "God has given your enemy into your hand this day." But David answered: “...As the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish. No man saw it or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them” (1 Sam 26:10–12).
Do you see as you look back as to how God provides in your life at times when you are completely unaware of it? You think that you did something brave and amazing, but it was God who facilitated it.
David encouraged himself and us in Psalm 27:13–14: "I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!"
We see David’s deep exhaustion in 1 Samuel 27:1: “Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines...” (1 Sam 27:1).
Overwhelmed, David fled again to an idolatrous nation for protection rather than relying on God’s providence. Can any of us judge him? We can all look back at times when we compromised in fear. The Lord graciously leads us to repentance. David’s lapse removed him from helping Israel, yet God providentially used his absence. The Philistines attacked, defeating Saul and Jonathan on Mount Gilboa. God brought about the end of Saul's reign without David lifting a hand against him.
When David learned of Saul’s death, he composed a lament: “Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles; they were stronger than lions” (2 Sam 1:23).
Would you say that about a man who pursued you for ten years? David’s wilderness trials taught him to see God’s people through God’s eyes—even those who mistreated him. He was a man after God’s own heart.
3. God’s providential preservation and ultimate exaltation
In 2 Samuel 2:4, the men of Judah anointed David king in Hebron. Seven and a half years later, 2 Samuel 5:1–3 records: “Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh... And the Lord said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel...’ ” So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron... and they anointed David king over Israel” (2 Sam 5:1–3).
God’s sovereignty employs supreme wisdom to fulfill His purposes. Human beings remain responsible for their choices, yet God works through those choices to accomplish His ends. Multiple men sinned as to advance David to the throne; however they were judged by David because they broke God’s law. This is not fate; this is purposeful grace. As the hymn states, God is working for His glory and our good. Never let it cross your mind that you are justified in breaking God’s law to advance His declared purpose.
Let's return to Romans 8. Consider David’s life as we read Paul's words:
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ...Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:31–32, 35, 37–39).
David would have agreed completely. I pray that each of us internalizes this to the point of being fully content in trusting that He will accomplish his plans. We, as his children, are inside His love.
For Shepherd Bible Church – I want to read Isaiah 40:12-15. Take these scriptures with you as you head into the week. Consider the God in whose army you are a soldier. He is not weak like Saul. He is not a sinner like David.
“He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord, or what man shows him his counsel? Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales.”
God is all powerful and wise. The two attributes combined is providence. God is working in every aspect of your life to bring about his glory and your good. Your ultimate good is to glorify Him. Not that he needs to be glorified, we are the ones who need to glorify him. I cannot wait to hear the unmatched singing in Rev. 5, “Worthy is the Lamb!” While we are here, we have work to do for him. So, soldiers, arise and go serve your king! Do you know your king? He is good.
Returning to the funeral for Veronica and Charity. Jim Bowers concluded hist talk by stating: "That was a sovereign bullet." He recognized that even the hostile actions of men were used by God to accomplish His eternal purposes.
Let us rejoice in His providence.
Let’s pray.