By Jonathan Wilcox

Being a theology nerd, I regularly get into spicy conversations about the Bible’s teaching on various topics. One of the most frequently recurring topics is the relationship between God’s sovereignty and our free will. This controversy has plagued the church from its beginning and has turned many spicy conversations bitter.

Over the centuries, this discussion has become laden with philosophical baggage and technical jargon for the sake of setting the two positions in opposition. The reality is that the issue is clouded by the human sinful desire to set our will over and against God’s. However, if we let God inform our perspective, we will find freedom in abundance.

Although I can and have argued the finer points of this debate till I am blue in the face, I have discovered that doing so is rarely productive and hardly ever practical to our Monday through Saturday lives in the world. Furthermore, it does not answer questions like,

“How do I make good decisions?”

OR

“Why is the world so full of evil?”

I will wrestle with the first question here as we explore the lives of God’s people in exile through the book of Daniel. I will tackle the specific questions of evil and suffering in part II, When Sovereignty Hurts, so stay tuned.

In order to understand how to exercise our freedom rightly, we need to understand what God’s sovereignty means for us practically. I have often heard of God’s sovereignty referred to using the analogy of God as a master puppeteer, pulling the strings of our fate while we have no say. This analogy doesn’t actually help us live in a world where we are responsible to make decisions in light of God’s ultimate control. A much more useful analogy is God as king. Seeing God’s control and authority over us as that of a king drives us to action as we live in relationship to Him.

In western democratic republics like the U.S. we value an individualistic, almost absolute, kind of freedom. This value has resulted in us creating a system of government that allows for the easy overturn of leaders we don’t like.

In essence, we have shifted the locus of ultimate authority to ourselves so that we have lost touch with what it means to be accountable to a king. Up until the 17th century, the king had absolute control, and if someone tried to set up a competing kingdom he was quickly put in his place.

Daniel 4 tells the story of how Nebuchadnezzar, the most powerful pagan king of his era, learns to humble himself and declares that God is the greatest king over all kings. He says:

“How great are His signs

And how mighty are His wonders!

His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom

And His dominion is from generation to generation.”

-Daniel 4:3 (NASB95)

This hymn of praise summarizes the lesson that Nebuchadnezzar learns: the Most High God is in control over people, nature, and the future. The rest of the chapter details how he gets to this conclusion.

While Nebuchadnezzar is congratulating himself on what great self-made king he is, God suddenly causes him to become insane, eating grass like an ox. In essence, God knocks him down a notch and makes it evident to everyone that Nebuchadnezzar is still a creature (Dan. 4:28-33). Not only does God humble Nebuchadnezzar in judgment by stripping away his kingdom; He also mercifully feeds him on the grass of the field and the dew of heaven and keeps his kingdom intact, waiting for the day when he would be restored. In these acts, God demonstrates very clearly His sovereignty over both people and nature.

In this episode, God also demonstrates His lordship over time (Dan. 4:4-27) by warning Nebuchadnezzer in a dream well in advance of the actual event. Nebuchadnezzar clearly recognizes this as evidenced by his reference to an “everlasting kingdom” in his hymn of praise.

The fascinating aspect of Nebuchadnezzar’s story is that God does not exercise his control and authority from afar like some puppeteer, but rather is present and active both in judgment and mercy, even with a pagan king.

So, God is king. How does this impact daily life?

Since God’s kingship entails control, authority, and presence in a comprehensive way, we are free to engage the world both in humility and confidence.

As Nebuchadnezzar learned the hard way, he was not the ultimate author nor sustainer of his success. God raised him up and God brought him low. We should also take this lesson to heart. Whatever situation you find yourself in, whether it is climbing the corporate ladder, running a marathon, or just getting out of bed on Monday for work, you are not the ultimate source of either your success or failure.

This truth is very sobering but it can also be a source of great comfort and joy for God’s children. If we were in the hands of fate, random chance, or even a far off puppeteer, we would have every reason to fear since an impersonal force has no relationship with us and therefore cannot have our best interest in mind.

However, we are in the sovereign hands of a king who is present with us, and has bound himself to us His people through a covenant. He has made good on that covenant through His son Jesus. Paul writes, “For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes” (2 Cor 1:20).

I personally draw great joy knowing that I do not have to ensure my future. I can work faithfully at what God has given me to do and direct my efforts toward the growth of His kingdom rather than my own, knowing that He is in control of my future.

Since our king is Lord over everything, including the future, we have beautiful freedom as His citizens. How are you living with your freedom?