God Has the Whole World In His Hands

Genesis 1-19

Jim Davis

We are hearing a lot about the "New World Order" since the terrorist's attacks on the World Trade Center. We are realizing that our worst nightmares have a possibility of becoming a reality before our very eyes. Our present crisis cast a foreboding shadow upon the future of our world. We must admit it is a little scary to think we may have to live out the remainder of our lives with the monsters of our dreams. 

It is encouraging to see us as a nation turned from our petty differences to think about the more serious issues of life. It is rather encouraging to witness a nation that has been pampered with instant gratification turn to patience, as we wait for our leaders to make an intelligent deliberate response to the problems we face in this New World Order. 

Those visiting New York can't believe how nice the people have become. They are speaking courteously to visitors. There is a new and better spirit reaching across our country. Of course, most of us are wondering how long it will last. It is encouraging to hear some from the news media expressing the view that our new resolve will stand the test of time. We can only wonder if we will desire to return to a McDonald’s world with a yearning for instant gratification.

However, in times like these it is comforting to know who is in charge of the "New World Order." Remember if this is the beginning of a "New World Order," it is not the first "New World Order." 

God Capable of Reordering Our World

In the opening chapters of the Bible we see the beginning of three new world orders. In the first nineteen chapters of the book of Genesis God demonstrates his power to reorder our world. In the first couple of chapters of Genesis God reveals himself as the creator of the world. As the revelation of God progresses throughout scripture God reveals himself as the one in charge of the destiny of our world. The God of the Bible reveals himself as the one who is in charge of ordering and reordering the world according to his purposes.

The first began when God destroyed the world through a flood. Every imagination of the hearts and minds of humanity was only evil continually.

Genesis 6:5-10
"The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth--men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air--for I am grieved that I have made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. 

"This is the account of Noah.

"Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth." (NIV)

Changing the world order of things has always had a tendency to drive humanity back to God. I can't begin imagine the devastation Noah saw as he departed the ark of God's safety. It is little wonder that the first thing he did was to build an altar and worshipped God. 

The second major event after the flood came the tower of Babel. It was there that God confused the language of humanity to motivate a new beginning.

Genesis 11:5-9
"But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other." 

"So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel--because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world.  From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth." (NIV)

The third major event was the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. 

Genesis 18:16-21
When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. Then the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him." 

Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know." (NIV)

The initial chapters of the Bible reveal God's ability to order and reorder our world to seek the highest good of his creation despite Satan's schemes. Throughout biblical history when God redirected the world order it seems to always be for the purpose of thwarting evil. 

Despite this new world order that many believe is taking place, as Christians we can rest assured that God is very much in control. Our God knows the end from the beginning. Isaiah challenged the idol-gods Israel had made for herself. It was a challenge of their knowledge and control over Israel's future. Isaiah challenged the idols of the heathen to do that, which was not within their power.

Isaiah 41:22-24
"Bring in [your idols] to tell us what is going to happen. Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome. Or declare to us the things to come, tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods. Do something, whether good or bad, so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear. But you are less than nothing and your works are utterly worthless; he who chooses you is detestable. (NIV)

Israel’s God was unique in that he knew the end from the beginning. Isaiah challenged the dumb idols of the heathen to do what clearly was not within their power to do. However, the ability of Jehovah to accurately predict the future is held forth as a clear vindication of his power. 

Isaiah 46:9-11
Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do. (NIV)

Biblical prophecy was designed to reveal the one who is in charge. Prophecy served to motivate and encourage Israel to trust the one in charge of Israel’s destiny. Prophecy was designed to teach Israel patience and to comfort Israel in difficult times. 

Our comfort comes from knowing God is in charge. Everything “written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4 NIV) The decisions made by men and women do not hamper God’s ability to rule in the circumstances created by those decisions. He has the power to rule in such a way to seek the greatest good of everyone involved.

What Is God Doing In Times Like These? 

In times such as these, we naturally want to ask ourselves what God is doing? This is especially true when troubles strike close to home. The book of Job is the oldest book in the Bible. It was written before Moses wrote the Genesis' account. Job reveals how God reorders our personal lives when Satan attacks our personal world. Satan attacked Job and his family through natural calamities, economic losses, death of his family and finally through attacking Job personally through disease. Job questioned God’s order of things when Satan attacked him personally. The book of Job makes it clear that God knew Satan’s intentions. 

Job and his friends were trying to rationalize God's role in the scheme of Job's difficulties. Job’s friends were sure Job’s troubles were due to Job’s sin. As Job wrestles with his demise throughout the book of Job, God doesn’t give Job a reason why his life has been reordered. The book ends with God asking Job a series of questions.

Job 38:1-11
Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said: "Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? 3 Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone- while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? "Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, 'This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt'? (NIV)

Job 40:1-14
The LORD said to Job: "Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!" Then Job answered the LORD: "I am unworthy-how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer- twice, but I will say no more." 

Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm: "Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. "Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself? Do you have an arm like God's, and can your voice thunder like his? Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor, and clothe yourself in honor and majesty. Unleash the fury of your wrath, look at every proud man and bring him low, look at every proud man and humble him, crush the wicked where they stand. Bury them all in the dust together; shroud their faces in the grave. Then I myself will admit to you that your own right hand can save you. (NIV)

Job 42:1-6
Then Job replied to the LORD: "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. [You asked,] 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. 

["You said,] 'Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.' My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes." (NIV)

Job 42:12-17
The LORD blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters. The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job's daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers. 

After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. And so he died, old and full of years. (NIV)

The same questions should be asked of those who seem to think they know what God is doing in the crisis we face today. In the final analysis Job’s security didn’t come from knowing what God was doing in the midst of his trials. His security came from knowing that God knew what he was doing. 

God is a master at ordering and reordering our personal lives. It is comforting to know that as God moves our galaxy and solar system through space that he does so in a way that it does not collide with other galaxies. His providence keeps it on a path of safety. Likewise as you see God's hand controlling the world order of things throughout biblical history, it is comforting to note that God is mindful of his children. He protected Job's life and worked in Job's circumstances to give Job a deeper wisdom than he could have ever imagined. 

Job 42:1-6
Then Job replied to the LORD: "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. [You asked,] 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. 

["You said,] 'Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.' My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes." (NIV)

The Key to Survival

The key to surviving the New World Order is calling upon the name of the Lord. After Cain murdered Abel the world grew wicked. The world was drifting away from God. Then Adam and Eve had another son, Seth. Seth also had a son named Enosh. It was then that men and women began calling upon the name of the Lord.

Genesis 4:25-26
"Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, "God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him." Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.

At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD." (NIV)

When you follow the genealogy of Seth you discover that every righteous person mentioned in the Bible is traced to Seth. For Seth was the righteous seed of Adam. It is important to note that he was the righteous seed of Adam by choice, not by birth. Seth led his family to live righteous lives. When the world was filled with evil, Seth decided to call upon the name of the Lord. 

It was Noah’s choice to follow in his forefather Seth’s steps that saved humanity from complete destruction. God saved the world from total destruction because Noah found favor in the eyes of God. He followed in the steps of his forefather Seth. Then it was Abraham’s decision to follow in Seth’s steps that made possible the coming of Christ. If you are a follower of Christ, you are also a spiritual descendant of Seth who was the son of Adam, who was a son of God. It was Seth's choice to call on the name of the Lord that protected God's creation from destruction as God ordered and reordered the world. 

The Bible is written to reveal the importance of our individual and personal choices in the scheme of the world order of things. Today it is our personal choice to follow in the footsteps of Seth that has the possibility of saving the world. The righteous seed of Seth have always preserved the world as God orders and reorders the world. 

The Bible emphasizes the importance of our personal decision to call upon the name of the Lord. We can recognize the importance of this personal decision when we observe key biblical characters changing the course of history because of their personal decision to call upon the name of the Lord. Just look at Seth, Noah and Abraham all of whom changed the course of history through their personal decision to call upon the name of the Lord. 

Calling upon the name of the Lord for the purpose of seeking his direction for our lives is the greatest contribution each of us can make in times when God is reordering the world order of things. Biblical history reveals God's potential for the individual when one decides to call upon the name of the Lord. We may think that it is what we do collectively that matters most of all. But it is what we do individually that makes the greatest difference in our lives and in the world. 

The preservation power of those who call upon the name of the Lord is mind-boggling. 

Genesis 18:20-33
Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know." 

The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD.    Then Abraham approached him and said: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing--to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" 

The LORD said, "If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake." 

Then Abraham spoke up again: "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, 28 what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?"

"If I find forty-five there," he said, "I will not destroy it." 

Once again he spoke to him, "What if only forty are found there?"
He said, "For the sake of forty, I will not do it." 

Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?"

He answered, "I will not do it if I find thirty there." 

Abraham said, "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?"

He said, "For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it." 

Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?"

He answered, "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it." 

When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home. (NIV)

Lot and his wife and two daughters were the only righteous ones. It would have taken only six more righteous souls to preserve the cities on the plains of Sodom and Gomorrah. God's ability to preserve our world is largely dependent upon our decision to call upon the name of the Lord. The destiny of Sodom and Gomorrah would have been much different if there were only six more righteous souls. 

I can't explain what God is doing in this world. I can't tell you why he is doing it or allowing it to happen. I can tell you that he is in definitely in charge. I can tell you the effect he wants it to have on your personal life. I can tell you the affect your decision will have upon our country and the world at large.

The tragedy in our world today can be used to our advantage. We can allow ourselves to see our personal need to allow God to enter our personal lives. We can choose to see our need to call upon the name of the Lord.

The first nineteen chapters of Genesis reveal the importance of calling upon the name of the Lord. God promised Abraham that he would bless all the families of the earth through his decision to call upon the Lord. That same promise extends to every person who chooses to follow Abraham. In a very real sense it is a perpetual promise made to each of us. 

Deuteronomy 26:16-19
The LORD your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. You have declared this day that the LORD is your God and that you will walk in his ways, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws, and that you will obey him. And the LORD has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands. He has declared that he will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the LORD your God, as he promised. (NIV)

Conclusion:

When we call upon the Lord for deliverance it must be a calling that springs from a heart of repentance. Radiating an attitude of repentance is essential.

Romans 10:11-13
As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."  For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile-the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (NIV)

We hear the cry of those calling upon the name the Lord as the last days began on Pentecost, as Christ ascended to the throne of king David (Ephesians 1:18-22).

Acts 2:17-21
"'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" (NIV)

Acts 2:36-39
 "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." 

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" 

Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-for all whom the Lord our God will call." NIV

Knowing that God has the whole world in his hand that gives us the freedom and courage to call upon his name. If God is seeking to call the world to himself, it is abundantly clear that he will hear us when we call upon him.