Would God use unrighteous persons or entities to fulfill His purpose? Actually, as we will see, God used, is using and will use unrighteous personalities and nations to fulfill His Will.
God used Joseph’s brothers to sell him into slavery. At that time, Joseph’s brothers were not righteous at all. But when they repented of their evil conduct, Joseph explained to them what God’s purpose for them had been, and how God worked it all out. We read in Genesis 45:4-8:
“And Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Please come near to me.’ So they came near. Then he said: ‘I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.”
After their father Jacob had died, the brothers became again concerned that Joseph would deal harshly with them. So, Joseph comforted them, as we read in Genesis 50:19-20:
“Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.’”
At last, Joseph’s brothers repented. But even if they had not, God still would have used them to fulfill that aspect of His plan to keep many people alive through Joseph.
When we review the events in Egypt at the time of Moses, we see that God used Pharaoh to fulfill His plan, but Pharaoh was unrighteous and never repented. In fact, God raised Pharaoh and brought him to power so that God’s plan could be fulfilled.
We read God’s words in Exodus 9:16: “But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” This is repeated and confirmed in Romans 9:17.
When Israel sinned against God after Joshua’s death, God used unrighteous adversaries on numerous occasions to trouble Israel. We read in Judges 2:14: “And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies.”
Judges 3:8 adds: “Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia; and the children of Israel served Cushan-Rishathaim eight years.” Also note Judges 4:2: “So the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor.”
We also find that God used unconverted Samson to fulfill aspects of His plan. Samson would later repent, but he was not righteous at all when God used him before in certain circumstances. He wanted to marry a Philistine girl which was against God’s instructions, and so his parents tried to dissuade him from doing so. Notice, though, how the Bible describes that conversation and the reason for Samson’s inappropriate desires, in Judges 14:3-4:
“Then his father and mother said to him, ‘Is there no woman among the daughters of your brethren, or among all my people, that you must go and get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?’ And Samson said to his father, ‘Get her for me, for she pleases me well.’ But his father and mother did not know that it was of the LORD—that He was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines. For at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.”
Due to the betrayal of his new wife, and the conduct of the Philistines, Samson became their enemy from that time on. God, knowing Samson’s shortcomings and his carnality, used him to bring about His purpose. We read in Judges 14:19: “Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon him mightily, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave the changes of clothing to those who had explained the riddle. So his anger was aroused, and he went back up to his father’s house.”
This does not mean that God’s Spirit was poured into his heart—that he became converted at that time. It just means that God, through His Spirit, “moved” or motivated him, as it was God’s plan to punish the Philistines. Something similar happened, when Delilah betrayed Samson for money and bound him with ropes to hand him over to the Philistines. Note Judges 15:14-15:
“When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting against him. Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him; and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds broke loose from his hands. He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand and took it, and killed a thousand men with it.”
That God uses unrighteous entities to fulfill aspects of His plan is exemplified by the fact that He used demons—evil spirits—to punish the Egyptians at the time of Moses. We read in Psalm 78:49: “He cast on them the fierceness of His anger, Wrath, indignation, and trouble, By sending angels of destruction among them.” The better translation for “angels of destruction” is “evil angels,” as the Authorized Version has it.
We also read that God used a demon to trouble King Saul, after he had rebelled against God and became unqualified to rule Israel. God even removed His Holy Spirit from him which had been given to him when he became anointed king. We read that an “evil spirit from God” plagued King Saul.
1 Samuel 16:14-16 tells us: “But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him. And Saul’s servants said to him, ‘Surely, a distressing spirit from God is troubling you. Let our master now command your servants, who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp; and it shall be that he will play it with his hand when the distressing spirit from God is upon you, and you shall be well.’”
This is how David came to Saul’s court. We read in 1 Samuel 18:10-11: “And it happened on the next day that the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house. So David played music with his hand, as at other times; but there was a spear in Saul’s hand. And Saul cast the spear, for he said, ‘I will pin David to the wall!’ But David escaped his presence twice.”
Later, when the demon influenced Saul again, he tried once more to kill David. 1 Samuel 19:9-10 reads: “Now the distressing spirit from the LORD came upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing music with his hand. Then Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away from Saul’s presence; and he drove the spear into the wall. So David fled and escaped that night.”
Following many ordeals and trials, David occupied the office of anointed king, after Saul had died in battle. God’s plan for David was being fulfilled, but King Saul who had become unrighteous had been a necessary part of that plan.
However, David failed too, but in contrast to Saul, he repented of his sins. Still, we read that God was involved in David’s punishment for his sins. David understood this, and when he fled from his son Absalom, and someone cursed him, David said in 2 Samuel 16:10-11: “But the king said, ‘What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? So let him curse, because the LORD has said to him, “Curse David.” Who then shall say, “Why have you done so?”’ And David said to Abishai and all his servants, ‘See how my son who came from my own body seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjamite? Let him alone, and let him curse; for so the LORD has ordered him.’”
David recognized the fact that God used an unrighteous Benjamite (Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin) to curse David.
We also read that God used a lying spirit to bring about the death of evil King Ahab (1 Kings 22:19-23).
And God used Satan to deal with Job to make Job realize that even he was not without sin and that his righteousness was much inferior to God’s righteousness.
God used the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar to conquer sinful Judah. We read in Jeremiah 25:9: “‘…behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,’ says the LORD, ‘and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against these nations all around, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, a hissing, and perpetual desolations.’”
God called Nebuchadnezzar His servant because he would serve God in fulfilling God’s Will, even though he himself did not understand this at all. Nebuchadnezzar was a devout worshiper of Babylonian pagan gods, such as Marduk, Nabu, Šamaš, Sin, and Ishtar, to whom he credited Babylon’s success, as can be seen from his royal inscriptions. Even though he developed an intellectual acknowledgement of the true God of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, there is no indication that he ever forsook his pagan worship and belief.
We are told that God raised up the Persian king Cyrus to fulfill part of His plan—to rebuild Jerusalem and to build the Second Temple. We even read that God knew Cyrus by name prior to his birth (Isaiah 45:4-5; these passages in the book of Isaiah were written long before Cyrus was born). God even called him “His anointed.”
We read in Isaiah 44:28: “[God] says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be built,’ And to the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’”
Isaiah 45:1 adds: “Thus says the LORD to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held—To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut.”
God used Cyrus to conquer Babylon and to make it possible that the Jews could return to Jerusalem and to build the Temple. He stirred up the spirit of Cyrus to make the proclamation regarding the building of the Temple (Ezra 1:1). But Cyrus was a pagan ruler who worshipped gods like Marduk and was apparently also a believer in Zoroastrianism, the state religion of the Persian Empire. There is no indication that Cyrus ever forsook his pagan religious beliefs.
Addressing our times and our immediate future, we find that God will raise up the modern Chaldeans (the final revival of the Holy Roman Empire) to conquer the modern sinful descendants of the Houses of Israel and Judah. We read in Habakkuk 1:5-6:
“Look among the nations and watch—Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you. For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, A bitter and hasty nation Which marches through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling places that are not theirs.”
The modern Chaldeans are by no means a righteous people. In fact, they are described as “wicked,” devouring Israel and Judah who are, by comparison, more righteous than the Chaldeans (Habakkuk 1:13).
We also know from the Bible that an end-time charismatic military leader will rise in Europe to lead the modern Chaldeans in their conquest of modern Israel and Judah. This individual is called the ”beast” in the Book of Revelation. Since Satan, with God’s permission, rules all kingdoms and nations, he will give his throne to the beast, both the Empire and the future leader of that Empire (Revelation 13:2). But Satan can only do what God allows. And sometimes, God intervenes directly to see to it that His plan is carried out. In regard to the beast (also called the King of Assyria, the king of the North, and King Jareb), God will use him to conquer Israel and Judah.
We read in Isaiah 10:5-7, 12:
“‘Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger And the staff in whose hand is My indignation. I will send him against an ungodly nation, And against the people of My wrath I will give him charge, To seize the spoil, to take the prey, And to tread them down like the mire of the streets. Yet he does not mean so, Nor does his heart think so; But it is in his heart to destroy, And cut off not a few nations…’ Therefore it shall come to pass, when the LORD has performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say, ‘I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks.’”
The beast will be demonically possessed. He is wicked and evil, and he will be thrown into a lake of fire when Christ returns. The nations following him will also be dealt with by God. He will use the modern Medes (Ukrainians, Russians and others) to destroy Europe.
Isaiah 13:17-19 tells us:
“Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, Who will not regard silver; And as for gold, they will not delight in it. Also their bows will dash the young men to pieces, And they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb; Their eye will not spare children. And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, The beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.”
Jeremiah 51:11 adds:
“Make the arrows bright! Gather the shields! The LORD has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes. For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it, Because it is the vengeance of the LORD, The vengeance for His temple.”
But the modern Medes are not a righteous people either. As part of the Kings of the East, they will assemble with the beast’s armies to fight against the returning Jesus Christ, but they will be consumed and destroyed (Revelation 19:19; Zechariah 14:1-2, 12). However, the point still is, God will be using the unrighteous modern Assyrians under their unrighteous king and the unrighteous modern Medes to fulfill His plan.
This is not to say that everyone being used by God to fulfill His plan is unrighteous. God has been and will be using many righteous people, but when God uses them, it is not only for the purpose of carrying out a specific physical task, but also for the purpose of achieving spiritual perfection. The apostle Paul, David and Jeremiah come to mind whom God knew before they were born, to be called to salvation in this life, and who were also predestined to carry out certain tasks. This is not true for those (unrighteous) people who were not preordained to be called in this life for salvation, but who still had been chosen to fulfill a specific physical task.
But even then, God may decide, based on their conduct, that they will become disqualified from even fulfilling that physical task or from maintaining a certain physical position. As we mentioned, King Saul became disqualified from remaining King over Israel. Samuel’s words in this regard are very revealing. We read in 1 Samuel 13:13-14, after Saul had taken it upon himself to bring sacrifices, even though this task was reserved for the priests only:
“And Samuel said to Saul, ‘You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”
Another example of a (at least temporary) disqualification of a king in office is Nebuchadnezzar. Because of his persecution of Daniel and his three friends and his pride in himself and his refusal to acknowledge the true God in an even intellectual way, God removed him from office for seven years, and only restored him to the office of king after his “repentance” in a physical way (we are not speaking of “spiritual” repentance necessary to obtain salvation—Nebuchadnezzar was never called in this life for spiritual salvation).
We read God’s pronouncement and punishment of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:16: “Let his heart be changed from that of a man, Let him be given the heart of a beast, And let seven times pass over him.” The following is added in verses 25-27:
“They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses. And inasmuch as they gave the command to leave the stump and roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you, after you come to know that Heaven rules. Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity.”
But Nebuchadnezzar did not heed the warning. He did not cease from acting in pride, and so God brought about what He had proclaimed. He took away for seven times or years his “heart of man” and replaced it with “the heart of a beast,” which seems to indicate that God replaced his human spirit with an animal spirit. But at the end of the time, his understanding returned to him, and he gave praise to Daniel’s God, even though there is no indication that he became a true worshipper of God and forsook his pagan gods.
Another example is the way God reacted when Israel under Moses sinned greatly in building a golden calf. We read in Exodus 32:9-10: “And the LORD said to Moses, ‘I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation.’”
Moses pleaded with God, and He relented, but He still inflicted great punishment on the people and as it turned out, the entire generation would die in the wilderness, and not one of them was allowed to enter the Promised Land except for Joshua and Caleb. The lesson to take from this episode is that God was prepared to change His plan regarding the people whom He had brought out of slavery and to begin all over again with Moses and his descendants (similar to what God had done when He wiped out all flesh in the Great Flood and began anew with Noah and his descendants).
Even though God had a physical role for some people to be used for aspects of His plan (Israel, under Moses, was supposed to become a holy nation in a physical sense; they had never been offered salvation), He might replace those people if they continually act against standards which God considers as essential.
For argument’s sake, let us assume that God has set aside a particular individual of power for the purpose of participating in the building of the Third Temple (which is necessary to be built before Christ can return), because that particular individual appears to be the most logical and qualified person for that task, but if that person continues to live and rule in a way which is not pleasing to God, while even acknowledging that his chances to “get to heaven” (as mainstream Christianity erroneously believes) are rather slim, but not doing anything about it, then God might very well decide to give that task to someone else. After all, Esau lost his birthright and the blessing which were given to Jacob instead, and Jacob’s firstborn son Reuben, due to his sinful conduct, lost his birthright, which was given to Joseph.
God’s plan will stand, no matter what man does, but those who will be given a chance to fulfill parts of God’s plan, even in physical ways, should reflect on the fact that God can give and that He can take away (Job 1:21).
Lead Writer: Norbert Link