God Manipulates Humans and History

Fate, part 1

Readers of this publication know that I value rethinking things in light of scripture. There’s a big difference between “believing” a teaching and actually allowing it to change how we think about everything else. For example, the belief that A) the Word was God from the beginning, and that B) we are made in God’s image, is what led me to conclude that we are narrative creatures living in a world of story:

Panscription (conclusion)

In this post I will be rethinking the concept of destiny and free will.

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God intervenes in the affairs of mankind. Collectively and individually, God gets involved and ensures that certain outcomes happen according to His will. This is not a matter of opinion or interpretation, but indisputable biblical fact:

(Isaiah 46:10-11) Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,’ I summon a bird of prey from the east: a man for My purpose from a far-off land. Truly I have spoken, and truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, and I will surely do it.

Planned it. Not just anticipated it.

The wording of this particular passage makes it clear that God is not waiting for compatible circumstances to arise, or simply knowing what will happen and working with it. He is the proactive force in Creation. He creates these plans millennia in advance, and then He actively summons the particular people who will do them in reality. That’s an amazing thing to think about, isn’t it?

It contradicts the idea of that everyone has “free” will. Those who are summoned, at the very least, must be influenced by God’s special plans, which He created long before. You cannot simultaneously be summoned by God to fulfill a destiny and making your own way independently. To the extent that you feel motivated to do the things God destines you for, that very feeling itself may be the proof that God is meddling in your consciousness. I don’t know about you, but I have experienced sudden and inexplicable motivation several times in my life, where everything along a certain course of action became easy, only to look back in hindsight and wonder why I even cared about such a thing in the first place. It’s never been something I can force myself to replicate. As I get older, I am learning to recognize that God uses people out of the blue to accomplish certain things. Accordingly, I have become humbled and grateful for whatever good things God has done through me despite my natural will.

Now think about these summoned men of history. Perhaps, like the ancient conquerors, they also knew that they were summoned by God and given favor by Him; Genghis Khan wasn’t lying about that. Alexander the Great was likewise honest about his divine mandate. Modern man tries to obscure the role of God in world events, but we should know better. We believe in prophecy, not chance.

For this very purpose…

Now let’s look at one of the most famous examples in the Bible:

(Exodus 9:16) But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said to Moses. … [Then God sends a message to Pharaoh:] “But I have raised you up for this very purpose: that I might display My power to you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”

Yes, God actively manipulated the heart of Pharaoh. That was not a free will choice.

This is unfair. God wanted Pharaoh to doom the greatest empire the world had ever seen by his stubbornness, so He simply intervened to make it so. It’s like God wrote a script, and then He forced the actor to say his lines. If you doubt this, just think about it: the very mention in the Bible of God hardening Pharaoah’s heart proves that Pharaoh would have changed his mind if not for the hardening of his heart. If it was a natural stubbornness, the Bible would have no problem pointing such a thing out. Instead, the author of Exodus is honest enough to place responsibility on God. He essentially forced Pharaoh to become guilty just so He could punish him and his entire civilization.

Not only that, but the passage goes further. It says that Egypt’s success itself was just a long setup to create this great downfall. Think of how many millions of people lived and died in ancient Egypt, creating a thriving civilization, just so that God could pull the rug out from them when it was time for the Jews to band together under Moses. I have a much bigger theory for why God chose to do it this way, but it would take too long to explain here. The point is that God does not respect the “natural order” because He knows that it’s all a setup anyway. He’s the one who sets up the bowling pins so that He can knock them down. There is no human achievement without God’s influence, and there is no downfall without His supervision. And yes, this means that God directly manipulates the hearts and minds of human individuals.

God grants wisdom

1. James 1:5
   "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him."

2. Proverbs 2:6
   "For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding."

3. Ecclesiastes 2:26
   "To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God."

4. Daniel 2:21
   "He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning."

God hides knowledge

1. Matthew 11:25
   "At that time Jesus declared, 'I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children.' "

2. 1 Corinthians 1:19-20
   "For it is written: 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.' Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?"

3. Isaiah 29:14
   "Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish."

If you have wisdom, God gave it to you. If you can’t seem to understand a topic, it’s very possible that God is hiding it from you.

Application

What does this really add up to? For me, it means that I judge people far less than I used to. Rather than blaming somebody for being stupid, I understand that not everyone is granted wisdom. But at the same time, it means I can’t underestimate people either, because God could suddenly grant them understanding, too. I’ve seen people’s “eyes opened” out of nowhere, so that they excel at a certain topic or skill without even having proper training. Of course, God can use us however He wants as well. There is no point in thinking highly of yourself, but we should only give praise to God every time we are fortunate.

In the bigger picture, it means we should relax and trust God’s plans. History is not spiraling out of control, but tightening ever more closely in God’s hands. His plans will come to pass, no matter what. We are playing our parts on His stage.

Glorify God, and hold no hope for this world. Those who are chosen by Him to become the elect will serve God and be rewarded, and those who are destined to be destroyed will be used for a cataclysm. We are not responsible for history. We are not in control of our own lives.

(Jeremiah 10:23) Lord, we know that people do not control their own destiny. It is not in their power to determine what will happen to them.

It doesn’t get more clear than that. Why do we continue to worry? Even suffering, tragedy, and death are part of our fate. All of it will come to pass according to the plans of God, not our own wills.

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As we explore this topic further, we will discuss some of the mechanisms God might be using to manipulate humans, and how to feel about having a destiny. If you have questions or directions you’d like to see me explore related to this, please let me know below.