“God is good all the time” is quite an amazing theological statement. This statement is fairly unique to the Judeo-Christian heritage. In many cultures, especially those with a plurality of gods, deities often are fickle characters that are good if one does what is required of him or her by the god. What an interesting statement then, to say that our God is good all of the time! This would be especially interesting in the Greco-Roman world, this type of plurality of gods permeated the culture.
And yet, what is perhaps more interesting is the circumstances under which the phrase (or others like it) were uttered. The Jewish people had no country of their own, no king or kingdom. And yet, God is good.
The story of Joseph is excellent at expressing the fact that God is good during times of difficulty and during times of greatness. Joseph’s story spans across a good ten chapters towards the end of Genesis. The story of Joseph details not only personal triumphs and failures, but also nation-wide abundance, and famine. Joseph is put in charge of a large estate, and God is good. Joseph is thrown in jail based on false charges, and yet God is good. There are seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine in the land, and still God is good.
We come from a heritage with a rich theology that realizes that both in times of famine and in times of plenty, out God is in control, and our God is good, what an encouraging place to be!
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