Psalms 65:11 Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.
This is one of the verses which the people of God quote often in their prayers and supplication. In our part of the world we see this verse in almost all the houses of the children of God either in hanging boards or book marks which is kept inside their Bibles. People always likes to have filled with Goodness. This is a good attitude and no doubt in it. But the perspective of the people of God about the Goodness they expect is slightly different from what God Almighty desires to give. Let me explain.
The Hebrew Term used here for “Goodness” is ṭôb (tobe), This word is used around 550 times in the old testament into various meaning like good, beautiful, best, better, bountiful, cheerful, favour, fine, glad, goodness, kindness pleasant, wealth, welfare etc.,. But it is very often related with the material prosperity, which is contrary what the Bible intends to say.
A) As I said earlier Goodness is not only material prosperity but also implies other things. If it should be the truth the worldly men who doesn’t know God will be the ones who enjoy God’s Good ness. But the reality is different. Here we will try to understand certain things. In
Exodus 18:9 “And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. ”,
Jethro the father-in-law of Moses marvelled and rejoiced at all the Goodness God had provided to His people in that journey of Israel started from the land of Egypt. In Neh 9:25 , it says “And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness”. Here The Bible sates certain things which the people of Israel enjoyed as God’s Goodness. So Material prosperity is one of the meaning of the word Goodness.
B) But in the life of Moses, when he wanted to see God and expressed his desire to Him, God called him to the clift of the rock and revealed Himself to him, which the Bible explains in the following verse.
Exodus 33:19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
Here the Bible speaks the Attributes or Characters of God as Goodness, which I presume as His Mighty Presence.
C) In Psalms 27:13 Psalmist says, “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” Which gives us the idea of certain goodness can be enjoyed only in the land of the Living, means the heaven according to the Bible scholar Matthew Henry. If we consider this verse we will definitely conclude that the material blessing cannot be the goodness which a Christian desires.
The very well-known Psalms 23 in its 6th verse says like this” Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” Again the deepest desire of the Psalmist David, the goodness he needed is following him (not he goes after the goodness) throughout his life with the condition, being dwell in the house of the Lord always. In this context a verse come to my mind is which Jesus our Lord said in his mountain preaching. It is found in the Gospel according to Matthew 6th chapter and verse 33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” This verse plainly speaks that what should we seek after and as a result what we would get. Unfortunately, many Christians don’t understand the core of this verse.
Above all the King David declares God Himself as his goodness, means as for him his goodness is not the kingdom, not the comforts he enjoyed as a king, not the material blessings he had, not the relationships he had but the Lord Himself. It is clearly portrayed in Psalms 144:2 “My goodness and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me. So, king David sought after Him with all his heart. This he express in the Psalms 42 : 1,2 “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God”
Dearly beloved let me ask you a question. Which is the Goodness you desire and spend all your time, energy and money to chase after. Let your choice be based on the Bible. Let the God and His mighty presence be our Goodness which we desire after. God bless You..
