Dancing in the Kingdom- Table of Contents
Dancing In the Kingdom – Part 1 – Shadows of the Kingdom – Chapter 2 – The God who created
Sovereign and Servant
[Bible references: Psalm 147:5; Isaiah 52; Matthew 20:25-27; Romans 11:33-35; Philippians 2:1-11]
There is a contemporary name for this juxtaposition of attributes: servant leadership. In this case, the one who is the creator and sustainer of all things does not wield that power in a self-centered way but uses that power to serve the needs of the very beings he created – even though they defied his authority and cost him much anguish.
When the Creator decided to make creatures in his image, creatures that had the ability to love (and therefore the ability to choose whom to love or whom to not love), he imbued these creatures with the ability to make independent decisions. Doing that required releasing some control and then providing enough space be given so that those creatures would be free to make choices.
However, those creatures violated that love and incurred an awful penalty. Fortunately, the Creator did not just mete out the penalty, but with compassion, and at great cost to himself, put in place a plan that would restore his relationship with his image-bearers. This costly plan would highlight an attribute that already had been revealed, the attribute of servanthood in which the Creator acts on behalf of his creatures.
Not to be overlooked, the ability to create and sustain the universe needs tremendous knowledge and wisdom as does the ability to create creatures in his image and then to guide them amid their missteps and varied circumstances. Although God, through his sovereign will and power, could simply control each and every action in the universe, he gives us the option for his creatures to act according to his desires or not.[1] We cannot even begin to understand the vast knowledge and wisdom that God needs in order to carry out His will despite our continued insistence on disobeying his desired will. In fact, His wisdom is so pervasive, not only in creation but as part of the many ways God interacts with us, that Wisdom is metaphorically portrayed to us in Proverbs as a person.
[1] Piper, John, “What is the Will of God and How Do We Know It” Desiring God, 22 Aug 2004, www.desiringgod.org/messages/what-is-the-will-of-god-and-how-do-we-know-it
Reflect
God’s rule is contingent on God’s love. His power is not focused on controlling but on releasing his image-bearers to participate with him in taking care of his creation and of each other. In what ways do humans misuse their power over others?
Observe
Read Isaiah 52. The end of this chapter gives a picture of the Sovereign God who goes before us and behind us and then prophesies about Servant Jesus dying on the cross for us. How should we respond?
Dancing In The Kingdom 