“For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it?
and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?”
(Isaiah 14:27)
Isaiah 14:27 sets a boundary line that cannot be crossed. God purposes, and no one cancels it. God stretches out His hand, and no one turns it back. Whatever else must be said about the will of God, it must first be said that His purposes stand. They do not adjust based on human response. They are not fragile or tentative. When the Lord of hosts purposes, history moves, nations fall, kings rise and vanish, and the final outcome arrives exactly where He intended.[1]
That truth immediately raises the question that so often troubles people: how can it be said that God wills the salvation of all men? If His purpose cannot be disannulled, if His hand cannot be restrained, then how can Scripture speak of God willing that all should be saved, when it is plain that not all are saved?
The first answer must be given clearly and without hesitation: God does not will the salvation of all men by His efficacious, absolute will. He does not purpose, determine, or resolve in His eternal counsel that every individual human being will be saved. If He did, then all would be saved. Nothing could prevent it. The counsel of the Lord would stand, and the thing would come to pass.
But Scripture itself closes that door. Many live and die in open contradiction to the gospel covenant. Many are sent away into everlasting punishment, while only the righteous enter into life eternal. This outcome is “according to the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God.” As Christ’s death was not a surprise to heaven, neither is the final destiny of mankind.
We are taught both by natural reason and by Scripture that God knows all His works from the beginning of the world. An infinitely wise God does nothing without a plan. Nothing unfolds outside His eternal mind. Nothing surprises Him. Nothing interrupts His design. And yet the same Scriptures, with equal clarity, testify that God is good, benevolent, patient, and sincere in His dealings with mankind. In some true and real sense, He does will the salvation of all.
But how God’s eternal decrees and His revealed willingness for salvation harmonize is beyond us. There are things that belong to God alone, His decrees among them. On this ground, Scripture itself tells us, “the secret things belong unto the LORD our God.”
What we are given to deal with is God’s revealed will.
So when Scripture says God will have all men to be saved, it declares His benevolence, not His decree. It reveals His disposition, not His eternal determination. This is His declarative will. He declares salvation openly. He announces it without reservation. He makes offers without exception. He is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
And to that end, He provided an all-sufficient Savior, One whose merits are infinite. The blood of Christ is sufficient to take away the sin of the whole world. His power is sufficient to subdue the strongest corruption and to remedy a universal disease.
As Isaiah 14:27 states, God’s purpose stands. His decree is not weakened by His revealed mercy, and His sovereignty is not threatened by His sincere calls. His sincere calls are always declarative, where His intended will is always decreed.
Contemplations:
- Standing before an unstoppable will. I often live as if outcomes are determined by human strength, persuasion, or resistance. But this text reminds me that when God’s hand is stretched out, nothing pushes it aside. That truth both humbles me and steadies me at the same time.
- Resting where mystery begins. I like clear lines and clean explanations. But this passage in Isaiah reminds me that there are places where understanding stops and worship begins. God’s decrees and His declared willingness for salvation meet in a depth I cannot fathom. I’m learning that faith doesn’t mean I can plumb that depth, but that I can bow before it without reservation or fear.
- Seeing God’s open benevolence. I’m struck by how openly God declares His willingness toward sinners. He commands repentance. He commands faith. He offers salvation without exception, indiscriminately. I’m thankful that His Word doesn’t hide behind secrecy when it speaks to me as a sinner. Whatever His hidden counsel may be, His call to me is clear, earnest, and real.
- Feeling the weight of gospel responsibility. If God truly commands repentance and offers salvation indiscriminately, then my response matters. I can’t hide behind questions about decrees to excuse unbelief or disobedience. The gospel confronts me directly. It calls me to repent, to believe, and to follow Christ. And ignoring that call means standing against a will of God that is plainly revealed.
Prayer (Adoration)
O LORD of hosts, I adore You as the God whose purpose cannot be undone. You speak, and it stands. You stretch out Your hand, and none can turn it back. Kingdoms rise and fall beneath Your will. Plans succeed or collapse according to Your counsel. Nothing surprises You. Nothing interrupts You. Nothing forces You to adjust. You are God, and there is none beside You.
I adore You for the majesty of Your sovereignty. Your purposes are eternal. Your counsel is firm. Your will is not weak, hesitant, or divided. You are not pulled in opposite directions. You are not overwhelmed by the complexity of Your creation but govern all things with wisdom that never falters. When You purpose, history bends to Your word. When You act, creation obeys.
I adore You for the depth of Your wisdom, even where I cannot trace it. There are places where Your will rises beyond my understanding, where decree and declaration meet in ways I cannot explain. And yet I praise You that mystery in You is not darkness, but light too bright for my eyes. You have not called me to comprehend You fully, but to trust You truly. And You are worthy of that trust.
I adore You for Your revealed goodness toward mankind. You have declared Your willingness toward saving sinners. You command repentance. You set life and death plainly before us. I praise You that Your Word is open, Your invitations are true, and Your calls are real. You speak truth, and You speak it freely.
I adore You for the Savior You have provided. You did not give a weak Redeemer or a narrow remedy. You gave Your own Son, sufficient in merit, sufficient in power, and sufficient for the whole world. I praise You for the richness of that provision. I praise You that there is no lack in Christ, no limit in His worth, no defect in His saving ability. All fullness dwells in Him.
I adore You for the gospel commission that flows from Your will. You sent Your Word into all the world. You commanded it to be preached to every creature. You attached promises without reservation. I praise You that salvation is announced openly, not hidden behind barriers or conditions unknown to us. You have made Your will clear where it matters most for sinners like me.
O unsearchable God, whose purposes stand and whose mercy is proclaimed, receive my adoration. Let my heart bow before Your sovereignty without fear, and let my soul rejoice in Your goodness without suspicion. You are holy in Your decrees and gracious in Your declarations. You are glorious in power and rich in mercy. There is none like You.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for Isaiah 14:27:
2 Chron. 20:6; Isa. 43:13; Daniel 4:35; Prov. 21:30
[1] Nathaniel Appleton, How God Wills the Salvation of All Men, (Boston: Printed and sold by S. Kneeland Queen-Street, 1753), 3–8.
