© 2013 by Tom Boynton (editing by Kathy Boynton)

If asked to evaluate the “goodness” of your neighbor, you might respond, “what is the criteria for goodness?” The criteria chosen will affect your evaluation.

Most of us use ourselves as the criteria. We reason, “If something is good for me it must be ‘good.’ ” However, is this valid? Would Hitler have been justified in evaluating his own actions based on such a self-centered criteria? Obviously not!

Joshua of the Bible made this same mistake when he spied a great warrior of God. He assumed that any warrior who would support him was good, and any warrior who would support his enemies must be bad. He went to that warrior and said “Art thou for us, or for our adversaries (Joshua 5:13)?” The mighty warrior of the Lord rebuked Joshua and redirected his choice of criteria in the following exchange. “And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? And the captain of the LORD’S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so (Joshua 5:14-15).”

We are not in a position to pass judgment upon the goodness of God. He is the one who defines “goodness.” If we ever come to the conclusion that God is not good it is evidence that we have not used the proper criteria which God Himself has defined. He is the ultimate judge (Genesis 18:25).

Man’s responsibility is to recognize that he has violated God’s standards of righteousness. Man’s responsibility is to recognize himself as a vile sinner in God’s eyes. Man’s responsibility is to respond to this realization as did the publican in the temple who cried out, “God be merciful to me a sinner (Luke 18:13).”

God, who is the definer of goodness, has showed himself merciful (Isaiah 55:7). He offered Himself in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ the LORD, on the cross of Calvary, to pay the redemption price for our release from the bondage and penalty of sin.

He promises to forgive you if you come to Him with a broken and penitent heart (Psalm 34:18). Will you ask Him for mercy?

 

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