Genesis 50:20 – You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
Let’s consider a subject that really has books written about it and cannot be fully discussed in a short “devotion” piece. The subject is whether it is possible that God is simultaneously and always good, always loving, and always omnipotent (all-powerful). What is written here cannot be exhaustive, but rather a concise consideration that is hoped will be a blessing.
God is always good (Exodus 34:6, 1 Chronicles 16:34, Psalm 25:8) and He always loves us (John 3:16, Jeremiah 31:3, 1 John 4:16). Until we know that beyond a doubt we will never understand what is possible for us to understand about God. Once one knows beyond doubt that God is innately good and that He is love, not with a knowledge that is only what has been taught, but is what is treasured as the highest bit of knowledge one may have, then we may begin to grasp some of these difficult topics of the Bible. In fact, many of the most difficult topics become not even a speed bump in the road for those who absolutely have beyond doubt, conversation stopping, doubt stopping knowledge. That knowledge brings a peace that cannot be disturbed. (Philippians 4:7) But the knowledge of His goodness and love must be complete. Not completely understood, but completely and absolutely embraced and known as the highest bit of knowledge we can have. That must be a completed as in “The case is closed” truth. It is for me.
There are other absolutes that we must know and we find these first in His Word. His Word is revealed to us by His Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:10, John 16:13) And His Spirit also uses experience to reveal His Word to us. (Proverbs 4:11, Matthew 11:29-30) We must know that revelations of experience are revealed in His Word and these revelations must agree with His Word, by the Spirit. He reveals Himself spiritually and supernaturally by revealing His Word to us. Absolutes we must hold onto are that God is omniscient (knows everything, always has, always will) (Psalm 147:5, 1 John 3:20), that He is omnipotent (all-powerful to bring about anything and everything He desires to) (Job 42:1-2, Matthew 19:26, Jeremiah 32:27), and that He is omnipresent (He is simultaneously everywhere at all times) (Jeremiah 23:24, Psalm 139:7-10). These “omni” characteristics of God, along with the knowledge of the intrinsic parts of who He is (good and loving) are in and of themselves also huge topics too big to fully cover here. But we can state that these things must be fully and utterly held onto, they must be completely accepted.
One may cry out “Unfair, how are we to know these things unless we are taught.” Yes, that is true. But who will teach you the deep truths of God? It is God Himself who will. The truth of the goodness and love of God are not learned (to be held onto) except by very personably, earnestly and continuously calling out to God Himself to reveal Himself. He has already given us His Spirit and His Word to do that. Even how His Spirit and His Word, and experience (as understood by both His Spirit and His Word) are too long a subject to also be explored here. But it should be understood that God’s desire has always been for men and women to know His goodness and love in the most personal way. In fact, that even after Adam and Eve chose sin over Him He would give another chance to live in His goodness and love is proof of the very same. There is no doubt, God desires none to perish but all to know His goodness and love. (1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9, Ezekiel 33:11) That is who He is. Oh praise our God!
Since God is good, no evil thought is generated in His mind. It does not happen, it cannot happen. His mind is so pure that He cannot create an evil thought. That would be against His very nature, against who He is. (Psalm 92:15, John 1:5) Yet let this knowledge be distinct from whether He sees and knows about evil and, whether or not He knows that evil is coming, and whether or not He could stop it. As we know He is omniscient so we know that He knows, and always has, the evil that has happened and will happen. Also, the devil who is evil, must come before the throne of God and give account of Himself (Job 1:6-7), so then God does see evil, but that does not make Him the author of it. (James 1:13) We also know that He is omnipotent so we know that He could stop the evil from happening if it was His will to do so. Now some here would argue that His goodness and love cannot truly co-exist within a God who knows evil is coming but does nothing to stop it. Again, that would take much more that what I can write in this “devotion” to God. Yet, let’s first understand, as God explained to Job, that man does not have the capability to judge God. Job confessed “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.” Job concluded by confessing to God “My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 38-42:6) It is hard for us to understand what it is we don’t know, that which we have never even thought about. How can we ask about a thought we have never had? Job, a wise and godly man, did not know what He did not know, and, neither do we. So humans must understand that they cannot fully understand everything about God and in like manner cannot fully understand all His reasons. So to say that one does not understand how a God who is good, loving and powerful allows evil is a true statement. However the fact that He allows for evil to continue does not ipso facto mean that He is not good, loving and powerful. No, it means what has already been stated, that we do not fully understand, if at all.
God loves us. He loves all of humankind and that is why humankind still exists. After all if the Lord, who holds all thing that exists together (Colossians 1:16-17), continues to do so, then that is evidence of His goodness and love. Does that sound mind-blowing? Yes, it is. Again, we cannot fully understand, we can only know that it is and that by the Holy Spirit and the Word. If God didn’t love He could simply have not willed for life to continue and it would not have. The most profound example of God’s love is that Jesus came to die for a people who were in open rebellion against Him. (Romans 5:10, Colossians 1:21) Most of the world had grown so distant to God that they would not allow their hard hearts to see and hear the Gospel message so that they would be saved. (John 3:18-21) Still God gave to all the opportunity. He did it through Jesus. (John 3:16, Acts 4:21) One only needs to focus on Jesus, to fully focus on Him and draw close to Him, and the love of God becomes increasingly and obviously manifest and self-authenticating so as to become an incontrovertible fact and living reality. God gave Jesus to people who for the large part, will reject God’s love. Still God loves. Man is without excuse because only those who don’t want to know don’t know.
Obviously God knows of evil, He sees evil and He could stop it if He willed to do so. In fact He already has defeated evil through Jesus. (Hebrews 2:14, Colossians 1:13) Then why do we still see evil? Along with that question belongs the question of the atrophying nature of the universe, why are children not born healthy, why must our physical bodies die, why do natural disasters exist, etcetera. All this is the result of the fall of man, and all of creation, when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden. All the heartache, all the woes, all the evil in the world exists because of that. God did not want that, it happened because man chose to believe the devil rather than God. (Genesis 3) Because man believed the words of the devil rather than what God had told him. God gave mankind rainbows as a reminder that He will never again allow the flooding of the entire earth as He once did. Rainbows are not only a reminder of God’s promise, but are also a reminder that mankind had become so evil that only a flood could save them.
Yet, mankind again began to (in large part) ignore God, turn to evil and even though reminded of the consequences of evil by the rainbows that are seen, turn from God. Man ignored the words of God in the Garden. Man ignores the goodness and love of God, and even though they have the reminder of rainbows. The greatest reminder we have of God’s goodness and love is the corruption of the earth and the presence of evil. If evil in all its forms does anyone doubt that every person who ever lived would make Adam’s same mistake? To doubt that is to be in ignorance or pride. It is evil itself that reminds of the choice we have and what are the consequences, or rewards, of the choice.
Evil in the earth should not cause us to doubt God but to remember that in the beginning God created a perfect paradise for all of us to live in His goodness and love. A goodness with no natural disasters, no pestilence, and no fear. The origins of all of us are traced back to a place of total joy, total peace and where fear, hunger, thirst, and harm were not even known. Before the fall Adam and Eve had no concept of evil. When we see evil we should long for what God truly desires for us all. To be with Him, in peace, forever. What He wanted for Adam and Eve. That is why Jesus came. Because God desires us all to be restored to eternal paradise with Him. Jesus gifted the sinner, the thief on the cross, with paradise forever with God. Jesus promised that the thief would be one of Adam and Eve’s descendants to be restored to the paradise that God had planned for all of us. And God has promised everyone to return to what we were created for, eternity with our God who is good and who loves us. The way to receive the promise is Jesus. Only through Him. And many continue to do so. Yes, Lord yes! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”