GOD IS GOOD
PSALM 119:65-72
INTRODUCTION
A. David said that God is good, and He does good (v. 68).
B. Good people sometimes struggle to reconcile the idea that God is good with the fact that good people often suffer. When they suffer, they assume God is punishing them because they are not as good as they should be, but they are not sure exactly what it is they are being punished for.
C. God is held accountable for not preventing wars, which men are hell-bent on fighting. It is God’s fault that a drunken driver crossed the centerline and crashed into a car, killing a family of five on their way to church. And on and on and on.
I. GOD GAVE MAN A GARDEN, AND MAN TURNED IT INTO A GARBAGE DUMP
A. Moses tells us that everything God created was good (Gen 1: 4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31).
B. It is useless to speculate about exactly how history would have advanced had Adam and Eve not sinned because they did sin. Their sin caused God to close the gate to the garden. Sin had entered the bloodstream of humanity (Rom 1:18-2:29).
C. Not only is the earth fouled by our sins, but it is also raped and destroyed by greed and indifference. Our oceans are polluted, our streams are drying up, and our air is filled with pollutants. I am confident that God is not looking down on the earth and saying, “It is very good.” Many of the so-called “acts of God” are caused or made worse by the acts of man.
II. LOOKING FOR COMFORT IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES
A. David refers twice to his afflictions, but in a positive way, not in a lamenting or be-moaning fashion. So long as we have an earthly orientation, we cannot make sense of—much less find comfort in—our afflictions.
B. This world is not a friendly place (v.61; John 7:7; 15:18-20).
III. THE LORD DISCIPLINES THOSE WHOM HE LOVES
A. In the next strophe (YODH), David says, “I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me” (v. 75).
B. Without spiritual insight, we may view all of our afflictions as Satan’s attack against us rather than their having redeeming value as God’s loving discipline (Heb 12:3-8).
C. When we struggle with our afflictions, we should examine ourselves for sins lurking beneath the surface. If we find nothing, we should consider Paul’s affirmation about suffering (2 Cor 1:3-7).
IV. THERE IS NO CAUSE-AND-EFFECT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SIN AND SUFFERING
A. We may suffer the natural consequences of sins, but natural consequences are not God’s punishment.
B. We begin with a bedrock truth: All have sinned (Rom 3:23).
1. If there were a direct cause-and-effect relationship between sin and suffering, those who sin most would suffer most (Eccl 7:15).
2. God testified to the righteousness of Job (1:8; Ezek 14:14)
a. If there were a cause-and-effect relationship between sin and suffering, Job would never have suffered.
b. After Satan had destroyed Job’s wealth, family, and health, God testified of him: “In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong” (Job 1:22; 2:10).
c. Satan is alive and well, and he has his eye on all of us (Matt 22:31-32).
1. Why does a good God allow Satan to sift the saints? If we knew the answer, we would know more than Job, David, and Peter did.
2. Job’s insight into things may be summed up with a paraphrase: “I was talking when I should have been listening” (Job 42:1-6).
3. David said, so to speak, “I don’t trouble myself with things above my pay grade; I just trust that you are good and do good’ (Psa 131:1-2).
4. Peter never discusses Jesus’ statement that Satan had demanded permission to sift him. He offers this insight from experience and the Spirit within (1 Pet 5:6-11).
CONCLUSION
A. It should be clear that both the hand of God and the hand of Satan may be present in our afflictions. Without a clear word from God, we may be unable to identify the line that separates the two. However, we believe the promise that all things work together for good for those who love God (Rom 8:27-29).
B. Joseph had been wronged at every turn in his life, but his comforting words to his fearful brother should give us consolation (Gen 50:20).
