There is an interesting and even difficult intersection of events in Scripture between what God wills and man’s sins. It is found in many places of biblical history. Perhaps some valuable lessons can be learned by noting some of these examples.

Jacob’s deception. (Genesis 25-32) Before Rebekah gave birth to her twins, the Lord said to Isaac and Rebekah that two nations were in her womb and the elder would serve the younger. (25:23.) Jacob’s name means supplanter or deceiver. After the twins were delivered, Jacob reached and took hold of Esau’s heel, showing how in life Jacob would take the place of his brother.

Jacob took advantage of his brother Esau when he faint and hungry after hunting. Esau is called a profane man for despising his birthright, but he was at the point of death. (Gen. 25:32, Heb. 12:16.) The second major deception came when Isaac was old and blind. He sent Esau out to hunt some venison. Rebekah and Jacob plotted to supplant Esau while he was away by pretending that Jacob was the elder son. The mother placed goat’s skin on his arm to make him feel like Esau to Isaac. (Gen. 27.) When asked by Isaac if Jacob were really his son Esau, he lied to his father and obtained his father’s firstborn blessing. When Esau returned to exclaimed that Jacob was rightly named a supplanter because he had supplanted him two times. (27:36.)

Even though all of this was deceptive and wrong, the firstborn blessing given to Jacob stood. He became the father of the Jewish nation. God changed his name to Israel, which means a prince with God, after he wrestled with the angel at the brook Jabbok. (Gen. 32:28.)

When Paul discussed the sovereignty of God in Romans, he used this example of Jacob and Esau. Paul stated, correctly, that before the sons were born, God chose one over the other to serve as the head of the nation of Israel. God did this before any son had done any good or evil. (Rom. 9:11.) Isaac had loved Esau over Jacob because Esau was the hunter. Rebekah loved Jacob. But God said, Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated. (Rom. 9:13, Mal. 1:1-3.) Malachi said this to Israel about 1600 years after the twins were born to Israel to demonstrate the love of God for Israel.

The difficulty in all of this is the intersection of the will of God with the sinful deeds of man, in this case Rebekah and Jacob. Does this mean that there is unrighteousness with God? Paul asked. (Rom. 9:14.) God forbid. But what does it mean?

Joseph’s brothers. (Genesis 37-50) We often speak fondly of the providence of God evident in the story of Joseph. This story, like the one involving Jacob and Esau, had parental partiality in it. The older brothers were jealous because Jacob loved Joseph because he was the son of his old age. (37:3.) Jacob made Joseph a special coat, maybe not of many colors but a coat designating him as a tribal chieftain. It gave him authority over the brothers. This fits with the dreams of Joseph showing his brothers and even parents bowing down before him. In jealousy, the brothers sold Joseph into slavery.

Recently, we noted the events of this story as it related to Joseph’s readiness to forgive them. But note also what Joseph said to them: "But as for you, you thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive." (Gen. 50:20.) This is the central message that we are noting in all of these examples. God is doing one thing for good; man is doing another for evil. Both the good and evil intersect in the same event---Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers.

In many examples in the Bible, we have sinful deeds of man helping to accomplish God’s will in the matter. We are not here implicating God of wrongdoing. Is there unrighteousness with God? Again, God forbid.

On some occasions, man (and woman) tries to help God accomplish his purposes and their efforts are outright rejected. A good example is Sarah and Hagar. Since Sarah could not have a child for Abraham, she suggested that Abraham have a son by the handmaid, Hagar. This child was rejected as the son of promise because it was a child by the flesh and effort of mankind. God waited until Abraham and Sarah were old and beyond the time of bearing children. Then he gave them a son by promise. It was not by their effort; it was not by the flesh. Paul used this example as well in Romans 9:7-9.

Pharaoh’s resistance. (Exodus 1-14) Moses and Aaron were commissioned by the Lord to go to Pharaoh and demand that he let the Israelites go. Step by step, Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not allow the descendants of Jacob to leave his land. The new ruler of Egypt had long forgotten Joseph and Jacob. He was now accustomed to having these foreigners as slave laborers. Finally, God sent ten different plagues upon the land to punish Pharaoh for not letting his people go.

"For now I will stretch out my hand that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence, and thou shalt be cut off from the earth. And in very deed for this purpose have I raised thee up, for to show in thee my power, and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth." (Exodus 9:15-16.) Paul quotes this very passage in Romans 9:17. Paul then asked what some might think: Has anyone really ever resisted the will of God? Since Pharaoh was only doing what God wanted him to do, was Pharaoh really doing anything wrong? Yes, man can be doing wrong yet God means it for good.

The death of Jesus Christ. Paul did not use this example in Romans 9, though he could have. We have two very clear statements in the Bible about Jesus’ death. One is that his death was by the will of God; another that it occurred by the hands of sinful man.

"Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken and by wicked hands crucified and slain, whom God hath raised up." (Acts 2:23.) Stephen called the Jews murderers of Jesus. "Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? They have slain them which showed before of the coming of the Just One, of whom you have been now the betrayers and murderers." (Acts 7:52.)

There are two things that we can preach about the death of Jesus Christ. Even as contrary as it might seem, we can say that God sent his Son to die for lost mankind. (John 3:16, 2 Cor. 5:21.) We can also say that those who despised, rejected and crucified him committed grievous sin. Judas was right when he said, "I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood." (Matt. 27:4.) Peter did of his own accord deny the Lord. The Romans soldiers executed an innocent person when they nailed Jesus to the cross. Yet, God planned it before the foundation of the world. (Eph. 1:4, 3:11.)

We have these two things again. God planned the event of the cross in detail as to time, manner and purpose. Man carried out the shameful deed with a sinful heart rejecting the Son of God. These two things often intersect in biblical history. In the same event, God planned and purposed it; man sinned in carrying it out.

The knowledge of good and evil. In the Garden of Eden, God placed the man and woman whom he had created. Man seems to have all that he ever needed for his happiness. God planted the garden and made every tree to grow that was good. Listen to the account:

"And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And a river went out of Eden to water the garden." (Genesis 2:9-10.)

Note that God planted the garden with the various trees. The Lord provided the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He commanded the man not to eat of this tree. We remember the words of the deceiver: "You shall not surely die, for God doth know that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." (3:5.)

Was it sinful for man to partake of this tree of knowledge of good and evil? Yes. Did God plant the tree in the Garden? Yes. God provided the tree; man partook of it. Here is another intersection between the will of God and sinfulness of man. James wrote that God never tempts man to sin.

"Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God. For God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempted he any man. But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lusts and enticed." (James 1:13-14.)

God did not tempt man by placing the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden. Satan tempted Adam and Eve. They desired the fruit for the wrong reasons. Yet, if man had not partaken of the fruit, he would have continued in life as a child not knowing right from wrong. It is possible that without this knowledge man could not have borne children. They did not even know that they were naked before possessing this knowledge. Yet God made them male and female with the potential of procreating.

One author wrote, "The trial of our first progenitors was ordained of God, because probation was essential to their spiritual development and self-determination." (Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch, Keil-Delitzsch, Vol. 1, 93.)

The role of the wrath of man. We have two biblical statements.

"Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee; the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain." (Psalm 76:10.) ". . . slow to wrath, for the wrath of man works not the righteousness of God." (James 1:20.)

God often has used the wrath of man to accomplish his purposes. He used the wrath of nations to punish other sinful nations, even his own people Israel. God used the wrath of man in crucifying his own Son for the salvation of mankind. Yet, we should be slow to wrath because wrath does not work the righteousness of God. Here is that intersection of goodness of God and evil of man in the Bible.

God is sovereign. The sovereignty of God does not mean that God uses his position as God to do evil. That would be contrary to his very nature. It does not mean that God respects some people or that he is partial. God is no respector of persons. Paul argued that God always used his sovereignty to act in the best interest of man, to bring about the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy. (Rom. 9:23.) We are created beings and cannot know or understand the full picture. We can trust God to bring about the best possible outcome for mankind.

Justification is not based upon human effort. "So then it is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God that shows mercy." (Rom. 9:16.) But what is the "it" in this passage. It is not of him that runs or of him that wills. It is of God that shows mercy. What is "it"? Later in the chapter, Paul asks about the Jews and Gentiles obtaining righteousness. Why did the Gentiles obtain it and the Jews failed in their effort? Paul said that it was because the Jews sought after "it" by works of the law instead of by faith. (9:30-33.) The closing passages indicate what the whole chapter is about. God brought about righteousness or justification for man, not by the effort of man, but by the mercy of God. Jacob did not obtain the firstborn blessing because he ran so fast and beat Esau back home. Jacob willed or wanted to give the firstborn blessing to Esau whom he loved, but God had selected Jacob.

Man can exercise freedom of choice. God’s foreknowledge of the deeds of man in no way excuses man for his deeds. God’s foreknowledge does not make man do what he does. God simply foreknew that man would act in this way or another. Man was still guilty of sin in crucifying Jesus even though Jesus died by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God.