What does it mean for God to be good?

Often humans ask the question: How can a good God allow such bad things to happen to good people?  At first glance it seems to be a valid question.  For example, why would a God who claims to love the Jews allow them to be one of the most hated races to ever walk the earth?  Why would He allow more than 9,000,000 of them to die at the hands of the Nazi's?  Allow them to be thrown from their lands for thousands of years?  Why would He allow millions of people, about half of the worlds population to be killed by the Black Death?  Why does He allow men to kill other men, or to sexually exploit others?  Every day the news is filled with stories of a world gone crazy: murder, rape, theft, and on and on and on.  Why does He allow these things?  Can He truly be good?  Do these charges make His word false?  NO!!!

Instead we should ask: Why does a good and holy God allow good things to come to wicked people?  When we first hear this statement, many of us, if not all of us probably would become offended.  But take a moment to examine yourself, not as you see yourself, but as God sees you.  You think of yourself as good because you do good things, helping those who are in need, maybe going to church, perhaps by getting baptized.  God sees you as you are: a rebel to Him.  He sees you, apart from the blood of Jesus, an evil, repugnant person.  Nothing that you can do will EVER gain you favor with God.  Instead, as Isaiah explains "We have all become like the unclean; all our righteous deeds are like a menstrual rag. All of us wither like a leaf; our sins, like the wind, carry us away"(Isaiah 64:6 Common English Bible).

I love what John Piper said on this topic in his blog on December 27, 2012.
"Where was God in 2012?

• Where was God when nine million planes landed safely in the United States?
• Where was God when the world revolved around the sun so accurately that it achieved the Winter solstice perfectly at 5:12 AM December 21 and headed back toward Spring?
• Where was God when the President was not shot at a thousand public appearances?
• Where was God when American farms produced ten million bushels of corn, and 2.8 million bushels of soybeans — enough food to sell $100 billions worth to other nations?
• Where was God when no terrorist plot brought down a single American building or plane or industry?
• Where was God when the sun maintained its heat and its gravitational pull precisely enough that we were not incinerated or frozen?
• Where was God when three hundred million Americans drank water in homes and restaurants without getting sick?
• Where was God when no new plague swept away a third of our race?
• Where was God when Americans drove three trillion accident free miles?
• Where was God when over three million healthy babies were born in America?

Here are a few of the answers given by God himself in his word.
1. God was reigning from his throne to do his sovereign will.

“Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.” (Psalm 115:3)
“He works all things according to the counsel of his will.” (Ephesians 1:11)

2. God was reigning from his throne to prevent much sin and harm in the world.

“God said to [Abimelech, the king of Gerar], it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her.” (Genesis 20:6)
“You know what is restraining [the man of lawlessness] now.” (2 Thessalonians 2:6)

3. God was reigning from his throne to give a witness to his goodness and his patience.

“God did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” (Acts 14:17)

4. God was reigning from his throne to summon the world to repentance.

“Do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4)

So as the year ends, I bow my head as an undeserving sinner, amazed that I have not been swept away. And even more, that because of Jesus, I am forgiven, adopted into God’s family, and destined for eternal life.
God has been good to us. And his best gift is the one that will be there when all the others fail. Jesus, crucified, risen, reigning."

Remember before you ask where God was when tragedy strikes, ask yourself, why He has held back His hand every other day.  You deserve God's wrath, but He gives grace!  As Flyleaf, one of my favorite bands said in the song Cassie: "Don't be shocked that people die, be surprised you're still alive."