God and Good

by Terry Wane Benton

Have you ever noticed how the book of Genesis begins and ends? It begins with God creating everything and “it was good” (Genesis 1). After man chose to let sin in the world, it was cursed (Genesis 3). But God wanted to get back to “blessed” with man and God back in paradise together, where all is “good.” (Genesis 12:1-3). By the time we get to the end of the book, we see how Joseph’s brothers “meant evil, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). God wanted to save, so He worked to raise Joseph through near death to become a savior from famine. God used man’s evil to turn it to a good end. Good at the beginning and end of the book.

The first man (Adam) began in good circumstances and went into bad circumstances, while the last main character in the book (Joseph) goes through bad to do good and has a good ending. Adam means “man” while Joseph means “savior”. Adam brought sin and a curse, while Joseph saved his family and others from the curse of famine.

James talks about where sin comes from (James 1:13-16), man drawn away by his own lusts, but right after that says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17). These are good things to help us get back to God and paradise.

Good is seen in the first Garden of Genesis 1-2, good gifts to aid us to get back to Him through uniting with Jesus, and then pictures for us the reward so good at the end of Revelation 21-22, back in Paradise with God and all good. God is good and longs to restore all things to their original goodness, without any evil. The wise want that too!

Our choice is God and good, or sin and evil. If we choose God and good, we get it forever, and if we choose no fellowship with God now, we live without good things forever! It should be an easy choice, but not many are wise! What about you?