In the sermon 'Of Divine Providence, 1689 SLBC, Chap. 5, Par. 2', Eric Bechler discusses the concept of divine providence as outlined in the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689. The sermon explores the idea that God is the 'first cause', the originator of all things, who is eternal, necessary, changeless, and personal. Meanwhile, 'second causes' are the means through which God enacts His decrees in the world, occurring necessarily, freely, or contingently. Bechler emphasizes that God's sovereignty does not negate human free will but rather works in harmony with it. Examples from the Bible, such as the stories of Joseph, Ahab, and Ruth, illustrate how God’s providence is executed through second causes. The sermon concludes by urging individuals to slow down and recognize God's work in their lives, emphasizing the importance of spending time with God to see His divine providence in action.

Our reading this morning of the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 comes from chapter 5 of Divine Providence paragraph 2. Although in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first cause, all things come to pass immutably and infallibly, so that there is not anything befalls any by chance or without his providence. Yet by the same providence he ordaineth them to fall out according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely or contingently. We continue our discussion on divine providence this week with a focus on first and second causes of God's decrees, of God's providences. Let's take a moment to clarify what is meant by first cause and second causes.

When we speak of cause and effect, cause can be seen as an action and the effect would be the resultant reaction. For example, sowing good or bad seeds produces good or bad fruit or a healthy or rotten harvest. Cause and effect. However, as you think about it logically, there must have been at some point far in the past, a point where there was a first cause, something that existed before all things. It could not depend on anything else to have caused it to exist.

It must be eternal. It must be necessary. It must be changeless. It must be intelligent, creative. It must be personal.

Of course, knowing our Bible leads us to answer who has all of these qualities. God, our God, the God of the Bible is the first cause. God is eternal. He's without beginning, without end. God is unchanging.

He's unchangeable. God is creative. God is personal. All of God's attributes leads us to know and to understand that God is the first cause. Regarding the second causes, let's make sure we understand what is meant there.

The second causes are the causes through which God, the first cause, works. Cause and effect, action and reaction. The first cause is singular and outside of all that happens. The second causes are all those things that happen throughout the ages, throughout life, and these second causes have a reaction or a response. So now, back to the paragraph for this morning on divine providence.

As a reminder from last week, Noel Webster defines providence as the care and superintendence which God exercises over his creatures. The first half of our paragraph this morning. Although in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first cause, all things come to pass immutably and infallibly, so that there is not anything befalls any by chance or without his providence. We read a number of these verses. I'll touch on them again.

We read from Acts where Peter is preaching to the crowd in Acts 2 23 Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and for knowledge of God he have taken and by wicked hands has crucified and slain. We read from Proverbs 1633 the lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Nothing happens by chance or by lot. Everything happens by God's decree. Yet God has not decreed what he has willed and stepped back to watch it unfold.

God is not a bystander. God's providence, by God's providence, he is working out all that happens step by step. He's doing this by the care and superintendence by which God exercises over his creatures. Everything that happens, happens with God's foreknowledge. His decree is immutable and unchangeable.

It is unfallible. It's perfect. No surprises. No plan B with God. God is perfectly sovereign over all things.

In the second half of our paragraph, yet by the same providence, he ordereth them to fall out according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently. All things come to pass according to the nature of second causes, the causes through which God works. If we look at necessarily, necessarily is associated with the nature and order of things, the laws of nature. God set in place the operation of nature, the motion of the planets, the seasons, the weather. We read from Genesis 8.22, While the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter and day and night shall not cease.

Also from Jeremiah 31, 35, Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinance of the moon and of the stars for light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar. The Lord of hosts is his name. When we speak of freely, this has to do with others making conscious personal choices to carry out God's decrees. This is done so that their freedom is not violated and their consequences are not hindered, whether good or bad, praise or blame. We see this in the example of Joseph and his brothers.

Joseph's brothers were jealous of Joseph and plotted to get rid of him. They freely chose to do these wicked acts to sell their younger brother into slavery. But God meant it for good. God's providence was furthered by these means. And we read a bit of the story from Genesis chapter 50 verses 15 through 21.

And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will pervent your hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. And they sent a messenger unto Joseph saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, So shall ye say to Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren and their sin, for they did unto the evil. And now we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father.' And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. And his brethren also went and fell down before his face. And they said, Behold, we be thy servants.

And Joseph said unto them, Fear not, for am I in the place of God. But as for you, you thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore, fear ye not, I will nourish you and your little ones.' And he comforted them and spake kindly unto them. When we speak of contingently, this indicates a dependency on others or other things. My ability to get home today is contingent of my car starting.

Based on our discussion on first causes, we know that God is not subject to contingencies. There's no outside forces that affect God and his plans. On the other hand, contingencies are part of our daily life. God uses these contingencies as means to His end. We see in the story about the death of Ahab, the king of Israel, despite being in disguise and having Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, play the decoy, God's will, as prophesied by Micaiah, was done.

We read in 1 Kings 22, 34, and a certain man drew a bow at a venture and smoked the king of Israel between the joints of the harness wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot turn thy hand and carry me out of the host for I am wounded. We also see in the story of Ruth how God guided her to just the right field, a field where she would be allowed to collect grain and be protected, and furthermore led to her eventual marriage to her kinsman-redeemer. In Ruth 2-3, And she went and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was the kindred of Olimilech. There are many more examples of the providence of God carried out by second causes throughout the Bible. If we sit still and look at our own lives, we can also see the hand of God working.

We can see His divine providence being played out by second causes, probably every single day. I'd like to share a nice summary from the website thecalvinist.net for this paragraph. God has not decreed what he has willed and left it alone. Rather he guides it to its predetermined end by the means he decrees. God's decree is his sovereign plan, his blueprint.

God's providence is the working out of that decree in actual history. God's sovereignty does not violate man's will or coerces him to do something against his will, but works according to the nature of second causes. That is the nature of man and his abilities. In our culture today we are a busy people. We can be too busy to read our Bibles or pray.

We can be too busy to sit down and have a meal as a family. We can be too busy to sit down and have family worship. As parents we can be too busy to stop and listen, really, really listen to our little children. We can be too busy to listen to our wives or husbands. Are you too busy to spend time with God?

How can you get to know him better if you aren't spending the time with him that you need? And if you don't know him, how are you going to see him working in your life or the life of your family? Scripture tells us to be still and know that I am God. So I would exhort everybody to slow down, to take time in your busy days to be with God. Take time in your busy life to be with your family.

Take time to notice how God is working in your life to see his divine providence working out in your daily life. Amen.