Goodness and Severity of God

"Behold, the goodness and severity of God."

Too often we look at what happens around us--or in history--and doubt God's goodness. The problem is: we don't look at the whole story. Take, for instance, God's dealing with Israel in the Old Testament. He used Assyria--a wicked nation--to judge His people. And the judgment was brutal. It didn't look as if God was being too good to His people. What we miss--if we casually look at the history of the ten tribes--is that God had been good to His people for hundreds of years. Hundreds. Even when they were being continually unfaithful, He had been faithful to them. The result: the more God showed them mercy and goodness, the more they took Him for granted and turned to idols, and heathen nations, and worldly methods for deliverance. The more patience He showed them, and the more prophets He sent to warn them, the more they shrugged their shoulders at His love, rebelled against His commandments, and lived unrighteous lives. The reason God had to withdraw His goodness and turn to severity was because continued goodness would only have sent them further away from Him. His grace and mercy, His goodness, had been horribly abused. Callously abused. They even went so far as to worship the good things God had given them while refusing to worship Him--the Giver.
The lesson for us: Always look beyond the good things you have to the One who is the Giver of Good Gifts. When we become satisfied, or, even worse, fall in love with--worship--what He has in His mercy and grace given us, He has to take away those good things in order to turn our attention back to Him. There is nothing more dangerous than a heart of ingratitude toward God. We then begin to think that what we have is our doing. And such arrogance--pride--always goes before a disastrous fall. When God can no longer use His goodness to draw us closer to Him, His only choice is to use severity. And He loves us too much to let us escape His love and fellowship.
Never forget that the goodness and severity of God are inseparable. They are both a testimony to His love for His children. Never forget to tell Him "thank you" as often as you can. How? Obey. Rejoice in the Lord. Bask in His goodness!