The most important precept we must understand and believe is that God is good. If we don’t, there is no possibility that we can correctly interpret the Bible, much less trust Him.
Our interpretation of power, holiness, provision, healing, presence, guidance, care, and relationship will completely impact our interpretation of His goodness.
Our perspective upon how he “should” be doing something often determines our perspective of whether He is, can, should, would, or will do it.
We need to always remember, if we read something about God and it doesn’t make sense in the light of His goodness, we are not interpreting it correctly or we may need to be still and let Him teach us afresh what it is all about.
Of course, we will never understand apart from absolutely knowing and believing He is good, very good. He is always good!
We see His goodness from cover to cover in the Bible. For example, take a few minutes to pause and read the book of Jonah.
I love this book of the Bible.
I had an entire course on Jonah in undergrad. It was probably the most informative and transformative course I took.
We literally spent seven full weeks digging into those four chapters.
One of the assignments was to read it each week. I read it over and over in various translations each day during that seven weeks. This assignment has forever transformed the way I study tough passages of scripture. Of course, that was only one of my big takeaways!
I remember the first assignment of the course because it woke me up about how desperately I needed to dig deeper in the Bible. I thought I knew the story, the lessons, and the key takeaways, but that’s just it—I had a nodding acquaintance and thought that was enough.
In our first assignment, we were assigned to write a paper about all we knew about Jonah. Pause—take a few minutes to give it a try. Post yours here in the comments.
Oh! You should have seen mine!
Sure I had been reading through the Bible from the time I was eight years old. Sure, I had even studied the Bible in depth. However, I had never stopped to chew on it and ask ALL of the questions I could fathom, even the toughest questions. I had never read and studied until I confronted my own presuppositions. I had moments where some stories jumped out of the Bible and into my life, but I did not approach the entire Bible, especially the ugly parts like Jonah that way! Yet, this was an invitation to slow down, peel back the story and information to dare to look deeper.
The Book of Jonah does all that!
First of all, it is a book that vividly shows how man can miss it and God can still work despite our actions, intentions, faithfulness, or unfaithfulness.
How many of us need that today? Or, how many of us would respond completely different to ourselves and others if we realized this is how God is no matter what—despite our actions, intentions, faithfulness, or unfaithfulness. He is just GOOD!
Secondly, it shows the great lengths God goes to provide salvation, despite how we engage with Him or others.
This is how God is! He is good! One key theme in the Bible is the great lengths God goes to provide salvation. Think about Genesis!
In the opening chapters of Genesis, we see God’s first touches of salvation and deliverance even before the fall. This is because salvation is His nature. Look at Genesis 1 and 2. Woman was formed out of man for a very distinct purpose—not to be a personal assistant, housekeeper, babysitter, servant, prostitute, or slave—but to be his ezer (help in affliction, dusters, oppression, tribulation, trouble, or tights… deliverer or rescuer…strength, support, defender, aid, protector, shield…armed and prepared for battle…guard or keeper.) She was designed as an image bearer of God, our Ezer!
We see in Genesis 3 that even though man and woman fall from grace by usurping the kingship of God in exchange for their own desires, God still immediately made provision for salvation that would come from the birth of a child—God coming down to mankind to pay the price for sin.
Even the entire story of the Bible, with all mankind’s failure, rebellion, idolatry, and in faithfulness, shows God’s never ending goodness in offering salvation and deliverance instead of the judgment we all deserve.
Oh! Let’s take this one step forward—even the upcoming Great Tribulation is still salvific! Look at Daniel 9 as it states the purpose of the 490 years of judgment for Israel (they have 7 more years to come that will be the Great Tribulation):
“Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city: to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.” Daniel 9:24 NRSV
It’s salvific!
Even now, God is currently letting us feel the birth pangs in efforts to move us toward salvation and deliverance from the judgment yet to come.
I read almost every day responses like we see in Jonah—some refusing to share God’s message of warning….some running away from Him…some knowing something is going on, but unsure what it is about…some believing and repenting. God gives us prophesy because He wants for us to discern, know, prepare, and share so as many as possible will be saved. He is a good God Who goes to great lengths to provide salvation for all who will trust in Him.
Let’s go back to Jonah…
Do you question the goodness of God reading this book of the Bible? Many do! I mean—
What God would bring a “violently tempestuous” storm until they threw “His” guy off the ship into the stormy sea?
Why God would create a giant fish with the purpose of swallowing Jonah and keeping him in his belly for three days and three nights?
What God would send “His” prophet to the enemy of His people to preach and give them opportunity for salvation from destruction instead of bringing complete destruction upon them—the same enemy that this particular prophet had prophesied would be used to take his own people captive because if their disobedience and rebellion?
What God would “revoke” His judgment against a pagan people, knowing they would later turn back to their ways and take His own people into captivity?
What God would give to Jonah and take away what He gave him?
Do we read it this way….or….
Read it again…..
Do we see a good God?
A God Who does not want even one person to experience His judgment and wrath if they could possibly turn from their sin?
A God Who is at work even when we are clueless, all in efforts to protect us from judgment?
A God with a heart for all nations and all people, including His own?
A God with deep compassion for everyone, even those steeped in sin and those running from His presence?
A God of second chances, when we don’t deserve them…or especially when we actually deserve judgment ourselves?
Today, I see many who are angry, hurt, and frustrated about how God works. I see many Who are confused about the events of the Bible and the events of their lives. I see many who grapple with trusting God with their own lives.
This is an invitation to first take a fresh look at the Bible. Ask God to help you get to know Him and His heart. As you read the Bible, jot down or mark the ways He is good, even when we don’t deserve it. When you come across those passages that just don’t make sense….
Slow down.
Stop.
Search.
Seek.
Listen.
Make that a conversation with God. He will answer you. It will change everything!
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