‘God’s Supremacy & Sovereignty’
In a letter to Erasmus, a 16th century scholar and theologian, Martin Luther wrote - “your thoughts of God are too human.” We’re all vulnerable to this failing since we're made in the ‘image and likeness of God’. It seems reasonable to assume that God’s like us, just bigger and without the imperfections of the ‘fall’. But this approach isn’t going to get us very far; the true glory and greatness of God is obscured when we take this approach. We actually need to look away from ourselves and focus on the true source of divine revelation, the Bible. It’s crucial that we let the biblical revelation define God rather than human reason, or what feels right to us. This man centered approach produces a god that’s weightless, inconsequential, and easily dismissed. In his book, The Attributes of God, Dr. Arthur Pink makes this observation - “...there is no other possible alternative between an absolutely supreme God, and no God at all. A ‘god’ whose will is resisted, whose designs are frustrated, whose purpose is checkmated, possesses no title to Deity, and so far from being a fit object of worship, merits naught but contempt.” [1] Dr. Pink uses a word here that is important, one that we need to get acquainted with, it’s the word ‘supreme’ - “an absolutely supreme God”.
When we think about the supremacy of God there’s a companion idea that needs to be considered as well - sovereignty. The God revealed in the Bible is both supreme and sovereign. These ideas are inseparably connected; God is sovereign because he is supreme. Perhaps some definitions would be helpful. ‘Supremacy’ means ‘to hold the position of highest rank and authority, one who is unrivaled in character and importance. ‘Sovereignty’ means ‘to exercise supreme and independent power and authority over all things’. There’s a passage in Exodus 3 that connects these two ideas - “Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I Am Who I Am”. And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ “ God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The LORD,....has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever,....(vv.13-15).” The phrase that speaks of God’s supremacy is in verse 14 - ‘I AM WHO I AM’, and the name, or title, that expresses God’s sovereignty is in verse 15 - ‘The LORD’ (YHWH).
The Verb of Being
The phrase in verse 14 is built around the Hebrew ‘verb of being’ - ‘I AM’. It’s a verb that’s nuanced in meaning and can be understood as either a present or future tense. It means ‘to be present’, ‘to be now’, or ‘to become’. The pronoun translated here as ‘who’ can also be rendered what, that, or because. So the phrase can be properly translated in a number of ways: ‘I am who I am’, ‘I will be what I will be’, ‘I am present is what I am’, or ‘I am the one who is’. Regardless of how the phrase is translated, it’s a statement of Being, of eternal self-existence. It establishes God’s supremacy; he is the Supreme Being. He’s infinite and limitless, without beginning or end! He’s the ‘necessary being’, self-existent and self-sustaining. This understanding was presented visually to Moses in the ‘burning bush’; it was burning but not consumed. The flame wasn’t dependent on the bush for its existence. In contrast, by virtue of being God’s creation, we’re human-beings, we’re contingent beings, dependent on our Creator for our existence. We’re embodied beings who are finite and limited.
It’s also important that we understand that in the biblical context the verb ‘I Am’ isn’t a reference to static being, but it carries the idea of active presence. God’s actively involved in human affairs, particularly in a redemptive way. For example, in the Exodus God wasn’t passive, he was very active sending pledges, guiding the children of Israel, parting the Red Sea, and providing mana in the wilderness.
The companion idea of sovereignty is presented in verse 15 of Exodus 3 - “God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.” Here we have the first appearance of the personal name of God used exclusively in reference to the God of the Bible, YHWH, translated ‘the Lord’. It’s associated closely with the verb of being ‘I Am’, it’s perhaps derived from it. So the ideas of self-existence and supremacy are incorporated in the title YHWH (the Lord). But what’s being underscored is God’s sovereignty, his absolute authority and rule. What we’re to understand is that God’s sovereignty is grounded in his supremacy. Because he’s the supreme Being, the I Am, he exercises sovereign rule over all things, he’s the Lord.
Free & Autonomous
This carries profound implications. God being supreme and sovereign means that he’s absolutely free and autonomous. His acts and purposes aren’t impinged upon by anyone or anything outside of himself. What he does is shaped entirely by his own intentions, purposes, and character; the fact that he’s good, gracious, and just. Given the fact that God is supreme, he’s then sovereign over the whole of creation. According to the writer of Hebrews Christ ‘upholds the universe by the word of his power (Heb.1:3)’. This has a direct bearing on the human experience. God’s sovereign over all nations and the flow of human history; he’s sovereign over all individual human beings; and he’s sovereign over his saving work. This understanding is stated propositionally throughout the Psalms and the Prophets (Ps.47:7,8; Isa.14:24-27; Dan. 4:34,35). God does rule over the nations and he shapes the course of history with the goal of fulfilling his redemptive promise.
It doesn’t always appear that God is in control, but he is. The story of Joseph in Gen. 37-50 is a good example. He was sold into slavery, elevated to the position of Prime Minister in Egypt, and used by God to preserve the children of Israel; the people from whom the Messiah would come. Joseph’s story not only carried implications for Israel as a nation, it also illustrates the fact that God rules over individual human lives as well.
This is the God we serve and worship! He’s supreme and sovereign over all things. He deserves our praise, our expressions of gratitude, and our wholehearted devotion.
Footnote:
Arthur W. Pink, The Attributes of God, (Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI., 1975) p. 29.