God Gave Earth To The Children Of Men

“The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's: but the earth hath he given to the children of men. (Psalm 115:16)

God has given the “children of men”, the earth. God allows the sinner this earthly domain. God will let go and turn loose those that are not His. He permits the sinner to walk, “according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2).

Let that sink in. God will let go of the willfully unregenerated, the stiff necked, those who know God but say no to God. At some point in time God will just say, “Fine! Go do and be “according to the course of this world”. God will step aside and let you.

“But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2)

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

“When they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened….Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves….For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections….And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient” (Excerpted from Romans 1:21, 24, 26 & 28)

God gave them up and gave them over to Satan and this world. Read the entire passage of Romans 1:21-32.

Because the reprobate refused to hear the calling of God and to see the salvation offered them, spiritually speaking God disabled their ability to hear and see.

“And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.” (Isaiah 6:9-10)

“He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.” (John 12:40).

The reprobates that God gives up doesn’t necessarily mean they will lead a life of sorry and woe here on earth. On no, it could be quite the opposite. The reprobate could be successful and appear quite happy. They could be that person who seems to be able to get away with everything. The Teflon sinner, the guy in which consequences seem to never stick.

Ever wonder why you can’t get by with sinning? Ever wonder why it seems like if you even thought of doing something wrong that you would still get in trouble? It’s because God won’t allow it. God hasn’t turned you over to this world and “the prince of the power of the air”. God doesn’t want you to sin because sinning leads to death. God wants you alive, well and with Him.

Psalm 73 addresses this situation head on. The Psalmist asks, wonders and then realizes why good things happens to bad people.

“But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men….And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High? Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches….Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. (Psalm 73:2-5, 11-12, 17).

The above are just a few select verses from Psalm 73. Read the entire Psalm to receive the benefit of the entire message.

Even King Solomon, the smartest and richest man on earth, wondered as to why good things happen to bad people.

“Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him: But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God. There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity. (Ecclesiastes 8:11-14)

The elect will be steered towards Him by His call. This calling is the voice in the wilderness that we choose to listen & adhere to and to follow. God has made a highway, a way of holiness (Isaiah 35:8), a narrow path and strait gate (Luke 13:24) for His elect to walk while following His call.

The children of men get the earth. And although there may be many fruits in this garden, it is but for a short period of time. The willfully unrepentant reprobate will not be with God and his earthly pleasures will soon melt under a fervent heat.

Bill Hitchcock