Let us not make our God our enemy, for if we do our defeat is certain. He has at his disposal a thousand ways of succeeding that we have not thought of, and we will find ourselves assisting him in implementing his judgments against us at the very time that we think to avoid his blows. When God decides to imprison a man in hell, how can he escape. Therefore we ought to be all the more amazed and thankful that he has himself provided a way of escape, and that when we avail ourselves of his salvation we do not do anything that is contrary to his will, but escape according to his good pleasure.
‘It is true that sometimes we perceive some reason for God’s works, and he intends that men understand why he does one thing and not another, but not always. Sometimes God blinds those who have forsaken his truth: very well, that is an evident vengeance … But sometimes we do not know why God takes away his word, and it daunts us. In that case we need to revere his secret determination, and although we do not know either the reason or the end of his work, we acknowledge that he cannot but be righteous’ (Calvin – English updated). Calvin also reminds us that it was said of any who tried to rebuild Jericho: ‘he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it’ (Joshua 6:26), which was fulfilled in 1 Kings 16:34. Those who try to resist God’s judgment have a price to pay. Furthermore he refers to Psalm 127 – men may take it upon them to build, but they cannot make progress if God causes them to go backwards.