A GOOD GOD AND BAD PEOPLE

“Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You, Which You have prepared for those who trust in You In the presence of the sons of men! You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence From the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion From the strife of tongues.” (Psalms‬ ‭31:19-20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬)

This is true—yet, sometimes it doesn’t appear to be true. When bad things happen, we wonder how God can be good.  How do we respond to the seemingly successful plots of evil men?  What if we apparently find no refuge from caustic speech directed our way.

The reality is that we see through a glass darkly (1 Cor.13).  This is why Scripture says we walk by faith and not by sight.  We’ll understand it better by and by.

When we are tempted to doubt God’s goodness, all we must do is run to the cross, and see the refuge He provided for us there.

There is shelter in the secret place of God’s good presence, “From the plots of man…”. In context, the psalmist is extolling the goodness of God in protecting us from evil people.  I think of Corrie Ten Boom, whose story was told in her book, “The Hiding Place.”  She, and her sister wound up in a Nazi concentration camp—and her sister would die there.  Yet, God brought her through. Her body may have suffered—and she could have joined her family in death—but, the real Corrie—the born again Corrie who was God’s child—the person living inside the house of her flesh, was never threatened. Our souls are sheltered in the arms of God, whatever storms batter our physical being.
 
“You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion From the strife of tongues.” As a child I heard, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me.”  Is that true?  If it is, then why do we recall such hurtful words that may have been spoken about us from long ago?  Yet, in this sense it is true—the child of God cannot suffer real harm from lies, slander, and criticism.  Recall the lies told about Jesus that led to His harm in crucifixion, and yet which ended in the triumph of His resurrection and accomplishment of His mission.  Paul was nearly torn to pieces in Jerusalem by an angry mob based on a lie, ended up in jail, in a shipwreck, bitten by a venomous viper, yet this became the occasion of God doing a great work in spreading the Gospel (see Phil.1:12-13).  When bad men rule, a good God, overrules!

God works all for good, for He is good—even the bad that comes in a broken world is transformed by His infinite wisdom and grace into something redemptive!

GOD LEADS US ALONG

Have You not kept my feet from falling,
That I may walk before God
In the light of the living?  (Psalm 56:13b)

“God leads His dear children along.”  That’s what the old hymn says—that message thoroughly attested by Scripture and affirmed by our experience.  The way He leads us, however, may be at times perplexing.  The road of life is filled with many twists and turns; we cannot see but a portion of the road before us, so we must trust God who knows the destination where He intends to bring us.  That’s what David discovered on his journey of faith.  It is the testimony of Psalm 56.

Our path does not take us through a playground, but a battleground (v.1-4)!  So long as we are in this world, we will find ourselves in a fight.  Our environment is hostile to faith.  David—a man of war—would say, “Amen!”  The introduction to the Psalm tells us it was written, “When the Philistines Captured Him in Gath.”  Gath was the hometown of the giant Goliath whom David had slain.  David was running for his life from King Saul.  In a moment of panic, he fled into Philistine territory, and ended up in a place where the people would delight to kill him—out of the frying pan and into the fire!  Yet, even so, God had a purpose for David’s life.  We may wish for the: “shady green pastures, so rich and so sweet…Where the water’s cool flow bathes the weary one’s feet…Sometimes on the mount where the sun shines so bright…” and yet find ourselves, “sometimes in the valley in darkest of night that God leads His dear children along.”

We may survive the frontal assault and succumb to the surprise attack (v.5-7).  There were those who would not dare to attack David to his face, but would stab him in the back—distorting his words, organizing opposition from the malcontents, and setting snares to trap him.  This broke his heart and drove him to the One he could trust, as David cast himself on the promises of God (v.8-11).  The hymn writer put it this way:

Though sorrows befall us and evils oppose,
God leads His dear children along;
Through grace we can conquer, defeat all our foes,
God leads His dear children along.
Some through the water, some through the flood,
Some through the fire, but all through the blood;
Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song,
In the night season and all the day long.

God knows every step we take through dark seasons.  He sees every tear we shed as we walk through deep sorrows.  According to David, God stores the tears in His bottle and records them in His book!  He is mindful of our tears and trials.  He does not exempt us from traveling the trail of tears, but He promises grace that is sufficient for the journey now and that our destiny will end in glory.

David expressed confidence that the Lord would establish His feet in the right path and on solid ground (v.12-13).  He always had; He always would. 

Away from the mire, and away from the clay,
God leads His dear children along;
Away up in glory, eternity’s day,
God leads His dear children along.”

The trip may bring many changing conditions in the terrain—sudden storms can break upon us—but one condition never alters—we get there, “all through the blood.”  The One who died for us, while never desert us.  He will deliver us!

THE REACH OF REDEMPTION

But Ruth said:

“Entreat me not to leave you,

 Or to turn back from following after you;

 For wherever you go, I will go;

 And wherever you lodge, I will lodge;

 Your people shall be my people,

 And your God, my God.”  (Ruth 1:16)

The book of Ruth reveals the road to redemption.  It affords an Old Testament picture of a New Testament principle.  The road to redemption begins in Moab and ends in Bethlehem—a way out of a place that God called His wash pot and into the place meaning “house of bread.”  Chapter one of Ruth focuses on God reaching down in love.

Redemption begins with God’s sovereign act (v.1-4).  There was a famine in the house of bread.  Elimelech packs up his family and migrates to Moab, seeking greener pastures.  Though his name meant, “My God is King,” he was in rebellion against God’s will, walking by sight rather than by faith.  Canaan, despite its present woe was to be preferred over Moab and its pervasive wickedness.  Its inhabitants were the descendants of Lot’s incest with his daughter.  Moabites worshipped Chemosh, offering their little children in fire as sacrifices.  “But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more….”  (Rom.5:20b)  Despite Elimelech’s sin, God was still King and in His sovereign grace had chosen to overrule his straying child’s disobedience and reach a Moabite girl who was not looking for God.  God, however was looking for her.  As I survey my past, I can see how God was working even during my period as a prodigal to reach me—circumstances that He directed to drive me to Himself.

Two weddings and three funerals took place in Moab (v.3-5).  The chastisement of God fell upon Elimelech and his sons.  They were defiant against God’s will, going where they should not and marrying those they ought not.  “The wages of sin is death,” (Rom.6:23a).  Yet, without these sorrows, Ruth would have never journeyed to Bethlehem where she would meet Boaz, her kinsman-redeemer.  She might have become bitter toward God—many do when facing tragedy.  She could not have understood what this God of the Hebrews was up to, but later she would.  We live life forward, but we understand it backward.  All He does is ultimately for glory and good!

With the death of her husband and sons, there is nothing to hold Naomi in Moab (v.6-14).  She hears that the famine is over and the feasting has resumed—the House of Bread has become a bakery again.  It is time to go back to Bethlehem. 

Remember, that when Naomi and her family came to Moab they were in rebellion against God.  The counsel of a backslider is to be rejected.  Their senses are dulled by their disobedience.  Naomi tells her daughters-in-law to stay in Moab!  Orpah listens and turned back to her demon gods—into darkness forever.  Ruth clings to Naomi—grace at work drawing her to redemption (v.15-22).  This is the mystery of election—two girls so close, yet separated for eternity—like Cain and Abel; Esau and Jacob; Judas and Peter; the two thieves crucified on either side of Jesus.  Orpah and Ruth both had opportunity to go to the place of redemption, but only one did.  Orpah was not made to turn back, nor was Ruth forced to go up.  Still, grace drew her.  That is what makes redemption to be God seeking undeserving sinners. 

Have you reached up the empty hand of faith to the hand of God reaching down with the gift of salvation?  Are you Orpah or Ruth?

THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD

Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” And he said, “Here I am.”  So He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there.  I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.”  (Genesis 46:2-4)

The word “providence” is a composite word—from “pro,” meaning “before,” and “video,” meaning “to see,”—thus, “to see before,” and describes God’s foresight in directing people and events to His predetermined purpose.

The Old Testament story of Joseph is a dramatic demonstration of this doctrine.  God birthed a dream in Joseph’s heart that his brothers would someday bow to him.  That seemed impossible, when through a series of events, Joseph was cast down into a pit, went down to Egypt as a slave, was put down into a dungeon as a prisoner, and yet this would be the very means by which God would bring him up!  He becomes the second most powerful man in the world, and his brothers bow before him, just as God had foreordained.  This became the means by which Jacob’s family was saved from famine—and we may add, how we are saved from hell!  Christ would be born of this line—and had they perished of starvation, then we would have no Savior!

In the story of Joseph we learn that God’s providence is universal—it extends to all people and to all places.  Though He does not make us puppets on a string, He takes even the bad decisions people make and works them for eternal good and glory.  Certainly, evil things were done to Joseph.  God didn’t make his brothers, for example, do what they did, for He cannot inspire evil, still, He used those very actions to work His will.

His providence is never unrighteous—though it may seem unfair at times.  Surely, Joseph must have felt that way—and so do we.  All he ever tried to do was to be faithful to God and an obedient son.  What did it get him?  The pit!  In Potiphar’s house, he was a loyal servant, and rejected the seduction of his master’s wife, and what was the result? The prison!  Yet, there was more to the story, and we see the righteousness of God prevail over man’s sinfulness.

His providence is not always understandable.  God knows more than we know, sees farther than we see, and works in ways beyond our grasp.  Although we eventually see what God was doing in Joseph’s life, we still wonder why He worked in this way.  I can only say, it was the best way, but only God knows why!

His providence is unchangeable.  Much is made of the “freewill of man,” and yet, those very choices freely made will ultimately result in the will of God being done.  His agenda cannot be thwarted!  No angel in heaven, no demon below, neither ruler on earth, nor circumstance in life can stop the irresistible movement of God’s program.  Always remember that when life seems out of control, God is very much in control.  How comforting!