The Eternal Decree: Sovereign Ordination of All ThingsThe history of the world comprises a comprehensive history of Redemption. God has accurately established an everlasting covenant with a man justifiably called the grace covenant. He established Israel by naturally gifting them with His moral law and continuous acceptance by sovereign grace. Before the foundation of the world, God planned to amply provide mankind with all that they needed. When sin entered man received the generous gifts of God and employed them to intentionally destroy the earth and all mankind. But God even decreed the sin and the destruction of man. All of the histories of mankind were decreed by God. God manages all things. When He graciously provided salvation, He satisfactorily accomplished the work within Himself. No part of the comprehensive history of the world is without God's satisfied justice. Before the foundation of the world, God decreed whatsoever comes passing under the judgment of His absolute justice. So sin or essential righteousness must receive the appropriate consequence as an essential part of decreeing whatsoever comes to pass. The declaratory judgment of all sin was already decreed before the foundation of the world. God's offensive attitude toward sin has always been sealed in His eternal wrath.God's eternal judgment from before the historical foundation of the world is written as authoritative pronouncements of the curses. Everything that God has declared is wholly successful because it is sufficiently satisfied with Himself. This is what the Psalmist means by appealing to God for effective relief graciously according to His Name. "Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your name" (Psalm 79:9). God's eternal covenant of grace given to the saints is ostensibly based upon His own work and will. The history of redemption is God's valuable work as a gift to His Son who has to appropriately place all things under His feet. God's contemptuous attitude toward sin and destruction or righteousness is like a scale of the considerable value of Christ's work on one side and the judgment of sin on the other side. At all times God sufficiently marks all destruction and evil that adds up to the considerable weight of accurate judgment that He meets out toward the wicked. Nothing happens in this world that is beyond God's adding and subtracting.Permissive vs. Efficient Decree: God's Holiness Amid Sin's PermissionWithin this framework, the distinction between God's permissive and efficient decree becomes crucial. God permits sin through secondary causes—creatures' free agency—while refraining from directly causing evil. John Calvin, in his Institutes (1.18.1-4), affirms that God's sovereignty extends over all—"inclining" the wills of creatures—yet maintains that God remains holy and just. He does not compel evil but allows its existence for wise purposes, including the demonstration of His justice and mercy. Similarly, Jonathan Edwards, in Freedom of the Will, explains that God's decree involves the permission of sin, which arises from creaturely depravity, not divine infusion. Edwards emphasizes that God's concurrence with sinful acts does not make Him culpable—He upholds all acts without moral taint—thus maintaining divine holiness and justice. From eternity past, before creation itself, God sovereignly decreed all that would come to pass—including the existence of sin and its consequences—yet without Himself being the author of sin. This profound truth is echoed in the Westminster Confession of Faith (3.1): "God from all eternity did, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass; yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures." This divine decree is not a mere abstract idea but finds clear affirmation in Scripture, particularly in Ephesians 1:11—"who works all things according to the counsel of his will"—and in Acts 15:18, which states, "known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world." These passages reveal that God's sovereign plan is eternal, unchangeable, and comprehensive, encompassing everything from the grandest events to the smallest details—nothing escapes His control.The Covenant of Grace and Redemption: Eternal Foundation in the TrinityThe doctrine of election and predestination is intricately connected with the covenant of redemption—an intra-Trinitarian agreement made before the foundation of the world. In this divine arrangement, the Father appoints the Son as Redeemer, the Son willingly undertakes obedience and suffering, and the Spirit applies the benefits of salvation to God's elect. A. A. Hodge describes this as "one covenant with multiple administrations," with its foundation in eternity and its fulfillment in history through God's progressive unfolding of His plan. The covenant of grace, therefore, is rooted in this eternal covenant of redemption, establishing the basis for God's gracious dealings with humanity from Genesis 3:15 onward, culminating in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.My observation that Israel's moral law was "gifted" aligns with the understanding that the law, given at Sinai, was a gracious provision—an expression of God's covenantal relationship with His people. It echoes the reapplication of the covenant of works, yet now overlaid with divine grace—highlighted in Deuteronomy 7:7-8 and Romans 9-11—where God's gracious dealings with Israel and His election of Jacob over Esau underscore His sovereign choice and mercy. The law revealed God's holy standards and exposed human sinfulness, but it was ultimately given and accepted by His grace, pointing forward to the promised Messiah.Divine Justice and Satisfaction: The Scale of Wrath and MercyCentral to my thought is the profound truth that God's eternal wrath against sin is sealed—yet this wrath is satisfied in Christ’s active obedience and passive suffering. This balance demonstrates divine justice and divine mercy simultaneously. Reformed atonement theology emphasizes that Christ's death is a perfect, infinite satisfaction—propitiating God's wrath (Romans 3:25)—and fulfilling the law's demands through His active obedience, which is imputed to believers. Romans 8:3 affirms that Christ condemned sin in the flesh, removing its penalty from God's elect. John Owen, in The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, underscores that Christ’s satisfaction is infinite, owing to His divine nature, and covers the sins of all the elect—leaving no residue for human works or purgation.This vivid "scale" imagery captures this well: the weight of sin is met with the infinite merit of Christ—God fully satisfied either in wrath poured out upon the wicked or in the substitutionary atonement for the elect. Jonathan Edwards emphasizes that God's justice demands that sin be punished or that satisfaction be made. The cross of Christ is the ultimate revelation of both God's wrath against sin and His mercy for the elect. It demonstrates that God's decree includes not only election and salvation but also reprobation—the divine choice to pass over some in judgment—both ultimately serving to uphold His justice and magnify His mercy. Romans 9 and the Westminster standards explicitly affirm that God's sovereignty in election and reprobation is consistent with His righteous character, and that His purposes are designed to display His glory.Curses as Decreed Judgment: Warnings Pointing to ChristFinally, the curses pronounced in Deuteronomy 28—such as disease, exile, and defeat—are justly enacted decrees grounded in divine justice. They serve as warnings and judgments, yet within the framework of God's overarching plan of redemption. These curses, though severe, also point forward to the ultimate fulfillment of God's promises—pointing to Christ, who bears the curse for His people and provides ultimate blessing (Galatians 3:13). Reformed commentators note that the curses typify the consequences of disobedience and exile from God's presence, but Christ redeems believers from the curse by becoming a curse for us, turning judgment into blessing for those in Him.Pastoral Assurance: Vindication and Glory in the Eternal PlanThis doctrine offers vital pastoral assurance: even when believers suffer hardships or face divine discipline, their ultimate destiny is secure in Christ. The elect, though they endure suffering in this life, are ultimately vindicated in eternal bliss—fully glorifying God's justice and mercy. This assurance rests on God's unchangeable decree of election, which guarantees their salvation and perseverance, and on Christ's atoning work, which secures their forgiveness and adoption. These truths serve to remind us that, amid the divine mysteries and tensions, all things are under God's sovereign hand—working together for His glory and the ultimate good of His elect (Romans 8:28). Nothing happens outside His decree; even sin’s "adding and subtracting" in history is under His providential rule. This profound assurance invites us to trust in God's perfect plan, to rejoice in His mercy, and to worship His glorious name forevermore.