Step 4: Opposition
Proverbs 16:4 “The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.”
One thing you must understand is that doing the will of God is not easy. There are people, forces, things, ideas, challenges, and the devil that want you to either fail or do something besides bringing glory to God. Not everybody is for you. There is opposition against you! Proverbs 16:4 gives great insight into where this opposition comes from, and as you study the Bible, you will find the purpose of this opposition!
One idea people have trouble understanding is why God allows evil and the wicked to exist. This verse as well as Isaiah 45:7 give great light on this misunderstood purpose.
Isaiah 45:7 “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.”
Since God has created all things, in these two verses he takes credit for the wicked and evil that exist. He could have made mankind so that they didn’t have a free will and could not choose to sin. He could force people to love him. But that is not real love. We love Him, not because we have to, but because we want to! This is brought out in
1 John 4:19!
1 John 4:19 “We love him, because he first loved us.”
God not only takes credit for allowing evil and the wicked to exist. He paid the penalty for evil and the wicked by allowing Jesus to die on the cross for our sins!
God put Adam in the garden and allowed him the choice and since he made the wrong choice, God paid the penalty for his sin!
The important thing to see is that God allows evil and the wicked to exist so that we will refuse them and choose Him! The opposition is real, but it is there so we will avoid it and choose to do the will of God!
It is extremely important to not get focused on the opposition! Focus instead on God, His Word, and the task at hand! Handling the opposition does not fix the problem. The opposition is not the problem and is not the reason you are serving God. One of the great leadership mistakes of King Saul was that he focused on getting rid of David instead of serving God! See the comments on King Saul (Leadership Catastrophe – The Mistakes of King Saul). Lost souls are important. Doing His will is important. The opposition is just a symptom. It is not the cause and fighting the opposition is not the cure. Use the opposition to focus on God! The opposition makes you stronger.
There will always be opposition. Let God handle the opposition and the result is Proverbs 16:7. Enemies often become friends! Or, at least, they back off and allow you to proceed. Many times, the opposition doesn’t know why they are against you. Often, they are influenced by the devil and their bad education, character, and experience. Remember God has allowed them to be there so that you will handle them and go on to success. Turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones, enemies into friends, and solve the problems because every problem is solvable.
Proverbs 16:7 “When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him."
As you seek to please God, many will misunderstand and will try to stop you. These may be family members, friends, and church members. Once you start serving God, there will be those that oppose you, thinking that they are helping you. You must keep serving God, turn them over to Him, be patient, and after some time, as God blesses you, they may come around or at least back off and let you continue.
The next section brings out a warning of something that happens while you are handling the opposition. This is why it is sandwiched between verses 4 and 7. Proverbs 16 uses the strong word calling it an abomination!