Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
Psalms 107:1 NIV
his love endures forever.
A casual reading of the Old Testament might leave one with the impression that God is a grumpy old man with little patience for people who fail to keep his commands. Commands that often seem bewildering to a modern audience. With disobedience resulting in destructive floods, plagues, and abandonment to one’s enemies.
And, if that is your impression of God, this verse might seem very out of place and hard to reconcile. This verse affirms two things about God and our appropriate response to them. First of all, God is good. Good here carries the idea of “good, pleasing, or desirable.” While I certainly believe that God is perfect in every way, this seems not to be saying that. Rather, God is desirable. The Lord (YHWH), the God of the Bible, is more desirable than all of the other so-called gods that have been worshipped throughout history. He stands apart from all of them. Knowing and serving him is good. Because he is good.
And his love endures forever. 1 John 4:8 says that God is love. It is a defining characteristic of who God is. Not just some of the time. But always. And he calls us into a loving relationship with himself. Everything he has done, is doing, and will do, is to produce a people that he can love. And who can return that love. He loves us, not because he needs an outlet for his love. But simply because he is love.
And, because God is good, and his love endures forever, we can, and should, give thanks to him.
