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"Oh How Great His Goodness Is!" (Pt 1) Whether we know it or not we all benefit from the goodness of Jehovah God. Religious people often repeat the phrase "God is good" or similar. The Bible is far more emphatic. Zechariah 9:17 Oh how great His goodness is... It seems however that few really know what these words actually mean. An Outstanding Facet of Divine Love In many modern languages 'goodness' is a somewhat bland word. Yet in the Bible it refers to virtue and moral excellence so that we might say that goodness permeates Jehovah. All His attributes such as His power, justice and wisdom are good through and through. More than this though it is best described as an expression of Jehovah's love. Goodness is an active, outgoing quality. Paul indicated that in humans it is even more appealing than righteousness. Romans 5: 7 For hardly would anyone die for a righteous man; though perhaps for a good man someone may dare to die. The righteous man can be counted on to adhere faithfully to the requirements of the law but a good man does more. He takes the initiative in actively seeking ways to benefit others. How much more so is Jehovah in actively seeking good for others and such goodness springs from His boundless love. Jehovah is unique in His goodness. Not long before Jesus died a man approach him to ask a question addressing him with these words, "Good Teacher." Jesus response might strike you as puzzling. Mark 10:17+18 As he was going on his way, a man ran up and fell on his knees before him and put the question to him: “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit everlasting life?” Jesus said to him: “Why do you call me good? Nobody is good except one, God. Why did Jesus correct the man? Was not Jesus, in fact, a "Good Teacher"? Evidently, the man was using the words "Good Teacher" as a flattering title. We know that many of the Jewish authorities often tried to 'catch out' Jesus in his teachings so as to bring condemnation upon him. However, Jesus modestly directed such glory to his heavenly Father, who is good in the supreme sense. Proverbs 11:2 When presumptuousness comes, dishonor will follow, but wisdom is with the modest ones Jesus was also affirming a profound truth. Jehovah alone is the standard for what is good. Only He has the sovereign right to determine what is good and what is bad. Adam and Eve, by their rebellion, sought to assume this right for themselves, unlike Jesus, who humbly leaves the setting of standards to his Father. More than that, Jesus knew that Jehovah is the source of all that is truly good. James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect present is from above, coming down from the Father of the celestial lights, who does not vary or change like the shifting shadows When each man sets these standards for himself, chaos results, as we see every day in the world around us. Evidence of Jehovah's Abundant Goodness Everyone who has ever lived has benefited from Jehovah's goodness. Psalm 145:9 Jehovah is good to all and his mercy is evident in all his works. Look outside your window. Breath the air. Taste the fruit. Smell the rain. Pat your soft cat. Play with your . Ride a . And so very much more. Acts 14:17 ..He did not leave himself without witness in that He did good, giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying you with food and filling your hearts with gladness. We have obvious evidence of Jehovah's goodness in designing this earth with its ever-recycling water supply and "fruitful season" which has the ability to produce abundant food supplies. Everyone benefits, not just those He loves. Matthew 5:45 ...He makes his sun rise on both the wicked and the good and makes it rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous. Many take for granted the sheer generosity that is heaped upon us because of the continued action of the sun, the rain and the fruitful seasons. Consider for example, the apple. It is a common fruit. It is beautiful. Delicious to eat and full of refreshing water and vital nutrients. There are some 7500 varieties of apple. Hold an apple pip in your fingers. It seems rather insignificant but from it grows one of the world's loveliest of trees. Every spring the apple tree is crowned with a glorious halo of blossoms and every Autumn it produces fruit. In fact, the apple tree can live for 75 years and, on average, each year, it can yield 840 pound of fruit! Amazing! Wonderful! The Shulammite girl of Solomon's endearing poem even compares the beauty of her shepherd boy love to the beauty of the apple tree. Song of Solomon 2:3 “Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my dear one among the sons. I passionately desire to sit in his shade, And his fruit is sweet to my taste. In His infinite goodness Jehovah has given us a body that is "wonderfully made," with senses designed to help us perceive His works and delight in them. Psalm 139:1 I praise you because in an awe-inspiring way I am wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know this very well. The human eye is designed to detect over 300,000 different colours! Our sense of hearing catches the nuances of tone in a well-loved voice, the whisper of the wind through the trees, the 's ecstatic laugh. Proverbs 20:12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye —Jehovah has made both of them. Without our sense of taste, food would simply be fuel, and of no delight at all. A symphony of flavour greets you as your taste buds detect subtleties created by foods chemical makeup. The human nose can distinguish some 10,000 different odours. Our sense of touch enables us to feel the caress of the breeze, the reassuring embrace of a loved one, the satisfying feel of a piece of fruit. Truly, we have every reason to exclaim to Jehovah in great thankfulness the words found in: Psalm 31:19 How abundant your goodness is!.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Food for thought, great gratitude and thankfulness. Love, Katidid. |
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