1 Kings 20:23,28

“Meanwhile, the officials of the king of Aram advised him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they were too strong for us. But if we fight them on the plains, surely we will be stronger than they.

…The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Arameans think the Lord is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the Lord.’”

God, the creator of all things, was not pleased when one of His created things  said, “God is only the God of part; His value is only partly; His power is only partly; His domain is only partly; His creator rights have limits; His ability to protect those who serve Him is partly.” The human superstition is easy to see here. Not using knowledge, but starting with the kingdom of self (speculations from the self, i.e. empiricism), this official produced superstitions that were false, invalid and wicked. The premise that “God is the God of hills,” does not validly conclude “God is not the God of the valleys.” The correct premise when starting with God’s revelation is that God is the God of all things; The creator of all things; the predestined order-er of all things; the present controller of all things (etc.). A valid conclusion from this would be the following. Thus, if God is the God of all things, then God is necessarily the God of the hills, valleys, sky, water, invisible heavens, and even such things as evil and sin, and whatever is part of reality.

It is easy to see the mistake in epistemology(speculation) and logic(superstition) this pagan made; however Christians overlook the same type of mental blunders they make in the same categories. Consider how the Apostle Peter made a similar mistake on the water.

Matthew 14:29-31 NLT

“So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.

Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?””

As said before, if God is the God of all things, then God is the God of the calm waves, as much as He is the God of the stormy waves. When Peter saw the stormy waves, he concluded this: Jesus is the God of the calm waves, but Jesus is not the God of the stormy waves. The proof of this is that Peter sank when Jesus (as Peter’s Master) commanded Peter to come to Him. The choice is now gone. It is not a matter of mere suggestion. It was God’s Will for Peter to walk on the water, because the phrase “God’s Will,” in context of ethics is about obeying God’s command.[1] It was God’s Will for Peter to walk on the water; however, Peter’s doubt made him fail to accomplish God’s will in this moment. Jesus rebuked Peter for this failure to accomplish God’s command. The problem that caused this failure was not believing what God said about reality. God said about reality, “if you believe Me you can walk on water.” When Peter saw the stormy waves, He in essence became an empiricist, and then made up a human speculation about reality. The kingdom-of-self was his starting point of knowledge and not God’s word. In addition, the conclusion was also logically invalid; this illogical leap was superstition. The premise, “the waves are stormy,” cannot validly conclude that, “I cannot walk on stormy waves,” or “God cannot help in stormy waves,” (etc.). This is wicked superstition and just outright stupid.

Do not be so quick to lookdown at the foolish pagan official, if you play the same game with God. God is the God of invisible-spiritual things like forgiveness, but not the God of visible-healings. God is the God of the Hills, but not the God of the valleys. God is God of restoring my invisible soul, but He is not the God of restoring my visible finances. Despite the doubts and superstitions, God is the God of all things. His promises apply to all areas of life, both spiritual and physical. James 5:15 (NLT), “Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven (Compare with Isaiah 53 and Psalm 103).” Therefore, the issue is not God’s complete sovereignty, and not God’s loyal love, and not God’s sovereignty in keeping His promises just like He said; rather, the issue is that men start knowledge with themselves (empiricism) and then make wild invalid superstitions from these speculations.

Rather than playing games with life, why not operate with reality and start with God’s knowledge and believe Him? Why play games like an irrational empiricist, when knowledge about reality has already be revealed? God’s promises for His children are for all of life, and they are wonderful promises. God is for us. God is for us through His Son, Jesus Christ. In Jesus, as our atonement, all the promises are an answered ‘Yes,’ to the value of God’s Name, and for our joy in Him. God is the God of both the calm and stormy waves. In God’s promise, you can walk on them both. This is the glory that belongs to the heirs of faith. This is the power the belongs to those hidden with Christ right now, at God’s right hand. This is what is available to those who are the righteousness of God. God is the God of all things; and all things have been GIVEN TO YOU; you are Christ’s; Christ’s is God’s (1 Corinth. 3:22-23).

——-Endnotes——-

[1] Regarding ontology, God caused the stormy waves as much as Peter’s doubt, but this causality does not negate the separate category God’s command and Peter’s responsibility to obey God’s command. The same is with a husband whose prayers are hindered due to his mistreatment of his wife. In the ultimate ontology, God caused the husband to behave this way; however, this does not negate the different category of ethics. On this level of command, it is God’s Will for the husband to treat his wife with love, and not have his prayers hindered. Accountability is based on God’s command, and not on God’s causality.
What has been a big help to me understanding this doctrine is Vincent Cheung. See, Healing and The Atonement, and “Ezekiel 18:23 and 33:11.”