satanic providence
Mike Abendroth
There is also a Satanic providence that would seek to capture us and guide our steps.
Now what this leads up to is simply this: that circumstances can never be of any significance to us in the guidance of God. Let’s think for a moment about Jonah. He receives a call from God. Perhaps he’s puzzling over it. Now he flees. He doesn’t want to face the word of God, and so he flees. I think I’ll go down to Joppa. And on the way, he thinks of where he may go. What about Tarshish? That’s 2,000 miles away. That’s a long way away from Palestine, and I won’t be called upon the exercise my prophetic office.
And so when he arrives, he walks down to the wharf. And he walks up to one of the ticket booths that are there, and he said, how much is the fare to Tarshish? And they say, so-and-so. He pulls out his pocketbook, and he said, well isn’t that interesting? I have enough money to go. Circumstances are favorable to Tarshish. By the way, what is that precise fare? Well, the precise fare is so-and-so. Well isn’t that striking? I happen to have the exact change in my pocketbook. And so he takes it out and puts it on the counter and takes his ticket. And as he walks off, he has no peace down within, but in his mind he’s thinking and constantly rationalizing, over and over again, trying to justify himself: You know, I’ve come down to Joppa, and it just so happens there is a ship going to Tarshish, and I was thinking about Tarshish on the way down. Not only that, but I have enough money to pay for that ticket without asking for a clerical discount [laughter], and when I got down there I had the precise amount in my pocket – the exact change. Why, this must have been God’s will.
Rubbish. Nonsense. As the British would say, balderdash! [Laughter] We might as well say a thief happened by your house last night -- king of diamonds, perhaps -- and it just so happened that you left your back door open. And the thief, arriving at the back door should put his hand down, turn the latch, and sure enough it is open and he should say, “Sure enough, it is divinely providential that I am here at this precise time [laughter].” Or it may be that you have left your door open and someone has come in with a gun in his pocket, and during the resulting fracas he pulls out his gun and shoots you. And he comments as he leaves, “It was divinely providential that I happen to have my gun along when an argument arose.”
It is never right to do wrong. And Jonah had a word from God. It is never right to do wrong.
Or to take Joseph, for example. Joseph was the servant of Potiphar. Potiphar’s wife was a woman with a strong sexual desire. She looked upon that young man and thought, this is a young man I’d like to seduce, and she tried. She persisted. And finally one day, it just so happened that Joseph came in the home and there was no one there. And Potiphar’s wife sought out Joseph and said, “The men are all gone; now, lie with me.” What did Jonah [sic] say?He did not want to be forced to go to Nineveh by God. That was what he had in mind.
Thomas Watson, "[Jesus] alone is the Prince of Preachers. He alone is the best of expositors."