J.A. Matteson
The intersection of human responsibility and divine sovereignty is mysterious. "Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God" (Gen. 45:8). Joseph's brothers' sin in plotting evil toward him by selling him into slavery was their responsibility. At the same time God used their act of wickedness in His larger plan of redemption. That God utilizes secondary causes to bring about His good purposes is evident throughout Scripture. The days of a pilgrims sojourning represent an intricate tapestry of human choices and divine influences. And the LORD directs the will of people to perform that which is in accordance to His plan, both redeemed and reprobate. In all His dealings with His creatures He works in such a way as to preserve human autonomy and responsibility in the choices they make, whether good or evil. This truth is high and beyond human comprehension. Its reality serves to humble human arrogance and create a healthy fear and reverence before Almighty God who holds the breathe of life of all creatures in His hand. His ways are unknowable and beyond us, they are highly exalted and altogether just, righteous, and holy. And because of His majestic splendor the pilgrim of the LORD Most High may rest in the knowledge that He goes before and hedges behind His servant so that no ultimate harm will befall him. That which is painful in the moment is in fact an intricate piece of a larger good He is bring into fruition.
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