Nature and God

God created the world with a purpose. Being the Omniscient and Omnipotent legislator of the universe, He then extends His providence over all things, supervising them and maintaining them in an appropriate condition, so that they can materialize His purpose.

Then, God created the present world as a perfect place to fulfill His purpose, all nature being under His command. The causality that results from the quantum nature of matter gives God the power to control events without altering His natural laws. Therefore, even when God does not intervene miraculously in mundane events, such as when things happen according to the laws of nature, by accident, or as a result of man's free will, all events are actually a result of God's will.

God created this planet and everything in it for the good of man. As a result, His providence extends to people in a very particular and individual way. Every action of man is weighed, all hair is measured, and every wound is counted, taking each person to the destination for which he was born. According to these lines, the prophet said: "Great in comfort, mighty in actions, Your eyes are open to all the ways of men, giving each one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his actions" (Jeremiah 32:19)

Everything God created has a purpose to fulfill. Although God is omnipotent and does not need messengers, He decreed that the world function according to natural laws. In this way, He uses all things to fulfill His will and guide man towards his destiny. Therefore, everything that can affect man, whether it be a raindrop or a lightning bolt, is under the direct control of God.

Even what looks like a mere accident really comes from God. God will program a chain of events, taking into account all possible human decisions, to locate a person in a certain situation, from which his destiny will continue. This is what the Psalmist expressed when he said: "The steps of man are established by God" (Psalm 37:23). However, God has also given man the wisdom to protect his own being, and therefore he is bound to avoid danger.

The providence over animals

Although animals have a certain amount of free will, they do not have a highly developed intellect and therefore are not responsible for their actions. Likewise, God has mercy even with animals, just as it is written: "God is good with all, His love is over all His actions" (Psalm 145: 9).

Surely, God does not guide the destiny of each animal in the same way that it guides that of man. Therefore, it does not offer the same protection to beasts as to man. It is only the species of animals as a whole that have their destiny decreed by God, who guides its evolution, maintains its quantity or decrees its extinction. In general, God has established nature in such a way that every species is sustained. Regarding this, the Psalmist sang: "He provides the animals with their food, [sustaining] the young ravens when they cry out" (Psalm 147: 9).

In any case, when the destiny of any living creature is linked to that of man, it is also judged and guided by God individually. Then, when a snake bites or a bird is captured, this happens only thanks to a Divine decree. In the same way, the destinies of domestic animals are linked to those of their owners, as well as all their possessions. In fact, God cares for the animals of the righteous to such an extent that he even prevents them from doing anything that embarrasses their owners ...

The rules of the just

The closer a person of God is, the more the laws of nature are violated for his benefit and the greater the providence he enjoys. God told Patriarch Yaakov: "I am with you, I will protect you wherever you go" (Genesis 28:15). It is also written: "He protects the feet of his devotees" (Samuel I, 2: 9) and "He does not remove his gaze from the righteous" (Job 36: 7). On the other hand, the wicked are abandoned by God, their providence is private and they are left in the hands of the vicissitudes of chance. Regarding them, the Psalmist said: "But man does not dwell with honor [when] he is like the beasts that perish" (Psalm 49:13).

Due to the quantum nature of matter, all laws of nature are of a statistical nature, and apply because the laws of chance are not violated for ordinary people. However, perfectly righteous people, who enjoy the highest degree of Divine Providence, may experience violations of the laws of nature. Then, sometimes the righteous are protected and guided by miracles.

Even though God created the laws of nature with a purpose, he often overlooks this purpose to fulfill the destiny of the righteous. The closer a person comes to God, and the closer his will is to his, the more and more the person is related to God's purpose for creation. At this point, the fulfillment of his wishes becomes essential for God's purpose and, therefore, he is allowed to participate in God's government over nature. As the person resembles his Creator more and more and joins him, God shares with him more and more of His Power. It is almost as if God placed His hand on the hand of the righteous, and allowed them to control the elements just as He does. As in the case of patriarchs and prophets, God often reveals His plans and acts of providence to the righteous.

It is for this reason that the righteous can often nullify decrees issued by God. So great is the power of the righteous, that they can kill with just a word or look. At times, this could have happened even without their having wanted it, "like a legislator who says something inadvertently" (Ecclesiastes 10: 5). Regarding the truly righteous, we are taught: "Warm yourself by the fire of the wise, but be careful not to burn yourself with their coals, because their bite is like that of a fox, its sting is like that of a scorpion, its hissing is like a poisonous snake, and all its words are like coals of fire. "

However, righteous individuals never depend on miracles, do not pray for them and do not seek them either. They are fully aware that miracles do not happen every day, and that those that occur can diminish their merit. They also know that, in this world, there are no guarantees of assistance to the righteous, but on the contrary, God is extremely demanding of them. It was only when all of Israel has been involved that they have prayed for miracles and that they have waited for them.

miracles

Miracles are dramatic evidence of God's providence. Thus, we find that God warned Paró before the fourth plague: "On that day, I will miraculously separate the land of Goshen, where My people remain, so that no harmful creature will be found" (Exodus 8:18). In this way, providence is evidenced by the fact that good and sacred concepts remain and bear fruit, while evil is, in the long run, destroyed.Thus, we are taught: "There are many thoughts in the heart of man but it is the counsel of God that endures "(Proverbs 19:21).

Even though man was created for the sake of his future existence, he is still a part of this world, and is therefore subject to his natural laws. However, the laws of nature were created by God to fulfill His purpose and, therefore, behind every natural law there is a reason that is based on a moral law. Moreover, although events are brought into existence naturally, the fact that they happen to certain individuals is determined by Divine Providence.