Perhaps the hardest journey a human being will endure in his or her lifetime is the journey through understanding the depraved nature of his or her own rights and the sovereign nature of God's rights. Nevertheless, from the Biblical perspective of God having rights over His creation as the potter has a right over the clay, one can analyze the human perspective of this issue as presented through popularized poetry and see the similarities between the poetry and the Bible (NASB Romans 9:20-21). Therefore, "Yet Do I Marvel" by Countee Cullen, "On His Blindness" by John Milton, and "Out, Out—" by Robert Frost contribute to a small presentation of God's sovereign right to do as He pleases, the human perspective on that right without any understanding, and the human perspective on that right with understanding.
God's sovereign right to do as He pleases is taught in "Yet Do I Marvel" and "On His Blindness" as well as in the book of Job. In "Yet Do I Marvel," Countee Cullen makes some significant points by, first, exalting God to an "inscrutable" position that is "immune to catechism" and, second, decreasing the status of man's understanding to that of one who is perfectly contained in a dimension well below God's dimension. Therefore, Cullen concludes that man has not even the slightest ability to understand God's ways; and consequently, Cullen assumes that man has no ability to manipulate God. In "On His Blindness," John Milton states that God does not need man at all thereby making God sufficient in His own abilities. Both of these instances confirm the doctrine found in Job 42:2 which says that God can do whatever He so desires (NASB). (Arp 783-4)
The human perspective on God's right to do as He pleases without any understanding is presented by the poems "Out, Out—" and "Yet Do I Marvel." In "Out, Out—," Robert Frost begins by establishing a tragic circumstance in life and concludes by satirizing the human nature of treating such tragedies with flippancy. Yet in emphasizing this satirical nature, Frost alludes to a scene from Macbeth by Julius Caesar which colors Frost's work with the perspective of a human being who has no understanding of the ways of God. One portion of Macbeth that summarizes this perspective states, "[Life] is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing" (Arp 780). In addition, "Yet Do I Marvel" contributes to shaping this perspective by expressing frustration in understanding different anomalies in life. Clearly, the perspective of one without any understanding of the ways of God is enveloped with vanity, resistance, and hopelessness.
The human perspective of God's right to do as He pleases with divine understanding is especially evident in "On His Blindness" and "Yet Do I Marvel." In "On His Blindness," John Milton expresses an emotional yet humble submission to God when Milton questions the fairness of God's decision to keep Milton at an apparent disadvantage; but by being patient, Milton ultimately finds God's answer that "[Those] who best bear His mild yoke, they serve him best" (Arp 784). Furthermore, Cullen subtly portrays this human perspective by acknowledging the unfathomable nature of God's ways within the boundaries of submission when Cullen says, "Yet do I marvel" (Arp 783). Finally, these examples confirm what is taught in Job 42:2 by agreeing with Job's reaction in which he says, "I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted" (NASB). Therefore, an understanding human perspective does not disregard discrepancies in life haphazardly but responds really, emotionally, and submissively within the yoke of understanding God's sovereign right to do as He pleases.
The selected poems by Countee Cullen, John Milton, and Robert Frost portray an accurate depiction of God's sovereign right to do as He pleases as presented in the book of Job. By showing the vanity of life without understanding God's will, "Out, Out—" provides a contrast for the godly perspective presented in "Yet Do I Marvel" and "On His Blindness" which teaches that human beings are to be submissive to the God who is so holy that no one can understand His ways. Therefore, human beings should be edified since bad circumstances in life do not occur without meaning but as an intricate design of a holy and sovereign God.
Works Cited
Arp, Thomas R. and Greg Johnson.
NASB Compact Reference Bible: New American Standard Bible.
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