God's Sovereignty and
Character |
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Elder
Phillip N. Conley |
Matthew
20:2-4, "And when he had agreed with the labourers for a
penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out
about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the
marketplace, And said unto them; Go ye also into the
vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they
went their way."
This
morning, mankind still tries to charge God with fault. Let a
terrible natural disaster or human tragedy occur, and people
will immediately howl, "Where is God? How could a just God
allow this? God's not fair!" Since the dawn of man's
problems with his fall in the garden, he has been blaming
God or unjustly attaching things to Him that do not apply.
Conversely, some will hide behind the concept of God's
sovereignty as a shield when trying to attach some level of
malevolence or duplicitousness to God's character. In point
of fact, God's sovereignty and character are perfectly
aligned - as are all parts of His nature and essence. There
is no disharmony, and God's nature is completely free of all
the imperfections that we are fraught with. Whenever we see
things misaligned, the problem lies not with Him above but
rather with us beneath. Though I may not have all the
answers as to why certain things happen the way they do, I
do know that God's character and all things about Him are
completely clear of blame.
Our
study verses comprise part of the opening of Christ's
kingdom parable about the master, his vineyard, and the
labourers that he hires. The total story tells of all the
men the master hired who worked varying lengths of time
throughout the day. Upon the workday's conclusion, the
master pays every man his wage, incurs ire and wrath from
the labourers, and responds truthfully about where the fault
really lies. This parable highlights God's sovereignty in
His kingdom. As verse 15 shows, the master has dominion of
his vineyard and what happens in it. While people may not
like circumstances and situations, the point remains that
the vineyard is the master's, and he has the authority to do
as he will with it. God's authority and sovereignty over His
kingdom and His creation is no different - just a larger
scale. However , unlike natural masters with their domains,
this Master is always perfect in His dealings. Notice the
language conveyed in the study verses.
Verse 2
highlights the fact that the first labourers agreed to a
penny a day. This is important as it is this "contract" that
they object to at the end. When they see 1 hour labourers
receiving a penny ahead of them, they "assume" that they
will receive more, because how could they not? We worked
more! They worked only a little! Upon receiving the agreed
upon contracted amount, they squawk. How dare the master!
How could he? He reminds them in Verses 13-14 that no
wrongdoing has been done. He reminds them of the contract
and their agreement to it. Who is in the wrong? At man's
first blush, he might like to say that the master is wrong
for what he did, especially if some of us are on the
receiving end of things and think we "deserve" more.
However, the agreed upon amount is still the right amount.
Anything more would have been a bonus, at the discretion of
the master.
Verse 4
highlights that each contract was made for that which "is
right." Successive labourers may not have stipulated amounts
like the first ones did, but based on the character of the
master, they can be assured that their wage was "right."
This aspect of the parable underscores the fact that no
matter how skewed man's thinking gets, God never wavers in
His eye. It remains single and is always right. There is no
guesswork, duplicity, or wavering in His mind and spirit.
All remains free and clear of any darkness or blight. (I
John 1:5)
Looking at the parable as a whole, many commentators and
theologians will point this parable in the direction of a
Jew/Gentile application. Since the kingdom that Christ
established went first to the Jews and then later after His
resurrection to the Gentiles, the Jews fit well into the
early labourers that worked longer and balked when "first
timers" like the Gentiles got to be included as the book of
Acts describes. Though this application is a neat and boxed
thought, the parable can be broadened much more. Verse 1
says the kingdom is "like" this. So, let us look for this in
our lives today to see what we may find. No matter what we
find, for it to be right, God's authority and sovereignty
must shine with His character completely blemishless.
Sometimes today we see things that do not align with our
idea of what is "right." We may object that a churchgoer
seems enthralled with a worship service while we feel
extremely dry. Perhaps they are new to things while we have
labored for years or decades. That is just not right! How
can they enjoy this while I do not? Truly, God's kingdom is
not like the world in many ways. Though we should have
respect for seniority in general, God has blessed many
people throughout time to have great experiences though they
were not the "senior man" on the block. Should this be
objectionable? It is His kingdom. He can do as He pleases,
and what He pleases is always right. Consider the young man
Timothy as an example. He was a young minister who was a
half-breed (Jewish mother and Greek father). Doubtless, he
had endured much scorn based on his lineage, and people were
apt to despise his age, since Paul was inspired to encourage
him not to let that bother him. (I Timothy 4:12) Was it
right that God endow this young man with many gifts and
talents? Certainly. Is it in God's purview? Absolutely.
Another example today could be how the Lord blesses
different local churches. Sometimes we see local bands
withering away, and sometimes we see others have a season of
revival. How many times do we look at those scenes properly?
People may be apt to think, "Well this group is obviously
not spiritual while that one is." Others may say, "These
have younger people than the other." Yet more might posit,
"Well we just need to add _____ to grow ourselves too!" None
of these smacks upon the reality of things. No one has all
the keys to all the doors to know what occurs and for how
long it has been going on. Only the One who knows the hearts
of all men can speak with such authority. Therefore, we
cannot attach sin haphazardly when we do not know - this was
the fault of the 3 miserable comforters in Job. Nor can we
say that by putting in something in God's house He did not
establish will fix the problem - that charges God with being
a bad Husband to His bride. So, what is the proper mindset
and course? We should rejoice with those that do rejoice and
mourn with those that mourn. As we see revivals in different
places, we should rejoice and thank the Master for His
gracious blessing upon His vineyard. As we see dryness in
different places, we need to encourage those bands while
also fervently praying to the God of the harvest that He
would send gentle showers, more labourers, and above all
peace and joy to the body.
Looking
at things outside the direct lens of the kingdom, we can see
from Scripture that God operates within His creation
sovereignly and perfectly much like He does His kingdom.
Though creation in general does not enjoy and experience the
kinds of blessings that His kingdom does, His operating
procedure is the same. He has the authority to do what He
will, when He will, how He will, and to who He will. He also
operates flawlessly as His character will allow nothing
else. Therefore, when we see problems occurring in the world
today, should we murmur against the Goodman of the house?
When we experience good times, should we gloat and say, "Is
not this great _____ which I have built?" The answers should
speak volumes to us. Problems in the world stem from the
fact that even though God made man upright, he still sought
out many inventions, while miracles and blessings come as a
result of His gracious kindness to His creation.
(Ecclesiastes 7:29, Lamentations 3:22-23)
What
have you and I agreed with Him to in His kingdom? What have
we pledged? What has He pledged? We have been commanded to
pledge our heart, soul, mind, and might to His service. We
have been commanded to seek that first and foremost in our
lives. Does it matter if others are blessed the same or more
than we are? Does it matter if we have had to bear the
burden of the heat of the day upon our backs? Do
circumstances and others things creeping in matter as far as
the "contract" is concerned? The answer is that the Lord
should get our faithfulness at all times in all seasons
under any circumstances. Consider His end. He is faithful to
us no matter what happens. He is even faithful to us when we
violate our contract to Him. His character shines in
refulgent display as He gives what "is right" while also
having the authority to do what He will with His own. You
could not ask for a better Master friends. Such a Lord is
worthy, and looking at my own track record, I am amazed at
His faithfulness all the time. Consider. How many of us
would be faithful to someone else had they treated us like
we treat Him so often. Be honest. Now, reflecting that back,
how fervent should we be to Him as we labour for His name's
sake?
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