One of the first things Scripture reveals about God is His intention.
In the opening chapter of Genesis, a pattern emerges:
God speaks.
The thing comes to pass.
God sees that it is good.
Again and again, the testimony is repeated.
Light.
Good.
Land and seas.
Good.
Seed-bearing plants.
Good.
Sun, moon, and stars.
Good.
Living creatures.
Good.
Humanity made in His image.
Good.
Then finally:
"And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good."
The repetition is not accidental.
It reveals something about the One speaking.
God is not indifferent.
He is not detached.
He is not creating randomly.
The repeated declaration of "good" reveals His intention. It shows us what God desires. It gives us insight into His heart.
God intends good.
Then something unexpected happens.
After the work is finished.
After God rests.
After everything has been declared good.
We encounter the first "not good" in Scripture.
"It is not good that the man should be alone."
Notice God's response.
He does not ignore it.
He does not leave Adam to figure it out.
He does not say, "That's just the way things are."
Instead, He moves toward it.
The first "not good" receives a response from God.
That response tells us just as much about His character as all the declarations of good that came before it.
God sees what is not good and acts.
This pattern runs throughout the entire story of Scripture.
Humanity enslaved by sin and death?
Not good.
Creation groaning under the weight of the fall?
Not good.
Nations trapped in darkness?
Not good.
The answer was not indifference.
The answer was Christ.
The promise of a Savior is God's response to what is not good.
And when Jesus arrives, what do we find Him doing?
The very things He sees His Father doing.
He identifies what is not good.
The poor.
The brokenhearted.
The captives.
The prisoners.
And because these things are not good, He was anointed and sent with good news.
"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound."
Good news only makes sense where something is not good.
The brokenhearted need good news.
The captive needs good news.
The prisoner needs good news.
The poor need good news.
And the good news is not merely that God sees.
The good news is that God responds.
This is why the gospel is so hopeful.
It reveals the character of God.
The God who said, "It is not good that the man should be alone," is the same God who looked upon a fallen world and sent His Son.
The same God who looked upon barren Sarah and made her laugh.
The same God who looked upon Joseph in prison and brought him to a throne.
The same God who looked upon Israel in Egypt and brought them out with a mighty hand.
The same God who looked upon an empty hope hanging on a cross and answered with an empty tomb.
This is who He is.
When God sees what is not good, He moves toward restoration.
He moves toward healing.
He moves toward freedom.
He moves toward life.
That is the good news.
Not merely that God knows what is wrong.
But that God is the kind of God who responds to what is wrong by making it good.
Maybe there are places in your own life that are not good.
Perhaps there is lack.
Perhaps there is disappointment.
Perhaps there is grief.
Perhaps there is a dream that feels delayed.
Perhaps there is a wound that still hurts.
The existence of those things is not evidence that God has abandoned you.
In fact, Scripture teaches us the opposite.
The God revealed in Genesis is the God revealed in Christ.
He sees.
He responds.
He restores.
And He finishes what He starts.
Which is why Paul could say:
"Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."
Notice the confidence is not in us.
The confidence is in Him.
The One who began the good work is the One completing it.
The God who declared creation good has not changed.
The God who responded to the first "not good" has not changed.
The God who sent Christ into a world full of things that were not good has not changed.
He is still the God who sees.
He is still the God who responds.
He is still the God who makes good.
And because He is faithful, we can be confident that every good work He begins, He will complete.
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