The Goodness of God

Luke 5:4-11

Children often pray, “God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food, Amen”. I love that prayer! It is so simple and elementary, and most adults abandon it in favor of longer, more detailed prayers, but in the simplicity of that children’s prayer is found such a wonderful truth about our God.

Somewhere along the way, as we grow older and mature, we cease to view God as “great” and “good”. We know that He is great, but life has thrown us enough curves that we begin to doubt whether or not He is always “greater” than our circumstances. We do not doubt that He is good but we have had enough bad things happen to us that it is hard to see that He is always “good” to us.

I believe that it is a trick of Satan to cause us to view God as less than good and great. While believing that God is a good God, we have a hard time seeing Him as doing well for us all of the time. Most of us limit God’s goodness to when we act good. If we do good things, then we believe that God will do good things for us in return. This concept of God’s goodness has God rewarding us for good behavior and punishing us for the bad. Paul said, “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin” (Romans 4:8). If this promise only applies if we are obedient, then what is the point? Of course He won’t impute sin if we don’t commit it. What kind of promise is that? It is only “blessed” when we realize that God’s goodness is independent of our ability to earn it!

Paul said, “The goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (Romans 2:4). When God shows us blessings and goodness, we change our mind about who He is. Watch how the Lord deals with Peter in Luke 5, bringing Simon to his knees in repentance.

Despite Peter’s arguing that they had fished all night and caught nothing, he launches into the deep at the bequest of the Master. When he does this, he encloses a great multitude of fishes and the nets begin to break. This net-breaking blessing brings Peter to repentance, “When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” (Luke 5:8) It was not necessary to tell Peter what a sinner that he was or to quote from the Ten Commandments, in order to produce repentance from Peter, but rather Jesus gave him an undeserved blessing.

The goodness of God does not come upon us by obedience. If we received only upon obedience, we would not be receiving of God’s grace, but rather we would be receiving of God’s debt. He would owe us goodness as payment for our living correctly. Paul said, “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt” (Romans 4:4).

Finally, God is great because He is first good! When He shows forth His goodness to us, we change our minds about who He is and what He is. When we accept the goodness of God we cannot help but call Him great. Our children know Him as great because they first accept Him as good. See your Father as good to you and you will know your Father is great.

Green Pastures and Still Waters

Psalms 23:2

Our Good Shepherd promises to provide for all of our needs in placing the sheep at rest in green pastures and leading us beside still waters. God has always desired to place His people in a place of rest, both now and forever. Look at His promise through the Prophet Ezekiel:

“I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away.” (Ezekiel 34:14-16)

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures” shows that the sheep have been convinced that it is safe to lie down. Without a faithful shepherd, the sheep can never relax enough to lie down; for fear that the predator will take them. Jesus promises to give His life for the sheep if need be, so there is comfort in relaxing.

The Hebrew phrase here denotes ‘pastures of tender grass’, showing not only safety and security but ease of consumption. Our Lord loves to feed us, but He also loves to DO IT ALL! All we must do is take of the manna and eat it; there need be no effort on our part. See Jesus in the scriptures and do not grind His glory out of them. Some wrangle with passages until they have removed the loveliness of Jesus. Feast on His Word and it will fill your soul.

Another Hebrew phrase ‘waters of quietness’ is translated into English, “still waters”. Our Lord leads us to waters which we can easily drink from, without fear of being carried away on troubled waves. The ‘still waters’ are a type of the Holy Spirit, who Jesus calls the “Comforter”. He washes us over with gentle waves of love and forgiveness. Just as Jesus washed the dirt from the disciples’ feet, the Spirit in us speaks words of comfort into us to help our spirit to relax. The still water is an essential part of our dietary requirements, for as water is the life source to all living things, the Spirit is that life source to the believer.

Note the leadership of the shepherd in this verse. It is His job to find a place of rest for me and it is also His job to find fresh water. He has accomplished both in His Son at the cross. Christ hung His head and died so that I could find a place of rest with Him there. He gave His body and His blood so that I would always have to eat and drink. Our rest is in His rest and our food is in His body.

Look around today, and you will see your green pastures. They may come in segments; moments for you to revel in being His child. Listen for the gentle sounds of His still waters. They will refresh your soul. He placed them there just for you.

A New Covenant Miracle in an Old Covenant Story

2 Kings 2:19-22

The first miracle that Elisha performed, after the translation of his teacher Elijah into heaven in a chariot of fire, was to part the waters of the Jordan. His second miracle dealt with water as well; this time in healing it so that it would support crops. In many ways, Elijah is a type of John the Baptist, while Elisha is a type of Jesus. As Elijah went before Elisha, so did John before Jesus. As Elijah’s work brought glory to God, Elisha’s brought glory both to God and life to the people. The ministries of John and Jesus mirrored this example.

When Elisha comes to Jericho everything is good with the city and its citizens, but they have water that will not support the growth of crops, thus the farming industry is about to face a serious shortage. Elisha requests a “new cruse” or a ‘new pot’ with salt in it. He takes the new pot with salt in it to the spring of the waters and “cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land” (2 Kings 2:21).

The “new cruse” is a type of the New Covenant, as proved by the statement of Jesus:

“No man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.” (Luke 5:37, 38)

The New Covenant cannot be placed within the bottle or the mentality of the Old Covenant. Actually, if you try to place the grace and mercy of the New Covenant within the law and works of the Old Covenant you will burst the Old while spilling the New. Man tries to ‘balance’ the two, but God just calls it ‘mixture’.

Stored within the “new cruse” of Elisha is “salt”. Christ calls the church the “salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13) and asks how the world can be salted if we have lost our flavor. While salt causes thirst, it also holds medicinal value. The application of salt brings healing, and Jesus’ inclusion of us as salt shows that there is healing within the message of God’s goodness and grace and we have a responsibility to share that with all of the Jericho’s that we encounter.

Nestled into this Old Covenant story is a beautiful New Covenant truth. When there is barrenness and death in our lives, the healing salts of the New Covenant will enter to bring healing and wholeness. Paul called the gospel of Jesus Christ “the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16). Salvation is “soteria” in Greek, meaning “deliverance, preservation and wholeness”. The waters of our soul are restored by the finished work of Christ at the cross. He is our salt and the New Covenant is His “new cruse”.

Apply the goodness and grace of God to your situation today and watch the land of your soul flourish with His salvation.

When God Gives a Gift

Romans 11:29

Have you ever heard anyone say, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away”? This quote is out of context from the book of Job, where Job says, “The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away” (Job 1:21). Since God gives the reader a front row seat into the heavenlies in the preceding verses of that chapter, you and I know that it was not the Lord that took away from Job at all; it was the devil (Job 1:12). However, man has tried to explain why things come and go so God gets the blame.

Believer, remember this, and don’t ever forget it: Whatever God gives, HE CAN NEVER take away! The reason that God’s gifts are eternal is that God gives gifts with no strings attached. In other words, He never changes His mind about what He has given. In this, as well as many other areas, He is completely unlike us.

We might give a gift to someone and then ask for it back for one reason or the other, or perhaps we give a gift and are then unsatisfied with how the recipient is using it. We may have too much integrity to ask for the gift back, but we will make sure that they know how unhappy that we are with what they are doing with the gift that we went to such great lengths to give them.

In my early days of ministry, I heard teachings on this passage from Romans regarding two things in Christianity: the call to ministry and the gifts of the Spirit. That teaching said that if God called you to preach there were two things that you should be sure of: you had to do it or you went to hell and that you were always going to be called, no matter what. I have since learned that the blood of Jesus is the pre-requisite for heaven, not obedience to the field of ministry and if you are called, you won’t have to worry about ever wanting out because God calls us according to our will and good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).

The gifts of the Spirit are also a part of that verse’s interpretation, as they are given by God with no strings attached. Actually, Paul says in the next chapter that these gifts are given to us “according to the grace that is given to us” (Romans 12:6). Note the direct link between the gifts and the grace. That is awesome, but there is more!

When Paul says, “The gifts and calling of God are without repentance”, he is pointed in his use of “gifts” as a plural word and “calling” as a singular word. The gifts vary in that they include not only the gifts of the Spirit but any and all things that God gives us free of charge, such as grace. The calling deals with the call of the Spirit upon men’s hearts, inviting them to come to Jesus. “Repentance” speaks of changing one’s mind; thus when God gives you any gift or calls you to Him, He never changes His mind about selecting you.

What is the ultimate gift that God has given to every single person that believes? Paul answered this for us back in chapter 5: “For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17). Notice that because of the death of Jesus, God’s righteousness is a gift to us through our faith. If God gives righteousness as a gift and then promises that He will never change His mind about giving us a gift, can God see you as anything less than righteous for eternity? You ponder the answer to that one and let the Holy Spirit glorify the beauty of Jesus today!

Taste and See

Psalm 34

This Psalm of David is prefaced with the title, “A Psalm of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed”. Abimelech is the title for the king of the Philistines, whose name was actually Achish. David is on the run from King Saul who has determined to kill him, and he finds himself in a foreign land, where the people recognize him which causes him to fear for his life. He changed his behavior and acted like a mad man, scratching on the doors and foaming at the mouth. This is a different attitude from David than we are accustomed to! This is the giant killer, foaming around on the floor? Where is his courage? Where is his Covenant God?

David is displaying a very common trait of most of us: fear. He has been a great man of courage but now he is scared for his very life. This is a low moment in his life, and one that I am sure that he wants to forget. When he writes the 34th Psalm, the title reminds us of this story, but then the lyrics to the song, which encompass 22 verses, make no mention of this low moment. David understood a great principle; that when your past has become past, leave it in the past. His song gives praise to God and not to his failure; and the song of our heart should give praise to His finished work as well.

Psalm 34 is an acrostic, meaning that all 22 verses begin with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet, in order. Perhaps this was used by David as a memory aid, so that the reader could quickly memorize the song; or maybe it was simply the Holy Spirit showing art as inspired by God. We may have no absolute answer, but we can be sure that it wasn’t accidental. Our God is a beautiful artist.

The first ten verses constitute a song, while the last 12 make up a sermon. It is in the song portion of the chapter that David challenges the singer to “taste and see that the LORD is good” (verse 8). Can you “taste and see”? How can your taste buds cause your eyes to open? Of course we know what David means, that if you taste of the goodness of the Lord, you will see that He is as good as advertised. However, there is a greater connection that states that as we taste of His goodness, our spiritual eyes will be enlightened. We literally see better in the realm of the spirit when our spirit man is feeding on Jesus.

Jonathan was coming back from battling the Philistines and his belly was grumbling with hunger. Unbeknownst to him, his father had forbid all soldiers from eating while he sought God for victory in the battle. Jonathan was told of the forced fast and he felt that it was foolish, for the people were growing weak from no food. He put his hand to a honeycomb and then ate of the honey, “and his eyes were enlightened” (1 Samuel 14:27).

When we place the sweetness of God’s love for us to our mouth, we have our eyes enlightened. Show me a saint that has no spiritual insight and who never has a fresh revelation of who God is, and I will show you someone who never feeds on God’s wonderful love for them. This has nothing to do with church attendance or “doing” Christian things. Many people are wrapped in religious trappings but they have no enlightenment of spirit. Be free from the trappings of religion and taste and see that your Lord is truly good.

For God So Loved

John 3:16, 17, 36

What a great phrase, “For God so loved the world”! There is a world of power and love that is hanging on that little word, “so”. He “so” loved us that He killed His own Son Jesus so that He would not have to kill all of us. He “so” loved us while we were living in sin and rejecting Him that He showed that love off on a hill called Calvary. That “so” love is why we are here.

I personally consider this statement to be one of the most important regarding the grace of God, because it shows us how much that God loves each and every person. There is no love like sacrificial love that denies its own to save another. While a segment of the church clamors to put the Ten Commandments on the walls of our schools and courthouses, where is the focus group wanting to display John 3:16? The luster has been removed from scriptures regarding God’s powerful love for humanity, but we should polish them, and bring it back!

The 17th verse tells what makes verse 16 so great, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved”. The reason that Jesus came was not to condemn the world, for they were condemned already. They could be no guiltier than they already were, and the knowledge of that guilt was not helping them to change in the least. Instead, Christ came to provide a way of escape from the guilt and condemnation. Through His payment at the cross, man would be reunited with God, having no wall of separation between them, if He merely accepts Christ by faith.

As we live for the Lord it is easy to forget just how loved that we are. Sometimes we may think that His love for us is tied to our performance for Him. If we do good, perhaps He loves us more, but if we do bad then His love wanes a bit. Because God “so loved the world”, He gave His Son to save us not only from our sins, but also from our performance. If Christianity were all about performance, then Christ’s death on the cross was a waste of time. Judaism was already about performance before Christ came and died, but His death was the culmination of His perfect performance. Because He performed perfectly, you and I partake in His perfection.

John writes, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36). Our performance has nothing to do with receiving the life that lasts forever. Our faith in Jesus Christ is the sole requirement, while the lack thereof will place us underneath the wrath of God. Since God’s wrath was poured out on Jesus at the cross, there should be none left for us. Stay in Jesus by faith and you are free from any judgment.

To comprehend how great God’s “so” love is for us, we should consider the magnitude of His giving His only Son. There is no one on the planet that I would sacrifice my son for, so I cannot fathom this type of love, yet God did it so that I could go free. Receive a revelation of His “so” love for you today and watch as the chains of condemnation fall from your heart and mind.

The Goodness of God

Luke 5:4-11

Children often pray, “God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food, Amen”. I love that prayer! It is so simple and elementary, and most adults abandon it in favor of longer, more detailed prayers, but in the simplicity of that children’s prayer is found such a wonderful truth about our God.

Somewhere along the way, as we grow older and mature, we cease to view God as “great” and “good”. We know that He is great, but life has thrown us enough curves that we begin to doubt whether or not He is always “greater” than our circumstances. We do not doubt that He is good but we have had enough bad things happen to us that it is hard to see that He is always “good” to us.

I believe that it is a trick of Satan to cause us to view God as less than good and great. While believing that God is a good God, we have a hard time seeing Him as doing well for us all of the time. Most of us limit God’s goodness to when we act good. If we do good things, then we believe that God will do good things for us in return. This concept of God’s goodness has God rewarding us for good behavior and punishing us for the bad. Paul said, “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin” (Romans 4:8). If this promise only applies if we are obedient, then what is the point? Of course He won’t impute sin if we don’t commit it. What kind of promise is that? It is only “blessed” when we realize that God’s goodness is independent of our ability to earn it!

Paul said, “The goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (Romans 2:4). When God shows us blessings and goodness, we change our mind about who He is. Watch how the Lord deals with Peter in Luke 5, bringing Simon to his knees in repentance.

Despite Peter’s arguing that they had fished all night and caught nothing, he launches into the deep at the bequest of the Master. When he does this, he encloses a great multitude of fishes and the nets begin to break. This net-breaking blessing brings Peter to repentance, “When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” (Luke 5:8) It was not necessary to tell Peter what a sinner that he was or to quote from the Ten Commandments, in order to produce repentance from Peter, but rather Jesus gave him an undeserved blessing.

The goodness of God does not come upon us by obedience. If we received only upon obedience, we would not be receiving of God’s grace, but rather we would be receiving of God’s debt. He would owe us goodness as payment for our living correctly. Paul said, “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt” (Romans 4:4).

Finally, God is great because He is first good! When He shows forth His goodness to us, we change our minds about who He is and what He is. When we accept the goodness of God we cannot help but call Him great. Our children know Him as great because they first accept Him as good. See your Father as good to you and you will know your Father is great.

Green Pastures and Still Waters

Psalms 23:2

Our Good Shepherd promises to provide for all of our needs in placing the sheep at rest in green pastures and leading us beside still waters. God has always desired to place His people in a place of rest, both now and forever. Look at His promise through the Prophet Ezekiel:

“I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away.” (Ezekiel 34:14-16)

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures” shows that the sheep have been convinced that it is safe to lie down. Without a faithful shepherd, the sheep can never relax enough to lie down; for fear that the predator will take them. Jesus promises to give His life for the sheep if need be, so there is comfort in relaxing.

The Hebrew phrase here denotes ‘pastures of tender grass’, showing not only safety and security but ease of consumption. Our Lord loves to feed us, but He also loves to DO IT ALL! All we must do is take of the manna and eat it; there need be no effort on our part. See Jesus in the scriptures and do not grind His glory out of them. Some wrangle with passages until they have removed the loveliness of Jesus. Feast on His Word and it will fill your soul.

Another Hebrew phrase ‘waters of quietness’ is translated into English, “still waters”. Our Lord leads us to waters which we can easily drink from, without fear of being carried away on troubled waves. The ‘still waters’ are a type of the Holy Spirit, who Jesus calls the “Comforter”. He washes us over with gentle waves of love and forgiveness. Just as Jesus washed the dirt from the disciples’ feet, the Spirit in us speaks words of comfort into us to help our spirit to relax. The still water is an essential part of our dietary requirements, for as water is the life source to all living things, the Spirit is that life source to the believer.

Note the leadership of the shepherd in this verse. It is His job to find a place of rest for me and it is also His job to find fresh water. He has accomplished both in His Son at the cross. Christ hung His head and died so that I could find a place of rest with Him there. He gave His body and His blood so that I would always have to eat and drink. Our rest is in His rest and our food is in His body.

Look around today, and you will see your green pastures. They may come in segments; moments for you to revel in being His child. Listen for the gentle sounds of His still waters. They will refresh your soul. He placed them there just for you.

A New Covenant Miracle in an Old Covenant Story

2 Kings 2:19-22

The first miracle that Elisha performed, after the translation of his teacher Elijah into heaven in a chariot of fire, was to part the waters of the Jordan. His second miracle dealt with water as well; this time in healing it so that it would support crops. In many ways, Elijah is a type of John the Baptist, while Elisha is a type of Jesus. As Elijah went before Elisha, so did John before Jesus. As Elijah’s work brought glory to God, Elisha’s brought glory both to God and life to the people. The ministries of John and Jesus mirrored this example.

When Elisha comes to Jericho everything is good with the city and its citizens, but they have water that will not support the growth of crops, thus the farming industry is about to face a serious shortage. Elisha requests a “new cruse” or a ‘new pot’ with salt in it. He takes the new pot with salt in it to the spring of the waters and “cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land” (2 Kings 2:21).

The “new cruse” is a type of the New Covenant, as proved by the statement of Jesus:

“No man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.” (Luke 5:37, 38)

The New Covenant cannot be placed within the bottle or the mentality of the Old Covenant. Actually, if you try to place the grace and mercy of the New Covenant within the law and works of the Old Covenant you will burst the Old while spilling the New. Man tries to ‘balance’ the two, but God just calls it ‘mixture’.

Stored within the “new cruse” of Elisha is “salt”. Christ calls the church the “salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13) and asks how the world can be salted if we have lost our flavor. While salt causes thirst, it also holds medicinal value. The application of salt brings healing, and Jesus’ inclusion of us as salt shows that there is healing within the message of God’s goodness and grace and we have a responsibility to share that with all of the Jericho’s that we encounter.

Nestled into this Old Covenant story is a beautiful New Covenant truth. When there is barrenness and death in our lives, the healing salts of the New Covenant will enter to bring healing and wholeness. Paul called the gospel of Jesus Christ “the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16). Salvation is “soteria” in Greek, meaning “deliverance, preservation and wholeness”. The waters of our soul are restored by the finished work of Christ at the cross. He is our salt and the New Covenant is His “new cruse”.

Apply the goodness and grace of God to your situation today and watch the land of your soul flourish with His salvation.

When God Gives a Gift

Romans 11:29

Have you ever heard anyone say, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away”? This quote is out of context from the book of Job, where Job says, “The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away” (Job 1:21). Since God gives the reader a front row seat into the heavenlies in the preceding verses of that chapter, you and I know that it was not the Lord that took away from Job at all; it was the devil (Job 1:12). However, man has tried to explain why things come and go so God gets the blame.

Believer, remember this, and don’t ever forget it: Whatever God gives, HE CAN NEVER take away! The reason that God’s gifts are eternal is that God gives gifts with no strings attached. In other words, He never changes His mind about what He has given. In this, as well as many other areas, He is completely unlike us.

We might give a gift to someone and then ask for it back for one reason or the other, or perhaps we give a gift and are then unsatisfied with how the recipient is using it. We may have too much integrity to ask for the gift back, but we will make sure that they know how unhappy that we are with what they are doing with the gift that we went to such great lengths to give them.

In my early days of ministry, I heard teachings on this passage from Romans regarding two things in Christianity: the call to ministry and the gifts of the Spirit. That teaching said that if God called you to preach there were two things that you should be sure of: you had to do it or you went to hell and that you were always going to be called, no matter what. I have since learned that the blood of Jesus is the pre-requisite for heaven, not obedience to the field of ministry and if you are called, you won’t have to worry about ever wanting out because God calls us according to our will and good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).

The gifts of the Spirit are also a part of that verse’s interpretation, as they are given by God with no strings attached. Actually, Paul says in the next chapter that these gifts are given to us “according to the grace that is given to us” (Romans 12:6). Note the direct link between the gifts and the grace. That is awesome, but there is more!

When Paul says, “The gifts and calling of God are without repentance”, he is pointed in his use of “gifts” as a plural word and “calling” as a singular word. The gifts vary in that they include not only the gifts of the Spirit but any and all things that God gives us free of charge, such as grace. The calling deals with the call of the Spirit upon men’s hearts, inviting them to come to Jesus. “Repentance” speaks of changing one’s mind; thus when God gives you any gift or calls you to Him, He never changes His mind about selecting you.

What is the ultimate gift that God has given to every single person that believes? Paul answered this for us back in chapter 5: “For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17). Notice that because of the death of Jesus, God’s righteousness is a gift to us through our faith. If God gives righteousness as a gift and then promises that He will never change His mind about giving us a gift, can God see you as anything less than righteous for eternity? You ponder the answer to that one and let the Holy Spirit glorify the beauty of Jesus today!

Taste and See

Psalm 34

This Psalm of David is prefaced with the title, “A Psalm of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed”. Abimelech is the title for the king of the Philistines, whose name was actually Achish. David is on the run from King Saul who has determined to kill him, and he finds himself in a foreign land, where the people recognize him which causes him to fear for his life. He changed his behavior and acted like a mad man, scratching on the doors and foaming at the mouth. This is a different attitude from David than we are accustomed to! This is the giant killer, foaming around on the floor? Where is his courage? Where is his Covenant God?

David is displaying a very common trait of most of us: fear. He has been a great man of courage but now he is scared for his very life. This is a low moment in his life, and one that I am sure that he wants to forget. When he writes the 34th Psalm, the title reminds us of this story, but then the lyrics to the song, which encompass 22 verses, make no mention of this low moment. David understood a great principle; that when your past has become past, leave it in the past. His song gives praise to God and not to his failure; and the song of our heart should give praise to His finished work as well.

Psalm 34 is an acrostic, meaning that all 22 verses begin with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet, in order. Perhaps this was used by David as a memory aid, so that the reader could quickly memorize the song; or maybe it was simply the Holy Spirit showing art as inspired by God. We may have no absolute answer, but we can be sure that it wasn’t accidental. Our God is a beautiful artist.

The first ten verses constitute a song, while the last 12 make up a sermon. It is in the song portion of the chapter that David challenges the singer to “taste and see that the LORD is good” (verse 8). Can you “taste and see”? How can your taste buds cause your eyes to open? Of course we know what David means, that if you taste of the goodness of the Lord, you will see that He is as good as advertised. However, there is a greater connection that states that as we taste of His goodness, our spiritual eyes will be enlightened. We literally see better in the realm of the spirit when our spirit man is feeding on Jesus.

Jonathan was coming back from battling the Philistines and his belly was grumbling with hunger. Unbeknownst to him, his father had forbid all soldiers from eating while he sought God for victory in the battle. Jonathan was told of the forced fast and he felt that it was foolish, for the people were growing weak from no food. He put his hand to a honeycomb and then ate of the honey, “and his eyes were enlightened” (1 Samuel 14:27).

When we place the sweetness of God’s love for us to our mouth, we have our eyes enlightened. Show me a saint that has no spiritual insight and who never has a fresh revelation of who God is, and I will show you someone who never feeds on God’s wonderful love for them. This has nothing to do with church attendance or “doing” Christian things. Many people are wrapped in religious trappings but they have no enlightenment of spirit. Be free from the trappings of religion and taste and see that your Lord is truly good.

The Lord Prefers Mercy

Hosea 6:6

Jesus was confronted by the Pharisees concerning His eating with publicans and sinners. He responded that the healthy do not need a doctor, but the sick do (Matthew 9:12). He then challenged those Pharisees to “go ye and learn what that meaneth, ‘I will have mercy, and not sacrifice’: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (9:13).

The passage that Jesus is challenging them to go and learn is found in the Old Testament book of Hosea, and it is an indicator as to the nature of God. The default position for God has never been judgment, but rather, it has always been mercy. When Adam sinned in Eden, God could have killed him outright or worse yet, he could have let him remain in the Garden to eat the Tree of Life and live forever in a fallen state. God’s mercy kept Adam from that terrible fate, and then went with him to sojourn the earth.

When God dealt with Abraham, He showed him constant mercy, even though Abraham brought along his nephew Lot, and lied to Abimelech about his wife, as well as to Pharaoh. God gave him endless mercy, for that is the heart of God.

God has always desired to show mercy over the offering of sacrifices, but few men could see that through their blind lust to attempt to do the right thing by their own power. When David sinned with Bathsheba, the prayer that resulted from that terrible sin of adultery was one of faith and hope in a better covenant. The normal method for receiving forgiveness of sins was to slaughter a lamb and offer its blood as atonement for one’s sins, but David bypasses this method, stating, “For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Psalms 51:16, 17). There was not a single scripture to indicate to David that God wanted anything but sacrifice, but his heart of faith knew that it was not the heartbeat of his loving Father to prefer anything but mercy.

God desires mercy over sacrifice because mercy speaks of relationship, while sacrifice speaks of religion. For a merciful exchange, there is an intimate relationship that results, while a sacrifice is a ritualistic, religious practice that needs only obedience but no emotional attachment. In other words, anyone can offer up a sacrifice with no change of heart, but God wants to know His children. Mercy is for those that you know, while sacrifice is for those that you wish to know. We have a greater relationship with our Daddy God than to just “want to know”.

Apparently, the Pharisees ignore Jesus’ request to study the book of Hosea, for He says the same thing to them a few chapters later when they accuse the disciples of doing unlawful things on the Sabbath day. “But if ye had known what this meaneth, ‘I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless’” (Matthew 12:7).

Thank God for His mercy and goodness toward us! Let’s not be accused of the same apathy as the Pharisees. Let us study to show ourselves approved and find out what it means when Jesus says “I prefer mercy and not sacrifice”.

The Goodness of God

Luke 5:4-11

Children often pray, “God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food, Amen”. I love that prayer! It is so simple and elementary, and most adults abandon it in favor of longer, more detailed prayers, but in the simplicity of that children’s prayer is found such a wonderful truth about our God.

Somewhere along the way, as we grow older and mature, we cease to view God as “great” and “good”. We know that He is great, but life has thrown us enough curves that we begin to doubt whether or not He is always “greater” than our circumstances. We do not doubt that He is good but we have had enough bad things happen to us that it is hard to see that He is always “good” to us.

I believe that it is a trick of Satan to cause us to view God as less than good and great. While believing that God is a good God, we have a hard time seeing Him as doing well for us all of the time. Most of us limit God’s goodness to when we act good. If we do good things, then we believe that God will do good things for us in return. This concept of God’s goodness has God rewarding us for good behavior and punishing us for the bad. Paul said, “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin” (Romans 4:8). If this promise only applies if we are obedient, then what is the point? Of course He won’t impute sin if we don’t commit it. What kind of promise is that? It is only “blessed” when we realize that God’s goodness is independent of our ability to earn it!

Paul said, “The goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (Romans 2:4). When God shows us blessings and goodness, we change our mind about who He is. Watch how the Lord deals with Peter in Luke 5, bringing Simon to his knees in repentance.

Despite Peter’s arguing that they had fished all night and caught nothing, he launches into the deep at the bequest of the Master. When he does this, he encloses a great multitude of fishes and the nets begin to break. This net-breaking blessing brings Peter to repentance, “When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” (Luke 5:8) It was not necessary to tell Peter what a sinner that he was or to quote from the Ten Commandments, in order to produce repentance from Peter, but rather Jesus gave him an undeserved blessing.

The goodness of God does not come upon us by obedience. If we received only upon obedience, we would not be receiving of God’s grace, but rather we would be receiving of God’s debt. He would owe us goodness as payment for our living correctly. Paul said, “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt” (Romans 4:4).

Finally, God is great because He is first good! When He shows forth His goodness to us, we change our minds about who He is and what He is. When we accept the goodness of God we cannot help but call Him great. Our children know Him as great because they first accept Him as good. See your Father as good to you and you will know your Father is great.

His Goodness Will Hunt You Down

Psalms 23:6

The Psalmist is so confident that his Shepherd is good that he opens the final verse of the 23rd Psalm with “Surely goodness…” There is no doubt that goodness and mercy will come his way. When the sheep have the past experience of watching their shepherd protect them and bless them, they are confident that He will always do so.

It is important to note the word that the English uses in this verse, and how different that it is from the original Hebrew. David says that goodness and mercy “shall follow me all the days of my life”, but the word ‘follow’ is a bit misleading. The Hebrew word for ‘follow’ is ‘radaph’ which means, “To pursue, to run after, to chase” or literally, “to hunt you down”. It is first found in Genesis 14, when Abram finds that his nephew Lot has been kidnapped. Abram assembles his own army of 318 men and “pursued them unto Dan” (Genesis 14:14). The word ‘pursued’ is ‘radaph’.

Just as Abram hunted the kidnappers down and brought them to justice, the Holy Spirit is saying through the Psalmist that we can be assured that God’s goodness and mercy will hunt us down as well. This entire Psalm has been about the accompaniment of our Good Shepherd. If He leads, we follow. If we leave the path, He restores us. If we are hurt, He heals us. It even shows Him go with us into areas that He did not lead us. The finality is that as we follow the footprints of the Shepherd, His goodness and mercy follow close after us.

We do not have to look for the goodness and the mercy, for it will look for us. Many believers have become sidetracked and discouraged because they are always looking for goodness and blessings. They have actually turned Christianity into one big blessing, rather than the relationship that it is. Follow after blessings and you will always be on the chasing end. Follow after Jesus and the blessings will chase you!

David found that dwelling in the house of the LORD for ever was the most blessed thing. He commented that he would rather be a “doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Psalms 84:10). It was for this cause that he wanted to build the temple, but God deferred that honor to his son Solomon. David was a New Covenant thinker living in an Old Covenant world. You and I are the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19), so we dwell in His house forever. This promise in Psalms 23:6 is ours everyday because of the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Follow your shepherd today and fully expect that He is going to do the same to you with good things in your life and mercy in your spirit.

Green Pastures and Still Waters

Psalms 23:2

Our Good Shepherd promises to provide for all of our needs in placing the sheep at rest in green pastures and leading us beside still waters. God has always desired to place His people in a place of rest, both now and forever. Look at His promise through the Prophet Ezekiel:

“I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away.” (Ezekiel 34:14-16)

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures” shows that the sheep have been convinced that it is safe to lie down. Without a faithful shepherd, the sheep can never relax enough to lie down; for fear that the predator will take them. Jesus promises to give His life for the sheep if need be, so there is comfort in relaxing.

The Hebrew phrase here denotes ‘pastures of tender grass’, showing not only safety and security but ease of consumption. Our Lord loves to feed us, but He also loves to DO IT ALL! All we must do is take of the manna and eat it; there need be no effort on our part. See Jesus in the scriptures and do not grind His glory out of them. Some wrangle with passages until they have removed the loveliness of Jesus. Feast on His Word and it will fill your soul.

Another Hebrew phrase ‘waters of quietness’ is translated into English, “still waters”. Our Lord leads us to waters which we can easily drink from, without fear of being carried away on troubled waves. The ‘still waters’ are a type of the Holy Spirit, who Jesus calls the “Comforter”. He washes us over with gentle waves of love and forgiveness. Just as Jesus washed the dirt from the disciples’ feet, the Spirit in us speaks words of comfort into us to help our spirit to relax. The still water is an essential part of our dietary requirements, for as water is the life source to all living things, the Spirit is that life source to the believer.

Note the leadership of the shepherd in this verse. It is His job to find a place of rest for me and it is also His job to find fresh water. He has accomplished both in His Son at the cross. Christ hung His head and died so that I could find a place of rest with Him there. He gave His body and His blood so that I would always have to eat and drink. Our rest is in His rest and our food is in His body.

Look around today, and you will see your green pastures. They may come in segments; moments for you to revel in being His child. Listen for the gentle sounds of His still waters. They will refresh your soul. He placed them there just for you.

The Preventing God

Psalms 21:3

This verse takes on a new meaning when we can clear the hurdle that the word “prevent” causes. We see “prevent” in a negative light, not a positive one, which causes us to see God as keeping us from the “blessings of goodness”.

In Hebrew, the phrase is “qadam” and it means “to come before, to anticipate”. In other words, it is something good if God is “preventing” because it means that God knows what is coming before it gets here and if He is preventing with the blessings of goodness then He is bringing us good things before we even know that we need them!

It is now, and always has been, God’s heart to function in this ‘preventing’ manner. Like the Father, standing at the end of the lane, watching for the return of the Prodigal, antsy to kill the fatted calf, God is waiting to do great things in our life.

“And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24).

This promise is a promise of victory before we even face the battle. When we rest in this sort of promise we have joy unspeakable and peace that passes all understanding. These emotions will spring not from our circumstances but from our knowledge of the Lord’s preventing love and goodness.

Notice that David not only mentions that God prevents with the blessings of goodness but that He also puts a crown of pure gold upon his head. The crown is a symbol of royalty and victory. So confident is David that God is going to make good things happen to him that he believes for the victor’s crown before the battle is waged.

David had this attitude when he faced the giant Goliath. He never claimed that he was going to kill Goliath with his superior sling-shot skills, but rather that the LORD was going to deliver the giant into David’s hand to prove that “the LORD saveth not with sword and spear:” (1 Samuel 17:47). David was bragging of the victory before it ever came because knew that he served a covenant God.

Lay hold of this promise today that the Lord is going to “prevent” with blessings of goodness. Place your trust and confidence in His ability to provide the victory in the face of defeat and then prepare yourself for the miracle of God’s prevention.

A New Covenant Miracle in an Old Covenant Story

2 Kings 2:19-22

The first miracle that Elisha performed, after the translation of his teacher Elijah into heaven in a chariot of fire, was to part the waters of the Jordan. His second miracle dealt with water as well; this time in healing it so that it would support crops. In many ways, Elijah is a type of John the Baptist, while Elisha is a type of Jesus. As Elijah went before Elisha, so did John before Jesus. As Elijah’s work brought glory to God, Elisha’s brought glory both to God and life to the people. The ministries of John and Jesus mirrored this example.

When Elisha comes to Jericho everything is good with the city and its citizens, but they have water that will not support the growth of crops, thus the farming industry is about to face a serious shortage. Elisha requests a “new cruse” or a ‘new pot’ with salt in it. He takes the new pot with salt in it to the spring of the waters and “cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land” (2 Kings 2:21).

The “new cruse” is a type of the New Covenant, as proved by the statement of Jesus:

“No man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.” (Luke 5:37, 38)

The New Covenant cannot be placed within the bottle or the mentality of the Old Covenant. Actually, if you try to place the grace and mercy of the New Covenant within the law and works of the Old Covenant you will burst the Old while spilling the New. Man tries to ‘balance’ the two, but God just calls it ‘mixture’.

Stored within the “new cruse” of Elisha is “salt”. Christ calls the church the “salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13) and asks how the world can be salted if we have lost our flavor. While salt causes thirst, it also holds medicinal value. The application of salt brings healing, and Jesus’ inclusion of us as salt shows that there is healing within the message of God’s goodness and grace and we have a responsibility to share that with all of the Jericho’s that we encounter.

Nestled into this Old Covenant story is a beautiful New Covenant truth. When there is barrenness and death in our lives, the healing salts of the New Covenant will enter to bring healing and wholeness. Paul called the gospel of Jesus Christ “the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16). Salvation is “soteria” in Greek, meaning “deliverance, preservation and wholeness”. The waters of our soul are restored by the finished work of Christ at the cross. He is our salt and the New Covenant is His “new cruse”.

Apply the goodness and grace of God to your situation today and watch the land of your soul flourish with His salvation.

God's Goodness

Romans 2:4

Paul is establishing that moralizing will not make you moral, and that by judging anyone else for their actions, points the judgment back at yourself. He further states that God’s judgment is according to truth, and that anyone, Jew or Gentile who sins against that truth will be found guilty.

In any crowd of “law-abiding citizens”, there are always those who not only want the law to punish the guilty, but they also loath the thought of any good coming to those who they deem are “bad”. The Apostle knows that these people exist, so he asks if they despise the riches of God’s goodness and forbearance and long-suffering (Romans 2:4). He states that when God is good to a man it leads that man to repent, which means “change one’s mind”. When you are so angry at those who do the things that you do not think that they should, you are not only angry at their actions, but you are angry at God for not wiping them off of the face of the earth. It is this attitude that prompts Paul to speak up for God’s goodness.

It is not often in today’s church climate that we hear that God’s goodness will cause men to change their minds about Jesus. Most of what I heard preached as a child said that if someone was going to repent, they needed to be constantly reminded that there was a “heaven to gain and a hell to shun”. They were to be told of their law-breaking ways and how that they were committing abominable acts in the eyes of God, and that this would either turn them to tears in the face of an angry (but loving!) God or they would rebel, grow hard and run from Him. I would have told you that if a preacher told a sinner how good that God was, he was just spineless and cowardly.

Thank God that He has always been good to me! His goodness is rich and full of compassion and mercy. He has been patient with my judgmental ways and my self-righteous actions. He has been long-suffering toward my ignorance and my stubbornness. If not for His goodness I would be lost.

When Jesus came to the Sea of Galilee to preach to the masses that were gathered there, he entered into the ship of Simon Peter and asked him to push out from the shore a bit, giving him room to address the large crowd gathered on the beach. After the sermon, he told Peter to launch the boat out into the deep and let down his nets for a draught of fishes. This was Jesus’ way of paying Peter for the use of his boat and also His way of ministering love and compassion to him. Peter obeys, reluctantly, and takes in more fish than he or the neighboring ships can handle.

“When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8).

It was not a sermon on Peter’s law-breaking ways that changed him, nor was it a fear of hell. When Jesus wanted to bring Peter to a place of acknowledging his failures and turning to Christ for help, He blessed him! If we want the sinner to turn to Jesus then we must show them how good and patient and long-suffering that the Father is. When the world sees that Jesus, they will flock to him now, just as they did when He came the first time.

Show someone the goodness of God today, and watch as they change their mind about who the Father is.

Jesus: The Power to Get Wealth

Deuteronomy 8:17, 18

An undeniable, and beautiful part of God’s goodness is “the power to get wealth”. In Paul’s great description of the gospel of grace, he says that the gospel is the “power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16). The Greek word used for “salvation” includes all deliverance, preservation, safety and wholeness. When you enter into a relationship with Christ, it is no more by your own power, but by the power of Jesus Christ.

Notice that God is not emphasizing the wealth, but rather, within context, He shows Israel that their inevitable blessings did not come at their own hand. They will see their herds and flocks multiply, and their silver and gold as well (verse 12), but it will be God that does all of the providing.

For you, the blood-bought, covenant child of God, the blessings of heaven are just as inevitable. As a son, you have all rights to the shoe, the ring and the best robe that your Father has to offer (see Luke 15 for the story of the Prodigal). It is always Him that gives the increase and then gets the glory. Not because He is a glory hog, but it is so that all of your blessings will reaffirm covenant, “that he may establish his covenant” (verse 18).

Christ’s work at Calvary has entered you into a better covenant, with a whole new set of better promises. Jesus has taken the wrath of the Father against sin and thus you have righteousness imputed to you. Walk free today in this provision, knowing that it is your Father’s good pleasure to give to you the kingdom and that every blessing that He affords is His way of reminding you of His covenant of grace.

May you see covenant blessings all around you today, paid for in the abundant grace of God.