1 We are now going to turn our focus to the matter of free will since we have learned the relationship between God’s sovereign will and man’s free will. 1.The Inviolable will of God – This will absolutely prevents any opposing free will from violation or adjustment in any way because of God’s promises. 2.The Perfect will of God – This will reveals the will of God which appeals to free will to join in union with God’s perfection for the conveyance of blessing, wisdom, power, protection, freedom, purification and abundant satisfaction. 3.The Permissive will of God – This will appeals to free will but permits free will to violate Perfect will when the outcome ultimately supports Perfect will in the recipient, or provides life giving truth to observers.

2 Why are these distinctions critical? This is exactly why people are dumbfounded that God came threatening Balaam on his way to Balak after God told him to go with them. The complaint goes something like this, “Why have you come against me as an adversary to kill me when I am doing exactly what you told me to do?!” At the front of the discussion, it looks like a valid argument. Let me show you another biblical example of the same thing.

3 How does the logic run? “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.” So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” Ro 9:17–19 1.You created Pharaoh to demonstrate Your power. 2.He resisted Your commands as You designed. 3.You actually hardened his heart so he would rebel. 4.So what is Your problem with him when he does exactly what You made him for, after You hardened his heart?

4 Our problem with the text is that it is possible to get into deep trouble following “God’s will”, but which will is it that Balaam and Pharaoh followed and why did it end badly for them if they did what God allowed them to do? It is only God’s Permissive will that can be followed and end badly, but that is because God’s Permissive will permits man to reject His stated Perfect will and follow his own free will. God works through man’s rebellion to accomplish His will, but His Permissive will does not produce His blessing. In both Pharaoh and Balaam, God permitted them to do as they pleased because God is big enough to still accomplish His purpose even through the rebellion of men. But remember that life and His blessing come through submission of the human will to the will of God, which neither Balaam nor Pharaoh did.

5 So let’s do a little analysis on the question of “who has resisted His will” and find our answer. 1.First of all, did Pharaoh know what God’s will was? “And afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.’ ” But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go.” Ex 5:1–2 There can be no question about whether or not God made His will known to Pharaoh.

6 “And afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.’ ” But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go.” Ex 5:1–2 Which will is it that God revealed to Pharaoh? It cannot be His Inviolate will because Pharaoh violated it with his free will. So which is it? This is God’s Perfect will because it reveals divine will and appeals to Pharaoh for union with God’s will, that He might bless and do a work of grace in him.

7 “And afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.’ ” But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go.” Ex 5:1–2 What is the response of Pharaoh’s free will to God’s appeal for union of wills? “The God of Israel is nothing compared to me, and He is irrelevant. If these are His people, then I have taken them from Him because they are serving me and they will continue serving me. Go say that to your God.”

8 “And afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.’ ” But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go.” Ex 5:1–2 What can you say for certain regarding Pharaoh’s will? Pharaoh has no idea who he is fooling around with. He is unusually confident in his ability to assert and protect himself. He needs a lesson in humility because he is so full of himself and he believes that his power and victory over his adversaries was innate rather than the sovereign plans of God. Like Balaam, his will is about to kill him in its reckless, self-vaunting freedom.

9 “And afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.’ ” But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go.” Ex 5:1–2 Clearly Pharaoh did not care about God’s Perfect will and has foolishly turned away from any union between sovereign will and his will, and he rejected the blessing. He dropped down to God’s Permissive will. Let’s summarize the interaction between God and Pharaoh.

10 1.First of all, Pharaoh clearly understood God’s will. 2.He chose, of his own free will to completely reject God’s will as irrelevant, which is also how he sees God.

11 Do you remember the keys to Permissive will and why God allows people to violate or rebel against it? In fact, let’s review the three types of God’s will, their characteristics and their function, so that we will remember them.

12 1.The Inviolable will of God – absolutely prevents any opposing free will from violation or adjustment in any way because of God’s promises. 2.The Perfect will of God – reveals the will of God which appeals to free will to join in union with Perfection for the conveyance of blessing, wisdom, power, protection, freedom, purification and abundant satisfaction. 3.The Permissive will of God – This will appeals to free will for union, but permits free will to violate Perfect will when the outcome ultimately supports Perfect will in the recipient or provides life giving truth to observers. The answer to our question of how a man can do exactly as God instructed and still be in peril over it is that God will permit man to reject His offer of grace, violate His Perfect will, and drop down into His Permissive will if the consequences will rebuke the recipient, potentially bringing repentance, or, might awaken any observers not immediately involved, and bring correction and life to them.