Sabbath Sanctuary: The Sabbath Year

I have been contemplating sabbath rest. Resting has been something of which I write often and it has been at the forefront of my existence for the last couple of years.

Though we all are aware of the sabbath commandment to rest on the seventh day, my contemplation has been focused on the year of rest that the Lord commanded the Israelites:

“The Lord then spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you come into the land which I am going to give you, then the land shall have a Sabbath to the Lord. For six years you shall sow your field, and for six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its produce, but during the seventh year the land shall have a Sabbath rest, a Sabbath to the Lord; you shall not sow your field nor prune your vineyard. You shall not reap your harvest’s aftergrowth, and you shall not gather your grapes of untrimmed vines; the land shall have a sabbatical year” {Lev. 25:1-5 NASB}.

As I read this passage, I thought about how hard this must have been for them. It is important to remember that this community was an agricultural one, their livelihood was tied to the land. If they could not grow their crops, they had nothing. But the Lord is always merciful, and He foresees their trouble and before they can even raise their lips to complain He answers them:

^“You shall therefore follow My statutes and keep My judgments so as to carry them out, so that you may live securely on the land. Then the land will yield its produce, so that you can eat your fill and live securely on it. But if you say, ‘What are we going to eat in the seventh year if we do not sow nor gather in our produce?’ then I will so order My blessing for you in the sixth year that it will bring forth the produce for three years. When you are sowing the eighth year, you can still eat old things from the produce, eating the old until the ninth year when its produce comes in” {Lev. 25:18-22 NASB}.

The Lord is always faithful. If they will only but trust in Him, even during the sabbath, He will not leave them or forsake them.

I have been meditating on this for some time now because I seem to be in a sabbath of my own. Those of you who know me know that I garden every year as I am working toward being able to grow as much of my own food as possible. I also love flowers and grow them as well. I am one of those who sow her seeds early so that as soon as winter has made its last stand (and a very cold spring where I am) and the threat of frost has vanished, I plant them in the garden as soon as possible (also we have a short growing season).

Well, this year was the first year that I can remember that I have not planted any seeds and did not have a garden. While this may seem irrelevant to some it is a huge disappointment for me. Though I don’t rely on my little farm for my livelihood, Piper’s Farm brings me much joy. I love planting seeds and watching the miracle that it produces in the fruit for it is part of the creation that I love. It was not to be this year. In April, I had major foot surgery so I knew I would not be able to attend to the seeds or get them planted, and I did not want to burden the husband as he already had to pick up the slack for me in so many other areas, so I didn’t plant any. While it was something I needed to lay down, it was still very hard for me. I walk the yard often looking at the place where my garden is usually growing to see only weeds {which are screaming at me as well}.

This is where my sabbath has occupied my mind because it has spiritual implications as well. We are not the ancient Israelites, but there are some spiritual implications concerning the sabbath and the waiting periods that we often find ourselves in. This has certainly been a year of sabbath for me. In April, I found myself in the recovery room after foot surgery with very low oxygen levels. So, long story made a tad shorter, they found a nodule in my lung. The location of the nodule was very problematic and could not easily be reached. I endured two bronchoscopies in two weeks, and they were not able to retrieve a sample size of the tissue large enough to determine a diagnosis. Then a PET scan, then a diagnosis of adenocarcinoma. Then, three weeks ago, they removed the nodule by removing half of my right lung, and thankfully, it is not cancer—the goodness of God displayed. I am recovering, and will be fine, but I feel as though I have lived in a state of recovery for most of this year {also part of why I have been absent from this space}. Though I was still in school working on my Ph.D. in the spring, I have had to postpone school until later in October. This was very hard for me to do; I wrestled with the decision for weeks. I also had to step down from my editing work at my church where I was employed. It feels like everything I am and everything I do is gone. A sabbath rest, though mine is not in obedience, mine seems like I had no choice.

There are seasons where we will feel as though we have been emptied of everything and we have no choice but to trust the Lord in the season of sabbath. I cannot fully convey the frustration in my life right now as I struggle with everything being stripped away. I have to rest in order to recover, I have no choice. I don’t have the strength to do much.

I imagine this is how the Israelites may have felt in that sabbath year. But God is so faithful to us. Just as He was with them and blessed them in the sixth year so that the sabbath year would not be a strain for them, He is with us. He is with me. When we are faithful to be in His Word and walk with Him daily, we are strengthened to walk through these times. The Lord promised us that we will not be alone, He has sent the Comforter to keep us:

I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever; the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you {Jn. 14: 16-17 NASB}.

He will not leave us, and He is faithful to walk through them with us. The Apostle Paul was told that God’s grace was sufficient for him when he cried out to God during one of his struggles {2 Cor. 12:9}, His grace is sufficient to help us do what we cannot do for ourselves.

During this time, I have had to completely deconstruct who I am and what I am doing or should be doing for Him on this earth and have had to rebuild from the foundation up. Though this is a hard thing to walk through, He is faithful in the waiting—in this sabbath. He is working towards my good when I rest in Him. I have no choice but to wait on Him and then He works in me to form me into His image; to make me more Christlike, which is always for my good:

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified” {Rom. 8: 28-30 NASB}.

So, I will wait. I will take this sabbath rest and trust and wait on Him to bring forth His purpose in my life, because He has given me enough spiritual riches in abundance to endure this sabbath, as frustrating as it can be at times, and to live under His sovereign hand.

 

“If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my struggle I will wait until my relief comes” {Job. 14:14 NASB}.

Rest in God this beautiful Sabbath weekend.....

The Names of God: Everlasting Father

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace” {Is. 9:6 NASB}.

When Isaiah the prophet spoke these wonderful words thousands of years ago, he could not have fully imaged the scope of what he was conveying to God’s people. He understood the redemptive and Messianic implications, but as with all prophecy, prophets saw only in part. 

“‘Everlasting Father’— How can this be the name of the child?

This child wants nothing for himself; he is no wunderkind in the human sense,

But an obedient child of his heavenly Father.

Born in time, he brings eternity with him to earth.

As the Son of God

He brings us all the love of the Father in heaven.

Go there, seek and find at the manger the eternal Father,

Who here has become your dear Father too.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Mystery of Holy Night

Indeed, it is unfathomable to our finite minds how a child can possibly be the Everlasting Father. But this is the wonder of the Incarnation; the miraculous clothed in human flesh. 

The word in the Hebrew is Strong’s ’Avi‘ad {5703}. It combines two words; the word for eternal or everlasting ‘ad with that for Father ’avi. Later in the verse ‘ad is joined with ‘olam to mean forever. The connotation in the beautiful Hebrew language is that Jesus is the author of all eternity; the very Creator Himself:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” {Jn. 1:1-5 NASB}.

“Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him” {1 Cor. 8:6 NASB}.

The Messiah is the Everlasting Father, yet He is not The Father; He is not the Father, the Father is not Jesus, neither persons are interchangeable with the Holy Spirit. Jesus declared that He and the Father are one, yet they remain separate; they each are a distinct person of the Godhead. The Son and the Spirit were active in the Creation, but there is only One Father. Knowing this to be true, how then can the Messiah be the Everlasting Father?

Christ repeatedly referred to God as “Father” and prayed to Him; He was sent by the Father. Some things can be said of Christ that cannot be said of the Father, e.g., the Father did not clothe Himself with human flesh. The Messiah suffered and died for the redemption of humankind—the Father did not. The Father sent Him, anointed Him, gave Him authority, and filled Him with the Holy Spirit: 

“You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him” {Acts 10:38 NASB}.

Christ is a Father in respect to the men and women God gave Him; His children in the New Covenant whom He adopted and who carry His Name—you and me. He prayed to the Father on our behalf as those who will belong to Him through the disciple's faithful testimony about Christ {Jn. 17:20 NASB}. {Please read the entire High Priestly prayer of Jesus in John 17. It is some of the most beautiful prose every spoken and penned. Link marked}.

Christ is a Father to us who carry His name. There are many who are now without their earthly fathers. Some have passed away; others neglected or abandoned their children. However, Christ promises that He will never die, and that we shall never be left alone and fatherless. He will supply our every need and He clothes us with His everlasting raiment of salvation; He has given us all authority to be seated with Him.

The Everlasting Father or “Father of eternity”[1] is the author of eternal life and is the everlasting I AM, who was before all things, and enjoyed glory with Father before the world began. Lockyer recites a fascinating background to the idea of Father. When a Roman citizen had performed a deed of infinite value, soldiers would raise him on their shields and garlands of flowers were thrown at his feet and was hailed Pater Patriae— Father of his country.[2] This evokes Palm Sunday imagery in my mind—as Jesus was hailed and worshiped on that day and declared to be King.

“Such an honorable title given to men can illustrate the idea associated with the words rendered Everlasting Father. Christ was certainly, the Father of His Country, for while on earth He declared that He came from heaven where he had been through the eternal past. For Him, whose Fatherland was the universe, and whose age is eternity, the glory is that He is the Christ of all ages.”[3]

He will never leave or forsake us; that is His promise. Isaiah’s words foretell His First Advent, yet we watchfully anticipate His Second. The Septuagint and Vulgate both translate Everlasting Father as “Father of the age to come.”[4]

Christ is full of grace and truth {Jn. 1:14} and He is the Father or the author of the dispensation of Grace in which we now live…Glory to God, and He is the Father of the world to come in which we shall rule and reign with Him forever {Rev. 20: 4-6 NASB}.

“For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will. For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking. But one has testified somewhere, saying,

‘What is man, that You remember him? Or the Son of Man, that you are

concerned about him? You have made him for a little while lower than

the angels; You have crowned Him with glory and honor, and

appointed him over the works of Your hands; You have put all things

under his feet.’

For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him”  {Heb. 2: 1-8 NASB}.

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[1] Herbert Lockyer, All The Names And Divine Titles {Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975}, 148-149.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

The Attributes of God: Love

God Is Love 1 John 4:8.

I spent the first part of my morning on the couch watching as one of my heroes of the faith was laid to rest. The legacy of this General will stay with me forever. Though I rejoice that he has received his heavenly reward, my heart broke when he passed. Many spoke and shared touching stories of how this great man of God touched their lives. Tears fell hard as I listened to the daughter who returned home in her fallenness and brokenness to find her father waiting for her with loving arms open wide. The unconditional love of a father. Her father was not God, but he showed her that day who God is and how He loves the broken-hearted. The prodigal son jumps off the page of the Holy Writ and into my heart. 

The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love {1 Jn. 4:8 NASB}.

Scripture tells us three things concerning the nature of God; He is spirit {Jn. 4:24}, He is light {1 Jn. 1:5}, and He is love {1 Jn. 4:8}. God does not simply love us, He is Love. Love is not one of His attributes, but His very nature.[1] Oh if only we had a full grasp on the love of God! The more we experience and understand His love—its character, fullness, blessedness—the more our hearts will be drawn out in love to Him.

I am so thankful for His love. I cannot fathom how He can possibly love me, yet He does. His love is unchanging and it cannot be influenced by anyone or anything. I cannot cause Him to love me more and I can’t do anything to make Him love me less. His love is free, spontaneous, and uncaused. He loves me when I am loveless.

God is eternal which means He has no beginning; His love is eternal. I cannot wrap my finite mind around His love for me—I am but dust. I am undone.

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness”{Jer. 31: 3 NASB}.

From eternity God set His heart upon His people. Everything about God is infinite. His essence fills heaven and earth. He knows all and sees all. He is all-powerful—nothing is too hard for Him. His love is without limit, it cannot be fathomed, it cannot be measured.

God’s love is one of the grandest themes in all of Scripture.[2] The Bible is God’s story of love for all creatures. The Preacher’s daughter spoke of being comforted in her father’s arms in the midst of her darkness—her brokenness. This is a beautiful picture of our heavenly Father and His love for us. God’s love means that God eternally gives of Himself to others.[3] It is part of His nature to give of Himself in order to bring about good to His people.

His love was evident at creation in the Trinity. Jesus speaks to this truth in John’s gospel in one of the most beautiful prayers ever spoken—His High Priestly Prayer:

“Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world” (Jn. 17:24 NASB emphasis by author). God loved and honored Him from all eternity. The Beloved Disciple wants us to know this truth, “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand”{3:35 NASB}. The love between the Father and Son also presumably characterizes their relationship with the Holy Spirit even though it is not explicitly mentioned.[4] This eternal love of the Father for the Son and both for the Holy Spirit demonstrates that the Trinity seeks to bring joy and happiness to each other and to us as well. The Trinity’s self-giving love is expressed in God’s relationship to mankind. He loves sinners which is why He sent His Son to redeem everyone who will accept this precious gift of grace.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” {Jn.3:16 NASB}

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” {Rom. 5:8 NASB}.

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” {Gal. 2:20 NASB}.

Christ loves sinners. He loves all people. He came and died for all mankind—because of His love for us. His love drove Him to the cross. It is unfathomable to me that God set his love on us and that He longs to bring us true joy and happiness. It doesn’t mean that we will have a trouble-free life, but He is working all things for our good {Rom. 8:28}and His love for us is eternal.

God’s love is so amazing and it is even more profound that we can and should return our love to Him:

“And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment” {Matt. 22:37-38 NASB}.

The way we demonstrate our love for God is by obeying His commandments. Just as God has bestowed His love on us, we can pour out our love on Him by living a life of obedience, living a life of worship and prayer, and by doing so, we bring joy to His heart.

“As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So your God will rejoice over you” {Is. 62:5 NASB}.

“The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” {Zep. 3:17 NASB}.

To read all in this series of the Attributes of God click here

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[1] A.W. Pink, The Attributes Of God (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1975), 77.

[2] John S. Feinberg, No One Like Him (Wheaton: Crossway, 2001), 349.

[3] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 199.

[4] Ibid.

God is Omnipotent: Have Courage

“There is nothing for which the children ought more earnestly to contend than the doctrine of their Master over all creation—the Kingship of God over all the works of His own hands—the Throne of God and His right to sit upon that Throne.” 1

The world in which we live is fallen. The times in which we are living are troubling. Destructive hurricanes; devastating earthquakes; terrorism; sociopathic dictators threatening their neighbors. New signs in the heavens—the like of which has not taken place before—September 23, 2017 is supposedly the end of the world. These times are not for the faint of heart. The birth pangs of the Last Days are growing stronger:

“You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs” {Matt. 24:6-8 NASB}.

I take Jesus’ words to heart…I am not afraid when I see signs that the Bible warned us to look for. I can live without fear, even fear of the unknown, because of who God is. For the Lord is sovereign—over everything. He holds creation in His hand; He is watching over everything. Place your hope in the Lord and His Word:

 “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets” {Amos 3:7}.

“God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they” {Heb. 1: 1-4 NASB}.

“For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” {Col. 1: 16-17 NASB}.

I don’t worry about the events that I witness on earth, because He is sovereign, and I know that He is in control of everything, and that all things are working according to His will {Rom. 8:28}. This doesn’t mean that frightening things won’t happen. It doesn’t mean that destructive or devastating events won’t take place—it means that when they do I don’t worry—I pray:

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” {Phil. 4:6-7 NASB}.

The peace of God which surpasses all comprehension. This is so amazing. God’s peace is beyond anything we can comprehend, so why be frightened? Jesus encourages us to trust Him—and trust Him I will—whatever comes or takes place in the heavens or in the earth.

The sovereignty of God is the exercise of His supremacy…being infinitely elevated above the highest creature.² When I say that God is sovereign, it means that He is omnipotent. He is the Lord Most High. He is Lord of heaven and earth. He is subject to no one. His will is supreme. He is unrivaled in majesty. Unlimited in power. Unaffected by anything outside of Himself. “The Supremacy of God is the kingship of God, the Godhood of God. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the Most High, doing according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth…He is the Almighty, the Possessor of all power in heaven and earth, so that none can defeat His counsels, thwart His purposes, or resist His will {Ps. 115:3}. He is the Governor among the nations {Ps. 22:28}, setting up kingdoms, over throwing empires, and determining the course of dynasties as pleaseth Him best.” ³ He is the King of kings and Lord of lords {1 Tim. 6:15}. God is all powerful or Almighty. With God, all things are possible {Matt. 19:26}. God is sovereign over creation; He forms the unborn child in his mother’s womb {Ps. 139:13}. The Lord created the heavens {Jer. 32:17}. He decrees all things in accordance with His will {Eph. 1:11}. He is the beginning—everything starts with Him and ends with Him {Rev. 22:12-13}. He knows all and sees all; He sees the end from the beginning. He is all powerful and His purpose will be established:

“Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’” {Is. 46:10 NASB}.

“He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, ‘What have You done?” {Dan. 4:35 NASB}.

The term omnipotence signifies that the Lord is all powerful. Though He is all powerful, He does nothing randomly. He is a God of order—He brings order from chaos. He created the universe ex nihilo—out of nothing. “This means that before God began to create the universe, nothing else existed except God himself.” 4 

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters” {Gen. 1: 1-2 NASB}.

God’s power is displayed in His character, “God is all-powerful and able to do whatever he wills. Since his will is limited by his nature, God can do everything that is in harmony with his perfections.” ⁵ There are then, a few things God cannot do, because they are contrary to His nature and character. That is why the definition of omnipotence is God’s ability to do “all His holy will.” He can do all things that are consistent with His character. He cannot go back on His Word {Jer. 1:11-13; 2 Tim. 2:13}; He cannot lie {Num. 23:19; Heb. 6:18}; In Titus 1:2 He is called the “unlying God” or the “God who never lies.” He cannot sin or have anything to do with sin {Hab. 1:13; James 1:13}. God cannot cease to exist, or cease to be God, or can He act in a way that is inconsistent with any of His attributes. God’s power is infinite, and the use of His power is qualified by His other attributes.

Why is God’s omnipotence important for us? God created you and me—we are the imago dei—His image bearers. He made us so that our lives display a faint reflection of His attributes. We do not have infinite power—only God has infinite power, but God has made us creatures with a will who exercise freedom of choice, and make decisions regarding our lives. Our will is not absolutely free like God’s will is, but He has given us relative freedom in our spheres of influence. When we use our will and freedom to make choices that please God and are consistent with His Word, we reflect His character and bring Him glory.

We are the light of the world and the salt of the earth—we are to dispel darkness {Matt. 5:14-16}. When terrible things happen, the Church must rise up. When we see the earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornadoes; when we see the darkness that seeks to envelop the earth, we must remember not to fear these things, but to pray and rest, knowing that God is in control and still inhabits His throne. Believers need to live and walk in the authority that God granted us in the cultural mandate {Gen. 1; Matt. 28}. Though we do not have infinite power, however, God has given us power to bring about physical, mental, spiritual, and persuasive power in our families, churches, and civil governments. When we act according to His will, we bring Him glory.  

Jesus promised us that we will have trouble in this world, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” {Jn. 16:33 NASB}. He has overcome all the trouble we see. This doesn’t mean we won’t suffer the repercussions of terrible events, but it does mean that God did not leave His throne. Jesus is with us—carrying us through all the trouble we will witness on earth. The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe {Prov. 18:10}. We are to be strong and courageous, and place our hope in Him—which we can easily do because He is sovereign and omnipotent.

“For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God” {1 Pet. 1:20-21 NIV}.

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1. The Complete Works of C. H. Spurgeon, Volume 2: Sermons 54-106, # 77.

2. A.W. Pink, The Attributes Of God (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1975), 32.

3. A.W. Pink, The Sovereignty of God (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 1998), 20.

4. Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 263.

5. Paul Enns, The Moody Handbook Of Theology (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2014), 201.

The Attributes Of God: His Goodness

As I approached, camera in hand, to capture the beauty before me, I was overwhelmed with the fragrance of the white blossoms; announcing the arrival of spring, a fragrance most sweet; intoxicating. I love the arrival of spring, new life after a long season of cold and seemingly dead creation surrounding me. Isn’t that how the kingdom works? When we think something is damaged or dead, it turns out God is working behind the scene to fulfill His purpose?

The trees of the Lord drink their fill, the cedars of Lebanon which He planted, where the birds build their nests, and the stork, whose home is the fir trees (Ps. 104:16-17 NASB).

Creation is amazing. I love nature. I look at the world around me, and see the goodness of God.  I see His hand in the beautiful pink and white blossoms of the crabapple trees. I see His goodness even in the snow storm that killed the very blossoms I cherished—their fragrance snuffed out—for a time. Because I see His goodness in the way all of life bounces back from the wet, heavy, and cold snow. There is purpose in every season.

Psalm 104 is a beautiful song raised to God for His goodness in creation.  The angels cry out that the whole earth is full of His glory (see Is. 6:2-3).

The Hebrew word for “good” is towb. This word does not mean ‘good job’ or ‘I had a good time.’ Towb carries with it the sense of being beautiful. As we contemplate the wonders of His creation, and as He did call it good, it carries with it the connotation of being beautiful.

A.W. Pink eloquently explains in his Nature Of God, “All that emanates from God—His decrees, His creation, His laws, His providences—cannot be otherwise than good; as it is written, “And God saw everything that He made, and, behold, it was very good (Gen. 1:31).”[1] Thus the goodness of God can be seen first in creation. Creation is indeed good. It is indeed beautiful.

You alone are the Lord. You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them And the heavenly host bows down before You (Neh. 5:6 NASB).

I love the diversity in creation... 

The diversity of God’s creativity is not only displayed in the variety of bees, but in the blossoms as well. Some are white. Some are pink, some deep ruby red.  When the blossoms come to fruition, some will be leaves, some will be fruit, but they are each a part of the tree. We have to wait for the fruit to appear. They may look the same at present, but each blossom is unique and serves a purpose for the tree.

God’s good creation is illustrated most beautifully in man whom He formed from the dust, and breathed into him His life-giving and life-sustaining breath. We are His image-bearers the imago dei. God created us all in His image, yet we are all unique and have a distinctive purpose in God’s plan. Consider with me the intricacies of the human body:

 “The body—the face, the features, the coloring—contains marks that identify us as individuals. These marks arise from our DNA and make us recognizable to the naked eye. But they provide more than a point of recognition for the sake of others; they are God’s imprint on each of us. These few features have seemingly infinite possibilities when rearranged in different shapes and sizes.”[2]

How can one dare say that God is not good? His goodness is displayed in His Mercy on His imago dei, the very ones that have forsaken Him, despised and rejected Him. The very image bearers that offer false incense at the altars of the false gods of secular-humanism, evolution, and the like. How can the clay question the potter—who are you, O man, who answers back to God? (see Is. 45: 9-11 and Rom. 9: 19-26).


It is comforting to know that God is good. In a world where there is so much evil, and many tragedies are witnessed, it is hard to imagine anything good; but God is good.

God’s goodness however, is not just in deed and action—it is His very essence. All the goodness there is in any creature has been imparted from the Creator, but His goodness is underived. For it is the essence of His eternal nature.

The lovingkindness of God endures all day long. Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man? (Ps. 52: 1 NASB).

God is good. He is the summum bonum, the highest good. The goodness of God refers to the perfection of His nature. It means that God is the final standard of good, and that all God is and does is worthy of approval.

No one but God is good (Luke 18:19 NASB).

His nature is so perfect there is nothing lacking or defective. Nothing can be added to Him to make Him better. He will never be more good than He is now. He will never be less good than He is now. God is immutable—He cannot change. He will not change—even for the better—there are no degrees of “better” in regards to His nature, because He is the summa bonum He is the very best good. He is the highest good.

Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Who can speak of the mighty deeds of the Lord, Or can show forth all His praise? How blessed are those who keep justice, Who practice righteousness at all times!  (Ps. 106: 1-3 NASB).

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary (Ps. 107: 1-2).

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly (Ps 84:11 NASB).  

His love is displayed in His goodness:

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! (Matt. 7: 7-11 NASB).

His goodness is revealed in His mercy, patience and grace—His goodness He pours out on humanity, “God’s mercy is his goodness toward those in distress, his grace is his goodness toward those who deserve only punishment, and his patience is his goodness toward those who continue to sin over a period of time.”[3]

The Goodness of God appeared most illustriously when He sent Jesus Christ to us,

To redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the adoptions of sons (Gal. 4:45 NASB).

“Christ walked with men on earth that He might show them what God is like and make known the true nature of God to a race that had wrong ideas about Him. This was only one of the things He did while here in the flesh, but this He did with beautiful perfection.”[4]

In the face of evil, it is hard to see good; remember the words of Sam to Frodo, when he felt hopeless and in despair of the times;

Sam: It's like in the great stories Mr. Frodo, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn't want to know the end because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end it's only a passing thing this shadow, even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines it'll shine out the clearer. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (New Line Cinema, 2002). 

We have a greater assurance than Sam and Frodo; the goodness of God is at the heart of every believer’s trust. The evil we face is not just some shadow, it is a real evil that Christ Jesus has defeated. Christ is coming, and He will wipe out all the wickedness from the earth. It is the excellency in God which grabs hold of our hearts, because His goodness endures forever, we need never to be discouraged:

The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, And He knows those who take refuge in Him. Nahum 1:7

The presence of evil in the world does not negate that God is good. Nor is it reasonable to question God’s existence in light of evil:

“When you say there's too much evil in this world you assume there's good. When you assume there's good, you assume there's such a thing as a moral law on the basis of which to differentiate between good and evil. But if you assume a moral law, you must posit a moral Law Giver, but that's Who you're trying to disprove and not prove. Because if there's no moral Law Giver, there's no moral law. If there's no moral law, there's no good. If there's no good, there's no evil.” ~ Ravi Zacharias

Just because there is evil in the word, does not mean that God is not good. It is not the absence of God that evil proves, rather it is the expression of our sin and fallenness—our evil choices. But even to the worst of sinners, God’s Mercy is reaching out offering redemption.  

“Nor can the benevolence of God be justly called into question because there is suffering and sorrow in the world. If man sins against the goodness of God, if he despises ‘the riches of His goodness and forbearance, and longsuffering,’ and after the hardness and impenitency of his heart treasurest up unto himself wrath against the day of wrath (Rom. 2: 4-5), who is to blame but himself? Would God be good if He punished not those who ill-use His blessings, abuse His benevolence, and trample His mercies beneath their feet?”[5]

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age (Titus 2: 11-12 NASB).

“To allow that God could be other than good is to deny the validity of all thought and end in the negation of every moral judgment. If God is not good, then there can be no distinction between kindness and cruelty.”[6]

The goodness of God. God is the Creator of the world, and is its Source and Sustainer. Goodness has its source in God. Those who know and love God, understand that all goodness comes from God. We do not believe that God loves us because we are good, but because He is good.

“Since evil must ‘use’ good in order even to exist, it is appropriate that good, being superior, should be able to return the favor. But good does not ultimately ‘use’ evil by manipulating it, but rather by absorbing it through sacrifice. There is a price to be paid for good to overcome evil; and God, precisely because He is good, is willing to pay it.”[7]

So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. 5: 18-21NASB Emphasis mine).

This is the goodness of God—that He loves us, and though we are fallen—offers redemption through the loving sacrifice of His Son. So beautiful. So Good. 

Taste and see that the Lord is good. Ps. 34:8

My scribbling....

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[1] Ravi Zacharias, The Grand Weaver: How God Shapes Us Through The Events Of Our Lives (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007), 24.
[2] A.W. Pink, The Nature Of God (Chicago: Moody Press., 1999), 70.
[3] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 199.
[4] A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge Of The Holy (New York: HarperOne, 1961), 84.
[5] Arthur W. Pink, The Attributes Of God (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1975), 59.
[6] Tozer, 82.
[7] Donald T. Williams, Reflections From Plato’s Cave: Essays In Evangelical Philosophy ( Lynchburg: Lantern Hollow Press., 2012), 142.