God’s sovereignty over man’s will in the Bible (abridged)
A year ago, I listed hundreds of examples in Scripture of God exercising His absolute power in a way that influenced or controlled the lives, will, and/or actions of men.
Those who don’t share that definition of His sovereignty would try to explain away those instances. The people involved could have refused but chose to cooperate, they may say. Perhaps God used other means to guide them but not actually control their will. For example, maybe He determined the winners of battles by redirecting arrows or something like that.
So I whittled the list down to examples that defy those explanations. Anyone who thinks these cases are anything other than God directing men’s hearts is really reaching.
It’s still an overwhelming case that God not only can but does exercise control of whatever, and whomever, He wants.
The abridged list
God raised up Pharaoh and caused him to stand (Exodus 9:16, Romans 9:17).
God stiffened Sihon king of Heshbon’s spirit and made his heart obstinate in order to give him into the Israelites’ hand (Deuteronomy 2:30).
God strengthened the Hivites’ hearts to meet Israel in battle so that Joshua would destroy them (Joshua 11:20).
God set the swords of the Midianites against each other (Judges 7:22).
God determined Samson’s marriage to a Philistine woman, for He was seeking an occasion against the Philistines (Judges 14:4).
God was behind Eli’s sons not obeying their father, for He desired to put them to death (1 Samuel 2:25).
God determined King Rehoboam not listening to the people, that He might establish His word (1 Kings 12:15, 2 Chronicles 10:15).
God stirred up the spirit of the kings of Assyria to take the Reubenites, Gadites and half-tribe of Manasseh into exile (1 Chronicles 5:26).
God bought Shishak king of Egypt against Jerusalem because Judah had been unfaithful to God (2 Chronicles 12:2).
God stirred up the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabs against King Jehoram (2 Chronicles 21:16).
God determined King Amaziah not listening to King Joash, to give Judah into Joash’s hand (2 Chronicles 25:20).
God gave Judah one heart to do what King Hezekiah commanded (2 Chronicles 30:12).
God turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward the sons of Israel to strengthen them (Ezra 6:22).
God turned the Egyptians’ heart to hate His people (Psalm 105:25).
God directs a man’s steps even though his heart plans his way (Proverbs 16:9).
God’s hand holds the king’s heart, and He turns it wherever He wishes, like rivers (Proverbs 21:1).
God brought the king of Assyria on King Ahaz and his people (Isaiah 7:17).
God used Assyria as the rod of His anger, by the power of His hand and by His wisdom (Isaiah 10:5-15).
God awakened the Medes against Babylon (Isaiah 13:17).
God incited Egyptians against Egyptians, confused their counsel, and delivered them into the hand of the Assyrians (Isaiah 19:2-4).
God declares the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things not yet done, to establish His purpose and accomplish all His good pleasure (Isaiah 46:10).
God called the kingdoms of the north to come to Judah (Jeremiah 1:15).
God directs the steps of a man’s way (Jeremiah 10:23).
God caused Jeremiah’s enemy to intercede with him (Jeremiah 15:11).
God puts the fear of Him in His people’s hearts so that they will not turn away from Him (Jeremiah 33:40).
God caused the Babylonians to return to Jerusalem (Jeremiah 34:22).
God aroused an assembly of great nations to bring up against Babylon (Jeremiah 50:9).
God aroused the spirit of the kings of the Medes because His purpose was to destroy Babylon (Jeremiah 51:11).
God will put hooks in Gog’s jaws and bring it out with all its military force against His land (Ezekiel 38:4, 16).
God removes kings and establishes kings (Daniel 2:21).
God gave the kingdom, power, strength and glory to Nebuchadnezzar and made him rule with power over all (Daniel 2:37-38).
God is the powerful ruler over the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whom He wishes (Daniel 4:17, 25, 32, 5:21).
God does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth (Daniel 4:35).
God will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:2).
God will assemble nations and gather kingdoms to pour out on them His indignation (Zephaniah 3:8).
God will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle (Zechariah 14:2).
God determines who knows the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 13:11, Mark 4:11, Luke 8:10).
God (Jesus) concealed understanding of Him being delivered into the hands of men (Luke 9:45).
God reveals the Son to whom the Son wills (Luke 10:22).
God (Jesus) opened His disciples’ minds to understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:45).
God (Jesus) gives life to whom He wishes (John 5:21).
God had already given to Jesus those who come to Him (John 6:37-39, 10:29, 17:6, 11, 12, 24).
God determines that all whom He has given Jesus will come to Him (John 6:37).
God wills that all those He has given Jesus will not be lost (John 6:39).
God determined that no man lay his hand on Jesus, because His hour had not yet come (John 7:30, 8:20).
God blinded the eyes and hardened the heart of the crowd so that they could not believe (John 12:37-40).
God (Jesus) kept and guarded those who God gave Him (John 17:12).
God granted Pontius Pilate authority over Jesus (John 19:11).
God’s hand and purpose predestined Herod, Pilate, the Gentiles and Israel against Jesus (Acts 4:27-28).
God grants repentance (Acts 5:31, 11:18, 2 Timothy 2:25).
God has already appointed to eternal life those who believe (Acts 13:48).
God appointed every nation’s times and boundaries (Acts 17:26).
God determined all of what Paul would do (Acts 22:10).
God gives people over to their sinful hearts and minds (Romans 1:24, 26, 28).
God predestines those He foreknows to be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29).
God’s choice does not depend on human will but on His mercy (Romans 9:16).
God has mercy on whom He desires and hardens whom He desires (Romans 9:18).
God, the potter, has authority over the clay to make vessels for honorable use and dishonorable use (Romans 9:21).
God beforehand purposefully prepares vessels of wrath for destruction, and vessels of mercy for glory (Romans 9:23).
God left a remnant of Israel according to His gracious choice (Romans 11:5).
God gave Israel a spirit of stupor, eyes to see not and ears to hear not (Romans 11:8, Isaiah 29:10).
God has partially hardened Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in (Romans 11:25).
God gives the growth of His church (1 Corinthians 3:6-7, Colossians 2:19).
God predestined us to adoption according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise and glory of His grace (Ephesians 1:5-6).
God works all things according to the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:11).
God made us alive when we were dead in our transgressions (Ephesians 2:5, Colossians 2:13).
God granted belief in Christ and to suffer for His sake (Philippians 1:29).
God works in us to will and to work for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).
God sends a deluding influence upon those who will perish so that they will believe what is false (2 Thessalonians 2:11).
God chose who would be the first fruits of salvation (2 Thessalonians 2:13).
God protects us by His power through faith for salvation (1 Peter 1:5).
God (Jesus) keeps those who are born of God (1 John 5:18).
God is able to keep us from stumbling (Jude 24).
God will give the power to take peace from the earth, that men would slay one another (Revelation 6:4).
God will give the beast authority to act for 42 months, to overcome the saints, and authority over every nation (Revelation 13:5-7).
God will give it in the hearts of the ten kings to do His purpose by giving their kingdom to the beast (Revelation 17:17).
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