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11/13 Reading Portions: 1 Chronicles 1-2; Hebrews 8; Amos 2; Psalm 145
Psalm 145:9
The LORD is good to all,
GOOD
When the rich young ruler approached Jesus, calling Him “Good Master,” Jesus responded by saying,
“Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone” Mark 10:18
God is good; and His goodness should be unquestionable. Our corrupt flesh, however, does not want to face its truth. There are some who bring the LORD’s character into question, suggesting He is unfair, and thus, not good to those of whom He will send to hell for their wicked rebellion and disobedience. This is a perverse view of God’s mercy and a misunderstanding of His justice. Our verse today says that the LORD is good to all. In other words, He acts with goodness toward all. If God were selective in His goodness toward others, then He wouldn’t be good at all— because God is absolutely good by virtue of His very nature. God is good to the redeemed and reprobate alike. His mercy extends to the wicked by not striking them dead and casting them into outer judgment immediately. The wicked enjoy every breath in their nostrils, food in their bellies, sunshine on their faces, and raindrops on their flower beds as if they were as good as God and as righteous as Jesus Christ Himself— because our gracious and sovereign LORD decrees it so.
If the thought ever pops into our minds that God is less than good, at times is not good, or is not good to all, we should not only rebuke the notion immediately, we should also repent and beg God’s forgiveness for such an insidious idea. Wrong views of God’s character produce all kinds of mischief in our minds. A true and biblical view, however, fills our hearts with love toward Christ, fills our souls with worship toward God, and fills our minds with peace that surpasses understanding. Hallelujah! What a Savior!
The Lord, our God, to all is good,
Declares His holy Word;
To think else, we’ve misunderstood,
With thoughts that are absurd.
