Understanding the Counsel of God

23 MAY

But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they His counsel: for He shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor. Micah 4:12

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Isaiah 46:9-13

The prophet now speaks of the failure to understand the design and thoughts of God. If only that is brought before us, we will have little solid comfort and have nothing of much force or power.

But there is another principle that should be understood here: the thoughts of God are known to us who are taught in His school. The counsel of God is not hidden from us, for it is revealed to us in His Word. Our consolation, therefore, depends on a higher and more profound doctrine, which is that the faithful in their miseries ought to contemplate the counsel of God as in a mirror.

What does this mean? When God afflicts the godly, he holds a remedy in His hand; and when He throws the godly into the grave, He can restore them to life and safety. We therefore can understand the design of God to chasten His church with temporal evils. If we know this, there is no reason why the slanders of the ungodly should deject our minds. When the ungodly vomit forth all their reproaches, we ought to more firmly adhere to the counsel of God.

The pride of the ungodly should not surprise us, for if they raise their horns against God, why should they also not despise us, who are so few in number and of hardly any influence, at least compared to what they possess? The church is indeed contemptible in the eyes of the world. It is no wonder, then, if our enemies deride us and load us with ridicule and contempt when they dare to act so forwardly toward God.

It is enough for us to know that they do not understand the counsel of God.

John Calvin

FOR MEDITATION:

When we who are believers think we cannot understand God and His ways, particularly in times of evil and even death, we can take comfort in reading His Word. It tells us what is true and what is not. It assures that God loves us, even when evil people ridicule us for our faith.

365 Days With Calvin

Selected and Edited by Joel R. Beeke