JEHOVAH SOVEREIGN OVER SOVEREIGNS
Proverb 21:1

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes."

I. Jehovah is the Sovereign of sovereigns. 1. Jehovah is superior to sovereigns in His nature and titles (1 Timothy 6:15f): "He ... is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality." All civil authority comes from God, and every civil authority is appointed by God, and serves as His minister (Romans 13:1-6). 2. Jehovah is superior to sovereigns in His works (Daniel 2:21): "He removes kings and raises up kings" (cp. Proverb 8:15; see 1 Samuel 9:15-2:1; 16:1-14). Monarchs may claim absolute rule over their subjects - even the power of life and death (Daniel 5:19), but Jehovah exercises such absolute rule over monarchs (Daniel 4:34f).

II. Jehovah is sovereign where sovereigns are not – in the heart! 1. Sovereigns exercise sovereignty over men's bodies, but not over their hearts. Nebuchadnezzar required his subjects to bow to his idol under pain of death, but three Hebrew children did not regard his command in their hearts - and Jehovah overruled their king's scheme to execute them (Daniel ch.3). 2. Jehovah exercises sovereignty over the king's heart – which is like water in His hand. Water is fluid, and easily moved; likewise, kings in Jehovah's hand are most pliable and moldable. Water is unstable; likewise, no king has stability unless Jehovah grants it to him. Water ever seeks the lowest level; likewise, kings will sink to the lowest level unless Jehovah raises them up. Water is incapable of flowing upward; likewise, kings are incapable of rising against Jehovah.

III. Jehovah is sovereign over sovereigns demonstrably. Men have witnessed Him turning the hearts of kings for His own purposes. 1. Jehovah hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt (Exodus 4:21, et.al.) – in judgment against this tyrant for his sin. 2. Jehovah changed the heart of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, into that of an animal (Daniel 4:16-33) – in consequence of the king's pride. 3. Jehovah later restored the heart of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:34ff) – in an act of His own grace. 4. Jehovah inclined to goodness the heart of Darius, king of Assyria, for the good of His people (Ezra 6:22; cp. 7:27). 5. Jehovah predestined the conspiracy of allied sovereigns to result in Christ being exalted (Acts 4:27f; cp. 2:22-24).

IV. Jehovah is sovereign over sovereign's subjects. This is an extension of the preceding. He who is sovereign over the greatest of men surely is sovereign over the lesser. He is sovereign over every man like the potter over his clay (Romans 9:13ff). 1. No man has sovereignty over his own heart – because "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). Every man is deceived by his own heart, and cannot remove its wickedness so that he may willingly serve Jehovah. 2. Jehovah is the only sovereign of the hearts of men. If He leaves us to the devices of our own hearts, our hearts will harden against Him. None but He can remove the stony heart and replace it with a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). None but He can open the heart so that it will obey His gospel (Acts 16:14).

V. Jehovah is sovereign over Christ the King with regard to His incarnation. Christ was born a King (Matthew 2:1f). But He acknowledged in His incarnation that "I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart" (Psalm 40:8). And He therefore acknowledged throughout His incarnate ministry that "I must be about My Father's business" (Luke 2:49). Whatever the Father laid upon His heart to do, He did – even in going to Calvary to die for His people (Luke 22:41f).

VI. Jehovah is sovereign over saint-kings. Saints extol Christ because "You ... have made us kings ... to our God; and we shall reign on the earth" (Revelation 5:9f; 1:6). And they, like Christ, their "King of kings and Lord of lords" (Revelation 17:14; 19:16), delight to do the will of their Father with His law in their hearts, and to be about their Father's business. Whatever He turns their hearts to do, they desire to do – as when He directs their hearts into His love and Christ's patience (2 Thessalonians 3:5).

Let us learn to pray to the sovereign of all men, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10). And let us pray He will turn the hearts of our sovereigns to honor Him and to be a blessing to His people.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~