Have you ever made the statement that something happened for a reason?  That God will provide the proper action.  At times we may not fully understand a situation, yet we can trust that most things do happen for a reason.  Our faith should be strong that God will provide, and this is his providence.

THIS IS THE ONLY TIME THE WORD PROVIDENCE APPEARS IN THE BIBLE.  YET THIS IS NOT BY FAR THE ONLY THING WHERE GOD’S PROVIDENCE APPLYS. 
KJV Acts 24:2
2. And when he was called forth, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying, Seeing that by thee we enjoy great quietness, and that very worthy deeds are done unto this nation by thy providence.

ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR THOSE THAT LOVE GOD
KJV Romans 8:28
28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

THREE BIBLE EXAMPLES OF GOD’S PROVIDENCE

1.) MOSES 
2.) JEREMIAH
3.) ETHIOPIAN EUNUCH

MOSES – IN A PREVIOUS LESSON WE SPOKE OF GOD AND WITH HIM ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE, AND WE USED MOSES.  LET US NOW LOOK AT A DIFFERENT SECTION OF PASSAGES THAT DEAL WITH MOSES AND GOD’S PROVIDENCE IN HIM.

KJV Exodus 1:10-16
 10.  Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.
 11.  Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.
 12.  But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.
 13.  And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:
 14.  And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.
 15.  And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah:
 16.  And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.

KJV Exodus 2:1-25
 1.  And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.
 2.  And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.
 3.  And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.
 4.  And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.
 5.  And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it.
 6.  And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children.
 7.  Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?
 8.  And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother.
 9.  And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it.
 10.  And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.
 11.  And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren.
 12.  And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.
 13.  And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?
 14.  And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known.
 15.  Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.
 16.  Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.
 17.  And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.
 18.  And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day?
 19.  And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.
 20.  And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread.
 21.  And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.
 22.  And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.
 23.  And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
 24.  And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
 25.  And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.
 

KJV Exodus 3:1-15
1  Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
2  And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
3  And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
4  And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
5  And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
6  Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.
7  And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;
8  And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
9  Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.
10  Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.
11  And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
12  And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.
13  And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
14  And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

In this great history of Israel we have to see God’s providence in the saving of Moses life, and having him deliver Israel out of bondage.  The record is one that should be read in its fullest detail to truly appreciate God’s providence, yet I believe that it is already evident.
 

JEREMIAH
KJV Jeremiah 1:1-19
 1.  The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:
 2.  To whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.
 3.  It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.
 4.  Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
 5.  Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
 6.  Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
 7.  But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
 8.  Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.
 9.  Then the Lord put forth his hand, And touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
 10.  See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
 11.  Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.
 12.  Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.
 13.  And the word of the Lord came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.
 14.  Then the Lord said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.
 15.  For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the Lord; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.
 16.  And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.
 17.  Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.
 18.  For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.
19. And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee.

God named Jeremiah a prophet even before he was formed in the belly of his mother (v5).  Jeremiah was a major prophet during the decline and fall of Judah’s southern kingdom.  In Jeremiah 16:1-13, God tells Jeremiah not to marry, nor attempt to have children.  Jeremiah was a major tool for the work of God.  Sometimes we do not understand, or we think something that may happen to us to be cruel, yet we must understand that at times our plans might not be the Lord’s plans.

OUR PLANS MAY DIFFER FROM THE LORD’S

ANANIAS DID NOT WANT TO GO TO SAUL [PAUL]
KJV Acts 9:10-13
 10.  And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.
 11.  And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,
 12.  And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
13. Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:

JONAH DID NOT WANT TO GO TO NINEVEH
KJV Jonah 1:1-3
1.  Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
 2.  Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
3. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

  THE ETHIOPIAN EUNUCH

KJV Acts 8:26-38
 26.  And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.
 27.  And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,
 28.  Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.
 29.  Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
 30.  And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
 31.  And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
 32.  The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
 33.  In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
 34.  And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?
 35.  Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
 36.  And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
 37.  And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 
38. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

The Bible list many areas where the providence of God is surely noted.  Examples such as David, Solomon, Joseph and many others could be studied to see the hand of God in lives.  Yet this day Moses, Jeremiah, Annanias, Jonah, and the Ethiopian Eunuch were discussed.  Let the providence of God be on your mind, even in those times that you may not understand the action that has occurred.

It may be the providence of God that has brought you to this lesson this day.  Let God’s will of you being saved be realized this day.
HEAR - KJV John 6:45
 45.  It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

BELIEVE - KJV John 5:24
 24.  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

REPENT - KJV Acts 17:30  And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
 

 CONFESS AND BE BAPTIZED AS DID THE EUNUCH KJV Acts 8:37-38
 
 

Copyright 2000 by Brian Yeager may be reproducted for non-commercial purposes at no cost to others.