No — nothing happens accidentally when God is involved.
Les Feldick teaches that in the life of a believer there is no such thing as luck, because God is so completely in control that everything works together for good (Romans 8:28). What may look like an accident from a human perspective — such as Ruth stopping in Boaz's field — is actually God's sovereign purpose unfolding according to His eternal plan.
Ruth 2:3 — Scripture's use of the word 'hap' shows that Ruth's arrival in Boaz's field appeared accidental, yet God's sovereign purpose was at work.
The Bible shows that events which appear to be chance or accident are used by God to accomplish His purposes. In Ruth chapter 2, Ruth went out to glean grain without knowing which field she would enter. Scripture records that she 'happened' to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz (Ruth 2:3). The human writer uses the word 'hap' — an old word for chance — but the biblical narrative makes clear this was no mere accident, for it set in motion the meeting that would place Ruth in the lineage of Christ (Matthew 1:5). Scripture also teaches that God works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). This is not a statement that every event is 'lucky' but rather that God, in His sovereignty, uses everything — even what appears to be random — to accomplish His plan. From Genesis onward, God set all of human history in motion according to His foreknowledge, and nothing that men or nations do catches Him by surprise.
Les Feldick is emphatic that there is no such thing as luck or accident in the life of a believer. He illustrates this by recounting how viewers often say they 'happened' to stop on his television program, but he teaches that this was not mere chance — God was at work behind the scenes. He applies the same principle to the account of Ruth: the word 'hap' in Ruth 2:3 is far more than mere coincidence. Ruth thought she was stopping in a field at random, but God was directing her steps to the field of Boaz, her future husband and an ancestor of Christ. Les also connects this to the broader doctrine of God's sovereignty and man's free will. He acknowledges that it is one of the hardest things to comprehend — how God gives men and nations free will, and yet everything they do is according to His plan and foreknowledge. He teaches that God is sovereign, omniscient, and absolutely in control of everything. God has blueprinted the entire plan of the ages from before creation, so nothing catches Him by surprise. Even world events, like the weather that changed the course of World War II battles, are not accidents but the working of a sovereign God.
Les Feldick directly addresses this: in the life of a believer, there is no such thing as luck. He shares a personal story of telling a man on the phone 'I wish you luck,' only to be corrected — and he agreed, saying, 'You're right, forgive me.' His point is that God is in such complete control that everything that happens works together for good, as Romans 8 makes plain.
Les Feldick points to Ruth chapter 2 as a clear example. Ruth 'happened' to end up in the right field, and Boaz 'happened' to be a next of kin laboring in the harvest field. But Les teaches that the word 'hap' or 'happen' is more than that — it indicates that what looked like an accident from Ruth's perspective was actually God directing her steps. Her meeting with Boaz had far-reaching consequences, as her marriage placed her in the genealogy of Christ (Matthew 1).
No. Les Feldick repeatedly emphasizes that God is never caught by surprise. Nothing Israel did caught God by surprise, and nothing happened that God did not foreordain. God set the whole system of humanity in motion from Genesis, gave men and nations free will, and yet everything they do is according to His plan. Les calls this one of the hardest things to put together, but he affirms it because God is sovereign and omniscient.
Les Feldick discusses the 'fine line' between the sovereignty of God and the free will of man. He teaches that God is absolutely sovereign and has laid out the whole line of human history ahead of time, yet He has never taken free will away from man to accomplish it. Men and governments make decisions under free will — invading nations, raising navies, producing air forces — but they don't realize God has everything to do with it. Les admits this is hard to comprehend, but he teaches it because Scripture says God is sovereign and omniscient.
Les Feldick clarifies that while God can still answer prayer and perform miracles, the kind of dramatic supernatural events Israel experienced — like angels opening prison doors and earthquakes releasing prisoners — stopped and will not happen again until God begins once again to deal with the nation of Israel. He makes this point to show that God's dealing with Israel in the past involved overt supernatural intervention, but that does not mean God is less in control today.
Viewers Stopping on the Program Was Not an Accident
Les teaches that when people say they 'happened' to stop on his television program, it was actually God at work drawing them in — not random chance.
No Luck for a Believer
Les explains that there is no such thing as luck in the life of a believer because God is in complete control and all things work together for good.
God Never Caught by Surprise
Les teaches that nothing Israel did caught God by surprise; everything they did was according to His plan and foreknowledge, even under their free will.
All in God's Eternal Purpose
Les asks whether God was caught by surprise, answering 'No' — everything was foreordained and part of His eternal purpose.
Supernatural Miracles Belong to Israel's Program
Les distinguishes past overt miracles in Israel's history from the present age, showing that God's sovereign control continues even when visible miracles do not.
God's Blueprint for the Ages
Les teaches that the triune God blueprinted everything before creation, yet gave men and nations free will — a hard but true paradox of God's sovereignty.
World Events Are Not Accidents
Les uses the example of weather changing World War II battles to show that what looks accidental is actually a sovereign God at work behind men's free will.
God Never Caught by Surprise in Choosing Israel
Les teaches that God's choosing of Israel was not a reaction to surprise — it was preordained, showing the fine line between God's sovereignty and man's free will.
Ruth 2:3: And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.
This verse uses the word 'hap' to describe Ruth's arrival in Boaz's field, showing what appeared to be chance was actually God's sovereign direction.
Romans 8:28: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
This verse supports Les's teaching that because God is in control, everything that happens to the believer works together for good — there is no luck.
Romans 11:2: God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,
Les quotes this verse to show that Israel's actions did not catch God by surprise because He foreknew them.
Ephesians 1:11: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
This verse shows that God works all things according to His own will and purpose, supporting the teaching that nothing happens accidentally.
Daniel 2:44: And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Les references this verse to show that God's plan for future world events is already determined and will be fulfilled exactly as He sovereignly planned.
Les Feldick tells a story of saying 'I wish you luck' to a fellow believer, who responded that there is no such thing as luck in the life of a believer. Les agreed and said, 'You're right, forgive me.' So for Les, using the term 'luck' is inappropriate for a believer because God is in complete control and everything He does works together for good.
From Ruth's human perspective, she stopped in a field at random — Scripture even says her 'hap' was to light on Boaz's field (Ruth 2:3). But Les Feldick teaches that this was not an accident. The word 'hap' indicates that what looked like chance was actually God directing her steps to the very field where she would meet her future husband and become an ancestor of Christ.
No. Les Feldick teaches that God has never been caught by surprise. Nothing Israel did caught God off guard, and nothing happens that God did not foreordain. God set everything in motion from creation, gave men and nations free will, yet everything they do is according to His eternal plan and foreknowledge.
Les Feldick acknowledges this is one of the hardest things to put together, and he doesn't try to fully reconcile it. He simply teaches both truths: God is absolutely sovereign and omniscient, and He controls everything, yet He has never taken away man's free will. Men and governments make decisions freely, but God works everything to His planned end.