Exploring the Stories of God's Goodness |Exodus|

Exploring:

investigate, research, understand, consider

traveling in or through an unfamilar area in order ≠to learn about or familairze oneself with it

Investigate, study analyze. To become familiar with by testing or experimenting

To travel over for adventure or discovery

examine for diagnosis purposes (explore the wound)

Initially: to cry (plore) out (ex) . A deep desire to be heard. Perhaps one who explores is looking for what needs to be heard?

16th c. move into the transitive sense of the word: investigate, look into. Which is where the sense of traveling over (ocean) looking for adverture and discovery fits so aptly.

Goodness

initially thought it was the word tov. Such as the one used in genesis 1:31

very good. But a deeper look into the usage and context of the word, goodness isn’t so much a characteristic of God, rather as something on his mind in the direction of someone(s). Moreover, the goodness of God is often sought and discovered in the face of evil and/or working through evil.

The story of Joseph is the case study of the use, as a matter of fact, much of Genesis is an object lesson in the goodness of God being sought in the direction of a specific family and flourishing people.

Further, no matter what is happening to and through his family of promise and blessing, He is constantly seeking to bring goodness into being.

Witness/evidence/experience of his goodness are found in these words of Jospeh:

preserve alive (life out of death—)

provide out of famine and until death ()

save out of the evil of bondage and slavery ()

These are brief examples of His goodness unveiled

Notice the spaces by which God’s goodness unfolds:

-Not either his goodness/blessing/provision/salvation OR Work of evil/acts of evil/ agents of evil

-Rather, it’s in the tension of the way it is and what God desires it to be/ way we were created to be humans (here, but not yet)

That is why this next movement through the Old Testament I want to explore the stories of God’s goodness

Because I believe its the exploration into the stories of God’s goodness that a biblical worldview is shaped and crafted. It helps to answer the questions which influece and inform our own worldviews

Genesis 50:19–21 ESV

But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

At first glance this word good appears to be used in the expected way of the word tov: describing something as good pleasant, desirable. However, that’s why its essential to take the time to look into, explore the depth of God’s goodness.

Because in this case, the word טוֹב has something added to it. לְטֹבָ֔ה

(prepositon -to- which provides direction of the word and the ending speaks of a person(or persons)

which allows us to expand the meaning a bit. If God’s goodness is purposeful and the use of this word carries a preposition of to, then I posit that for the next few weeks we will be:

Exploring the stories of God’s directed purposes (goodness) in the midst of a fallen and broken world.

Therefore, God’s goodness, is all about direction and intention. Not just who he is, but for the purpose and intent of seeing His people experience and live within the directed purposes.

It is similar to the phrase that is horribly used and ridiculously influential in our culture: “I just want you to be happy.” Whereas this phrase seems to invoke a desire for someone’s goal in life to be hitched to emotions, that are fleeting and unreliable at best.

“Whereas, God is not flippantly desiring for His followers to be good and blessed, but His desired and directed purposes are to become a way of being and dwelling in the realm of God and out of the way that He intended for HIs creation to flourish.”

Which is why I continue to bring up this passage in . b/c it is a

I continue to bring up this passage in . b/c it is a

-wonderful bookmark to that profound statement in (it was very good, tov meod)

-it is an essential closing statement to wrap up the first book of the bible

-it is also an intimation of things to come

-I migth even say it is a lens by which everyone should read the story, here on out.

State this again:

We are moving through the Old Testament, so as to explore the stories of God’s goodness. For these stories are the building blocks of a biblical worldview. Exploring God’s goodness is essential to crafting, articulating, and formulating a biblical worldview.

To briefly review: any worldview seeks to answer these 4 quesstions

Origin (where I came from)

Meaning (why am I here)

Morality (how am I to live)

Destiny (where am I going)

Remembering who is writing these first 5 books is a man that was grafted into, raised in, and educated in one of the most developed poly-theistic religons and cultures of the ANE.

And out of that lens and context, He is telling the story of a God that has revealed in a way different than any other God.

Not only is he telling the story, but Moses is a living witness to the cutting edge revelation. What better witness and storyteller than one who is the friend of God. Who knows the story of the holy family and the chosen people being oppressed.

To know well of the reality of God’s creation, that has been marred.

That in the midst of this created world, where evil is everywhere, God has stepped into and sought to discover created one’s who will be set apart—to walk in the blessings, promises, and covenant of God.

Further, Moses is the main character of taking them from a family of slaves, to a people freed from slavery, and into a holy nation.

Most interesting is that God chooses to reveal himself, by the “rules” that evil and its agents have warped and functioned. The narrative of God revealed is woven in acts of subversion, hopelessness, oppression, alienation, famine, deceit, being led into coutnercultural displays and acts of salvation that are life giving.

This next movement in this grand narrative says good bye to the hero Joseph, and breathes into the reality that Joseph has been forgotten (by Egyptian powers) and a new power (Pharaoh) is seeking to be the god (by force if necessary) to the people of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. When all hope seems lost, God has not forgotten his promise.

Rather, the story continues,

God is continuing to lead His people into goodness

He is shaping the minds and hearts and ways of those who would follow, God is continuing to lead His people into goodness.

He will not choose only to operate when all is good and well OR when it’s all on fire and going to “hell in a hand basket”

Instead the goodness of God is most alive and well, when his created ones are being directed in, through, and in spite of all the evil swirling around.

Throughout Genesis, God has aptly established the origins of creation and His imagebearers—irrelevant to the story is whether or not the pinnacle of His creation recognizes their origins in Him. The providential order and power of God will not and cannot be thwarted by the ways and will of man. But, so as to bring his created one’s into relationship that is not forced or coerced, He has chosen to reveal HImself, though at times miraculously, through rules and order of this marred and broken created world.

It is essentially important to hit these presumptions and anchor points b/c it speaks directly to the unfolding question(s) that will burst onto the scene, throughout the next 4 books of the bible

-Meaning (why am I here)

-Morality (how am I to live in this world)

-Destiny (where am I going)

And I believe as we tell the story of the exodus and the wilderness wandering and the possession of the land and into the rebellion of the chosen one’s, these ancient stories will surprisingly mirror our own stories.

And woven intricately into all this, is the directed purposes of God, the goodness of God.

The words of Paul keep coming to my mind:

“Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness/goodness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.”

I invite you to take time this week to explore . And take note of the directed purposes of God for his people (and all who would see, hear, receive, the revelation of God).

Let’s pray