Pondering God (Part 19)

19 May. Continuing our study and ponderings of God. Who is He? God is good. Wasn't that one of the first things you learned to pray as a child? "God is great, God is good. Let us thank Him for our food. Amen." But wait a minute, there are tens of thousands of babies born monthly with birth defects. What's good about that one? Wars are killing thousands weekly whenever they happen in Gaza, Syria, Africa, in the drug kingdoms of Central and South America...and any other hot spots. God is good in light of those? You've got to be kidding! 

On Friday, school shooting #6 in the US this year, with more students and maybe others killed. God is good? Ha!
What is the argument that people make about God not being good? Usually it's about people and the inhumanity of people towards each other. Infidelity in marriage, gossip which is tantamount to murder in office and neighbourhood conversations... it's all about man vs man. God is rarely invoked and if he were, it would be a fake God anyway. The real God is good.

He's good when the world treats others badly.
He's good when nations learn war against one another.
He's good when bad people do bad things to others.

He is good, all the time. All the time God is good.

The Hebrew midwives experienced God's goodness (Exodus 1.20) in helping them in their work. 

One day a young rich man came sincerely to Yeshua. He knelt down in front of him as a sign of respect. He began, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" (Mark 10.17) The question is odd. Think about this. How does one inherit something? By doing anything? Nope. But rather by BEING someone. The young man had some confusion based on his Jewish upbringing. I too, have a Jewish upbringing, and similarly learned that when God wanted to bless us, He would do so with finances and other riches. But Yeshua had just spoken (verse 15) about being a child and inheriting the Kingdom of God. It's a matter of receiving, not earning. It's based on relationship, not on rewards. 

But before Yeshua addressed this issue, which He does, He starts with a question about the man's salutation. Yeshua asked the man, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone." 

Yeshua was NOT telling the man that he was not God, nor that he wasn't even good. What he WAS saying to the inquirer, was that HE was God, and that if the man would see that, his life would be different. Acknowledging Yeshua as God in the flesh, which is an amazing concept in itself, and acknowledging His goodness, will change your life forever. Why? Because it changes us from earners to receivers. 

God is good. Let us thank Him for food. And for our lives. And for our station in life. And for His plans for us. And for eternity which He extends to those who put their trust in Him. 

Shabbat shalom.