God's Varied Dispensations Perverted by Rebellious Hearts

Though I have bound and strengthened their arms, yet do they imagine mischief against Me.—Ezekiel 7:15

God's dispensations with men are characterized by variety. The events of human life are mixed and conflicting, yet all remain under the direction of the Great Father. As soil requires winter's frosts alongside spring and summer's sunbeams to become fruitful, man requires trials as well as joys to make his spirit fruitful in good works.

Yet whatever the character of Divine dispensations, they are often perverted. "They imagine mischief against Me." The Israelites' rebellion continued regardless of treatment—like sterile ground to which all seasons and weathers are alike.

Two realities explain this perversion: First, the force of the human will. It can oppose God's influences and turn what He designs for good into ill. Man is a voluntary agent, which links him to moral government, makes him responsible for his actions, and invests his existence with momentous solemnity.