Articles
“God Calls His Shots”
Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
(Luke 24:44-49)
As far back as I can remember we had a billiard table in our basement. Dad’s house rule was that you had to “call your shots.” Something like “nine ball, corner pocket” or even a silent tap on the desired pocket would do as you were lining up your shot. This was, of course, to increase the challenge of the game. Anyone might accidentally knock a ball in and claim afterward that they meant to do it. But making a shot which you specified beforehand indicates a certain amount of skill (instead of luck)—especially if the results are repeated. If dad made a ball early on, he was liable to “run the table” on you, pocketing one and setting himself up for the next and so on leaving you holding your stick until he won. It was frustrating but also motivating; it made you want to improve so you could beat him one day (I still can’t).
In the Bible, God is always “calling his shots.” Take the passage above in Luke 24. After Jesus was crucified, buried, and rose on the third day, he appeared to his disciples to explain the significance of these events. He had previously told them these things would take place but they failed to comprehend his meaning at the time. Now, in the light of his resurrection, Jesus explains that his rejection, far from being a divine blunder, was not only foreseen but prophesied in the “Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms,” the three major divisions of the Hebrew Bible. Once their minds were opened to see the truth of Jesus’ words and that history had unfolded exactly according to God’s plans, they were filled with confidence, equipped to be witnesses of the risen Messiah (Acts 1:8).
In fact, the books of the New Testament and the sermons of the early Christians all have a strong apologetic backbone, appealing to God’s promises in Scripture to explain how Jesus fulfilled them. In other words, they showed that God calls his shots. Peter said to the crowds who crucified Jesus a few weeks prior that Jesus was “delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God.” (Acts 2:23) He went on to quote several Scriptures, skillfully connecting the dots to show how Jesus directly fulfilled them. Later, Stephen does the same for the Jews in Jerusalem (Acts 7) and the apostle Paul for those in Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13).
It was also typical of the Old Testament prophets, in the face of pagan idolatry, to appeal to the LORD’s ability to foresee future events and even bring them about according to his sovereign will. A memorable example of this is found in Isaiah 40-45 where the incomparable greatness of the omnipotent Creator is contrasted with the impotent idols made with human hands. They have mouths that cannot speak, let alone prophesy; ears that cannot hear, let alone answer prayer; eyes that cannot see, let along see the future! All those who fashion and depend on these idols become as deaf, dumb, and blind as they are (Isa. 44). But the LORD who made the heavens and the earth and all that is within them calls his shots: he predicts events before they happen and works through history to bring about his purposes. For example, God called Cyrus, king of Persia, by name (Isa. 45:1), 100 years before Cyrus assumed the throne. What confidence God gives to all those who put their trust in him! We serve a God who calls his shots and always makes them.
