““When the Israelites were in Egypt and cried out to the Lord, he sent Moses and Aaron to rescue them from Egypt and to bring them into this land. But the people soon forgot about the Lord their God, so he handed them over to Sisera, the commander of Hazor’s army, and also to the Philistines and to the king of Moab, who fought against them. “Then they cried to the Lord again and confessed, ‘We have sinned by turning away from the Lord and worshiping the images of Baal and Ashtoreth. But we will worship you and you alone if you will rescue us from our enemies.’ Then the Lord sent Gideon, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel to save you, and you lived in safety. “But when you were afraid of Nahash, the king of Ammon, you came to me and said that you wanted a king to reign over you, even though the Lord your God was already your king. All right, here is the king you have chosen. You asked for him, and the Lord has granted your request. “Now if you fear and worship the Lord and listen to his voice, and if you do not rebel against the Lord’s commands, then both you and your king will show that you recognize the Lord as your God. But if you rebel against the Lord’s commands and refuse to listen to him, then his hand will be as heavy upon you as it was upon your ancestors. “Now stand here and see the great thing the Lord is about to do. You know that it does not rain at this time of the year during the wheat harvest. I will ask the Lord to send thunder and rain today. Then you will realize how wicked you have been in asking the Lord for a king!” So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day. And all the people were terrified of the Lord and of Samuel. “Pray to the Lord your God for us, or we will die!” they all said to Samuel. “For now we have added to our sins by asking for a king.” “Don’t be afraid,” Samuel reassured them. “You have certainly done wrong, but make sure now that you worship the Lord with all your heart, and don’t turn your back on him. Don’t go back to worshiping worthless idols that cannot help or rescue you—they are totally useless! The Lord will not abandon his people, because that would dishonor his great name. For it has pleased the Lord to make you his very own people. “As for me, I will certainly not sin against the Lord by ending my prayers for you. And I will continue to teach you what is good and right. But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you. But if you continue to sin, you and your king will be swept away.””
1 Samuel 12:8-25 NLT
Some may wonder how a righteous and sovereign god can exist when there is clearly wickedness in this world. They reason that the presence of deviation from his specific will implies a break in his sovereignty. They reason that if it does not, then he cannot truly be righteous. They believe it must be his specific will that evil happens. But these ideas illustrate a striking lack of depth in people’s understanding of God’s dimensionality as a being. Here we see it demonstrated on full display. He both has a general will with an overarching narrative that cannot be stopped from being accomplished, and he has a specific will. This specific will can be altered depending on interactions with him. God can desire to destroy Israel one moment and save it the next. But the way in which these things happen never contradicts his general desire for how his story is written. Here we see him note that if Israel’s king was to be faithful, God would not only coexist with that king, but bless him and Israel. This is stated, while it being made clear that Israel is morally wrong in desiring a king when they had God to lead them. God’s grace is the key factor that makes living between his sovereignty and righteousness possible. Like Moses, when one understands this, it can be used to great effect in blessing men and God at the same time, despite man’s creatively short comings.
God’s Sovereignty and Righteousness: God’s sovereignty and righteousness are not contradicted by the presence of evil, as God has both a general will and a specific will that can be influenced by human interaction.
God’s Will and Human Interaction: God’s specific will can be altered by human interaction, as seen in the example of God’s desire to destroy and save Israel.
God’s Grace and Human Shortcomings: God’s grace allows for the coexistence of God’s sovereignty and righteousness despite human shortcomings, enabling blessings for both humanity and God.
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