“‘Is he – quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion”…’Safe?’ said Mr. Beaver; ‘don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.’”

1.  That’s the issue this morning. What is the nature of God’s goodness? What do we mean when we say – sometimes glibly – God is good all the time and all the time God is good? Do we mean He is safe or do we mean a kind of terrible goodness as well? Do we mean something we define and control as “good” or is the nature of God’s goodness something far beyond our ability to understand?

2.  Some people would say we don’t need God to be good to understand what is good. Paul Fidalgo is at the Center For Inquiry, a think tank for atheists, said at the Religion Newswriters conference this week in Austin, “We need no outside source for ethics or morals. Human compassion and reason are enough.” However, as we saw last week, there is only one source for defining right and wrong, cruel and kind, just and unjust and it does not come from us. It comes from outside us. It is the Moral Law and the same is true for defining what we mean by good. God is the standard and even when some would say that God is not “good” they are judging him by the standard He himself sets. We would not know what “good” means without God and living in a world where good means whatever we determine it to mean is a frightening thought. You probably read George Orwell’s “1984” in high school or college. What is the end result of the Party deciding what is good?
“War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.”
“It’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of words.”
“Reality exists in the human mind, and nowhere else.”
“I hate purity, I hate goodness. I don’t want any virtue to exist anywhere. I want everyone to be corrupt to the bones.”

3.  So, what does the Bible define as “good”? The first time we see any word for good is when God declares creation as good in Genesis on the third day of creation. “And God saw that it was good.” On the sixth day God declares creation as complete and “very good”. Good in what sense? The word is “tawb” and it has a number of meanings but our first instance of goodness is not a moral trait but something that means excellent, pleasant, appropriate, glad. It is used over 500 times in the Old Testament and is the most common word for “good”. It’s not a declaration as much as a celebration. Why do we say “mazel tov” at Jewish weddings? Same word. It means have a joyful life and, in a sense, that is what the congregation of heaven was saying at the conclusion of creation. “Well done! Good work! Launch the ship!”

4.  But there are other words for good. The word “chesed” is used almost 250 times to describe the faithfulness of God. The word “shalam” is used over 100 times to describe the goodness of God when we are at peace with Him. Think about our phrase, “Are we good?” to ask if we are reconciled with each other. The goodness of God and being at peace with God, being reconciled with God was a central concern with Israel. Even though they wandered and sinned terribly they were never able to escape their own desire to be at peace with God.

5.  In the New Testament there are several words that describe good and goodness. The word “agathos” means pleasant or distinguished. The rich young ruler uses that word to address Jesus. The word “kalos” means fitting or beautiful or appropriate. Paul uses that word to describe being rich in good works to Timothy. The word “chrestotes” means integrity or moral goodness. Paul uses that word to declare that none are good and all have sinned.

Why do we have so many words for something as simple as “good”?

A number of years ago there was a theory that many people thought was disproved. It was the theory that Eskimos have more than one word for snow. However, recently, linguists have gone back and discovered the theory is true. In fact, there are over 53 different words to describe something as simple as snow. That’s not all. There are over 70 words to describe “ice” and over 1,000 words to describe “reindeer”. Why do people need so many words to describe something so obvious? Here is what one researcher said – and it is true of “good” as well. “This kind of linguistic exuberance should come as no surprise since languages evolve to suit the ideas and needs that are most crucial to the lives of their speakers. “These people need to know whether ice is fit to walk on or whether you will sink through it. It’s a matter of life or death.”

“All languages find a way to say what they need to say. These are real words that mean real things.”

In the same way, understanding the goodness of God is crucial to our lives. It is a matter of life and death.

6.  But there is another pattern as well. Because one word alone cannot describe the goodness of God, we find words combined with other words to describe his goodness. We see pairs of words and phrases that recur as a way to understand the the goodness of God. Look at these.

“Goodness and mercy” will follow me all the days of my life in Psalm 23. God is not only good but he is merciful.

“Good and upright is The Lord” in Psalm 25. God is not only good but he has integrity. The psalmist goes on to say a characteristic of God’s goodness is that he instructs sinners in his ways and guides the humble in what is right. He is not content to be good. He wants us to share that goodness in our own lives.

“Goodness and remembering” in Psalm 25. “According to your love remember me, for you are good, O Lord.” We can trust the Lord’s remembering. It is not colored or distorted or biased.

“Goodness and truth” in Exodus 34. “The Lord, The Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.”

“Goodness and works” in Psalm 107. “Give thanks to The Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men..” In fact, much of the New Testament is about the relationship between the goodness of God and good works. We are to be “do-gooders” in the best sense of the word. Our works display God’s glory as much as our doctrine.

“Goodness and beauty” in Zechariah 9. “The Lord their God will save them on that day as the flock of his people. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown. How attractive and beautiful they will be!”

“Goodness and righteousness” in Psalm 33. “The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing goodness.”

But there is another pair to describe God’s goodness that we tend to skip over. In Romans 11 Paul talks about God’s goodness and severity. It is why Sheldon Van Auken titled his book about losing his wife “A Severe Mercy”. God’s goodness is not always safe or pleasant or ours to understand.

This was C.S. Lewis’ experience when he wrote “A Grief Observed” after the death of his wife Joy. It was the lowest point of his life. He never doubted the existence of God – just the goodness of God. “Not that I am (I think) in much danger of ceasing to believe in God. The real danger is of coming to believe such dreadful things about Him. The conclusion I dread is not ‘So there’s no God after all,’ but ‘So this is what God’s really like. Deceive yourself no longer.”

It was the greatest test of his faith. Religion was not a comfort in the face of such pain. To lightly say “God is good” was not enough. “You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you. It is easy to say you believe a rope to be strong and sound as long as you are merely using it to cord a box. But suppose you had to hang by that rope over a precipice. Wouldn’t you then first discover how much you really trusted it?…Only a real risk tests the reality of a belief.”

Toward the end of the book (which he published originally under a pseudonym) he concludes about the goodness of God. “The more we believe that God hurts only to heal, the less we can believe that there is any use in begging for tenderness. A cruel man might be bribed – might grow tired of his vile sport – might have a temporary fit of mercy, as alcoholics have fits of sobriety. But suppose that what you are up against is a surgeon whose intentions are wholly good. The kinder and more conscientious he is, the more inexorably he will go on cutting. If he yielded to your entreaties, if he stopped before the operation was complete, all the pain up to that point would have been useless. But is it credible that such extremities of torture should be necessary for us? Well, take your choice. The tortures occur. If they are unnecessary, then there is no God or a bad one. If there is a good God, then these tortures are necessary. For no even moderately good Being could possibly inflict or permit them if they weren’t.”

7.  Why is the goodness of God so crucial? Why is it a matter of life and death? Why does Scripture give us so many ways to describe it and even then we cannot? I think there are several reasons.

First, the evidence for a God, a supreme Being, is not enough for us. We need more than a Supreme Being. Remember what we discovered last week? The God displayed by nature need not be kind. “If we used that as our only clue, then I think we should have to conclude that He was a great artist (for the universe is a very beautiful place), but also that He is quite merciless and no friend of man (for the universe is a very dangerous and terrifying place)”.

Second, life is difficult and we need more than a great God or a holy God or a righteous God. We need more than a God who is the source of justice, righteousness and uprightness. We need a God who is kind – even when He is severe. What is the oxygen of life? It is hope. It is mercy. It is forgiveness and reconciliation. It is a God with whom we can have peace and know when we say “Are we good?” we really are.

Sociologists describe a life without hope as anomie. It is a life that is disconnected from expectations and meaning. It is a life without any understanding that God is good.

Third, all of us need a good God because we would be overwhelmed by the evil, corruption, cruelty, sin and “breaking badness” of this world. The church fathers had a word for it – acedia. It describes being dragged under by the burdens of life itself. The light goes out and all is lost.

Fourth, we need the healing power of a good God. I sent a verse last night to a friend whose family is going through a whole series of awful experiences. It was Psalm 27:13-14. “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of God in the land of the living. Wait for The Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for The Lord.” All of us need to be confident that we will see the goodness of God in the land of the living.

Fifth, we need to know that in God’s goodness suffering has meaning. The early Christians understood this. “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

Sixth, we need to be able to say with Job, “Though he slay me yet will I trust him” and “I know that my Redeemer lives and in my flesh I will see God.” Here I cannot understand the sometimes terrible goodness of God but one day we will. “Reality the iconoclast once more. Heaven will solve our problems, but not, I think, by showing us subtle reconciliations between all our apparently contradictory notions. The notions will all be knocked from under our feet. We shall see that there never was any problem.”

8.  Do you know the story behind the hymn “It Is Well With My Soul”? I want to close with that.

Horatio Spafford was a successful businessman and attorney in Chicago in the 1860’s. He, his wife and five children led something of a charmed life. However, his wealth was completely wiped out by the great Chicago fire and they lost a son to scarlet fever. In 1873 Anna Spafford’s health was failing and hoping to put behind the loss of their sone and the fire, they planned a trip to Europe. At the last minute, Horatio had to stay behind but he sent his family on with a promise he be on the next ship.

On November 22, 1873 the steamer Ville du Havre was struck by a British iron sailing ship, the Lockhearn. The steamer Ville du Havre, with Anna Spafford and her daughters aboard, sank within twelve minutes in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Only 81 of the 307 passengers and crew members survived this tragic shipwreck.

Anna Spafford was taken to Cardiff, Wales where she telegraphed her husband Horatio. Anna’s cable was brief and heartbreaking, “Saved alone. What shall I do…” Horatio and Anna’s four daughters had drowned. As soon as he received Anna’s telegram, Horatio left Chicago without delay to bring his wife home.

Sailing across the Atlantic Ocean the captain of the ship called Horatio to the bridge. He informed Horatio that “A careful reckoning has been made and I believe we are now passing the place where the Ville du Havre was wrecked. The water is three miles deep.” That night, alone in his cabin Horatio G. Spafford penned the words to his famous hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul.” He later wrote Anna’s half-sister, “On Thursday last we passed over the spot where she went down, in mid-ocean, the waters three miles deep. But I do not think of our dear ones there. They are safe, folded, the dear lambs.”

God is good. God is merciful. God is faithful. God is kind.

It Is Well With My Soul

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.