DECLARING THE GOODNESS OF GOD

“Oh, how great is Your goodness...!” (Ps.31:19a). David declares the goodness of God—and we should too!  Here are some ways we may:
 
• Express Gratitude—Praise Him for His goodness!  Give voice in worship, for God is worthy of our praise.

• Exclude Grumbling—This is a sin against His goodness!  God takes this seriously.  Israel was judged and a generation of grumblers died in the wilderness. Don’t be like that. It is an affront to a good God.

• Exercise Faith—You can trust Him for He is good.  Do we believe it?

• Embrace Grace—Stop trying to earn His goodness.  God will not be indebted to you.  He is good because it is His nature to be good.  We are bad because it is our nature to be bad. That is what makes God doing good to us to arise from the glory of His grace!

• Exhibit Goodness—We are never more like God than when we do good.

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matt.‭5:44-45‬).

This is why God loves a cheerful giver!  We are reflecting Him!  God’s goodness is to be a focus of my life.

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!

REFUGE IN THE GOODNESS OF GOD

“You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence…” the Psalmist confidently declares of our good God in Psalm 31:19-20. There is a hiding place where we may run when the storms are raging—and that is in God.  This is another mark of His goodness.

The goodness of God does not prevent us from experiencing some badness in life.  We live in a broken world, under the curse of sin.

First, and most importantly, in His goodness, God has provided us a refuge from judgment.  That secret place is in Christ.  In a personal relationship with Him, we have salvation—in a place of no condemnation and no separation, as Romans 8 begins and ends.  Right in the midst of that chapter is the glorious promise of Romans 8:28, of how God will take all things, even bad things, and work them together for good.  That ultimate good is to shape us and make us like Christ (Rom.8:29).

Why is it a secret place?  It is a place unknown and unreachable to the enemy.  Paul says our “life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col.3:3).  Saul chased David all over the Judean wilderness—and could never catch him.

It is a place we must diligently search for.  That which is most valuable is most rare, and attained with diligent effort.  Diamonds are not scattered like dust on furniture and gold is not discovered all over a gravel driveway.  Neither is the secret place of God’s good presence known without seeking Him with all our heart.

Yet, that is an issue isn’t it?  Too often we are captivated by the things of this world, and God needs to remind His children of the best things—the greatest good that alone will satisfy the need of our heart—His sweet presence!  What if God allows the bad to drive us to the good—and especially the greatest good which is Himself?

The song, “Blessings,” by Laura Story reminds us of this truth,

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
And all the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your word is not enough
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not,
This is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near

What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

An old Chinese parable conveys this truth:

A farmer had only one horse. One day, his horse ran away.
His neighbors said, “I'm so sorry. This is such bad news. You must be so upset.”

The man just said, “We'll see.”

A few days later, his horse came back with twenty wild horses following. The man and his son corralled all 21 horses.

His neighbors said, “Congratulations! This is such good news. You must be so happy!”

The man just said, “We'll see.”

One of the wild horses kicked the man's only son, breaking both his legs.

His neighbors said, “I'm so sorry. This is such bad news. You must be so upset.”

The man just said, “We'll see.”

The country went to war, and every able-bodied young man was drafted to fight. The war was terrible and killed every young man, but the farmer's son was spared, since his broken legs prevented him from being drafted.

His neighbors said, “Congratulations! This is such good news. You must be so happy!”

The man just said, “We'll see.”

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.

GOD’S GOODNESS DEMONSTRATED

“So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.” (Mark‬ ‭10:18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬). Only God is inherently and utterly good. He is the source, substance, and sum of all goodness. Jesus was not denying His goodness here, but affirming His deity. If He is good, then He is God, for only God is good.

• Demonstrated in Creation.  In the Genesis 1 record, we find God fashioning the world and at the end of each creative day declaring His handiwork “good,” until day 6, and the completion of it all with the pinnacle of His creation—man made in His image—and pronouncing it all, “very good.”

What else could a good God do but good and very good? We see even in a fallen world that it can be breathtakingly beautiful—a golden sunrise and a blazing sunset; a majestic mountain and a verdant valley; a lovely lily and a beautiful butterfly—and on we could go.  God gave us eyes to see in color, a mind to comprehend what we see, ears to hear a baby’s laugh and fingers to touch their soft skin.  God could have made everything gray and made all food taste like gruel—but chose to demonstrate His goodness in creation.

• Demonstrated in Redemption.  In Creation, God exhaled a breath, but in redemption, He expended His blood.  He was not content to leave us in our sin, but His goodness sent His Son and sought us out.  His goodness demanded punishment on the guilty.  A good judge does not let a criminal off.  Instead, our good God enforced that good justice by pouring out His wrath on the Son of God—and our good Savior was willing to suffer in our place.  The good Holy Spirit sought you out.  What good was there in you to commend you to God?  None! The good was all His!

• Demonstrated in Providence.  “Divine providence is the governance of God by which He, with wisdom and love, cares for and directs all things in the universe. The doctrine of divine providence asserts that God is in complete control of all things.” (www.gotquestions.org) Study the story of Joseph in Gen.37-50 and you will see God’s providence in bringing Joseph from the pit to the palace, from ruin to reign, and from suffering to glory.  Here is the New Testament phrasing of this truth, “And we know that all things work together for GOOD to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Rom.8:28, emphasis added).

God, you are so very good!

GOD’S GOODNESS DEFINED

   
“The goodness of God is that essential perfection of the divine nature which inclines Him to deal bountifully with His creatures.  It is that benevolence of God which issues forth from His nature, and aims to promote the happiness and well-being of the creature….  God only is originally, essentially, eternally, infinitely, and inherently good in Himself.” (Lehman Strauss)

It’s a good definition, but you have heard it said, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”  If you want to see a picture of goodness, then look at God, for He is goodness itself.  Look at what the Psalmist says, “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!” (Ps.‭31:19‬)

“Oh, how great is Your goodness…”. We see that the greatness and goodness of God are inseparable.  If God possesses goodness, it must be a great goodness for God is great in all that He is and in all that He does.

The goodness “Which You have laid up for those who fear You…”. Those who fear the Lord are those who have personally encountered Him.  The more we understand of His greatness and goodness, the more we are in awe of Him.  Those who fear Him are given the special treasure of His great goodness.  These blessings are reserved for us—where no thief can take them, no tarnish can taint them, and no termite can touch them.

The goodness, “Which You have prepared for those who trust in You…”. God has personally prepared them—the all-knowing and all-loving God Who suits the grace according to His child.  When it comes time for birthdays or Christmas, our children have particular tastes in food and desires in gifts, so as loving parents we try to match them up.  We do that with some success, but not always. Our Heavenly Father never fails!

The goodness, “In the presence of the sons of men!”  The great goodness of God is meant to bring Him glory, and that by being publicly proclaimed.  We should testify of Him and His great goodness to stir the sinner to seek Him and the saved to trust Him.  “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”  (Rom.2:4)

God is so good!

THE GOODNESS OF GOD

Over twenty-five years ago, Robert Fulghum wrote a number one bestseller, “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.”  The book has sold seven million copies.  In summary:

1. Share everything.
2. Play fair.
3. Don't hit people.
4. Put things back where you found them.
5. CLEAN UP YOUR OWN MESS.
6. Don't take things that aren't yours.
7. Say you're SORRY when you HURT somebody.
8. Wash your hands before you eat.
9. Flush.
10. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
11. Live a balanced life - learn some and drink some and draw some and paint some and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
12. Take a nap every afternoon.
13. When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
14. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
15. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
16. And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.

Pretty wise words.  There were more important truths that I learned and we taught our children before kindergarten—that when they bowed their hands before a meal to say, “God is great; God is good; Let us thank Him for our food; By His hands, we shall be fed; Give us Lord, our daily bread.”

There is profound theology there.  We explored God’s greatness last week—and only scratched the surface, if that—and this week, we will examine His goodness.

“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)