In Part One, we concluded that God is Jehovah Jireh. HE is the eternal provider of both spiritual and physical needs of all that HE created. God Loves our obedience and penitence which are part of basic ingredients of man’s relationship with HIM. When man loves God with his body soul and spirit, man will love to praise and worship HIM. These will show in his mercy, grace and compassion that will be freely showered on the people. Proverb 21:1 says “The KIngs heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water, he turneth it whithersoever he will. his shows that HE can punish or reward man’s actions. God HAS given His rules and regulations i.e. The Ten Commandments as guide to the children of Israel to be able to obey and worship the true God of Israel so as tobe able to enjoy bountiful providence of God. Contrary wise, He has also made for unleashing negative sanction gross disobedient actions, mainly that of worshipping Baal or any man-made god. Jeremiah 16:1-13. (KJV)

We can also say that providence does depend on man’s input that gives output that is better than the input. Psalm 1: 1-3 is an example of such; “Blessed is the man who worketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in  the seat of scornful. But His delight is in the Law of the Lord; and in his law doth he and in HIS law does He meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth its fruit in his season; his leaf shall not whither, and whatsoever he does shall prosper” (KJV). Jehovah the Almighty, though He knows our needs from time to time and makes provision for them as well but will always frown at us  when man consciously commits sin, the chief of which is when he decides to worship man-made gods, that is what he cannot tolerate. When those who should know refuse to know, God always makes, wicked rulers to first conquer them, enslave them and later use the wicked ruler to restore to their land without paying him a dime for the freedom granted them. Ezra ,the Scribe received such providence for the Israelites.

Prophet Isaiah in chapter 45: 12-13,  the Lord’s warning: “I have the earth, and created man upon it; I even my hands have stretched out the heavens, and all their hosts have i commanded. I have raised him (KIng Cyrus) up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways, he shall my city, and let go my captives . not for a price nor rewards, saith the Lord of Host” (KJV) This was also amply demonstrated in Ezra 7: 1-10, where God impressed it upon the heart of the King to grant Ezra his request to go and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. King Artaxerxes gave his endorsement to Ezra’s mission. The providence of God came as a result of what the king had noticed in Ezra all along that he was a devoted scribe skilled in te Law of Moses; not only that he studied the laws but also obeyed the laws of the God of Israel. He also had plans to tech the statutes and judgement in Israel.

Providence also involved first seeking, believing and trusting God to bring His blessings that money cannot buy. In Ruth 2: 11-12, we learnt in the statement of Boaz made: “And Boaz answered and said to her, it has fully been showed me, all tat thou has done unto thy mother-in-law since the death of thy husband; and how you have left thy father and thy mother and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people thou knowest heretofore. The Lord recompense thy work, and full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust”. Be it recalled that the Jews despised the Moabites who do not worship the God of Israel. Bible scholars have written that the Moabites were descendants of Lot who was a nephew of Abraham a Jewish Patriarch. Ruth believed in the God of the Israelites. Her trust in Naomi, indicated her trust in Naomi’s God. By divine providence she became a great ancestral grandmother to Jesse and David from whose lineage our Lord Jesus came. Remember, Christ came to save the lost souls and to restore them into God’s kingdom. It is an apt demonstration of the providence of God. The Good News as brought by Jesus Christ is God’s providence designed to reconcile man Jehovah, The Almighty God.