Matthew 7:11

Thursday, 6 February 2025   If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! Matthew 7:11   “Therefore, if you – being evil – you have known to give good gifts to your children, how much more your Father, the ‘in the heavens,’ He will give good to those asking Him” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus questioned if a father would give a serpent to a son who asked for a fish. The obvious answer would be that he would not. Now, He continues with, “Therefore, if you – being evil.”   His words are based on a comparison between humanity and God. There are different degrees of evil. We can say, “That person is eviler than any other I have ever known!” However, in comparison to God, all humans are evil.   Evil is not a thing in and of itself. Rather, it is a lack of goodness. When a car has a hole because of rust, the hole is a lack of the metal that is supposed to be there. The rust is the process by which the hole comes about. But the hole is not a thing. Rather it is a lack of the good thing, meaning metal. It is brought about by an external agent.   In the case of humans, we have a lack of perfection because of sin. Thus, we are evil in comparison to absolute perfection. This is the point Jesus is making. Despite being evil, however, He next says, “you have known to give good gifts to your children.”   Jesus introduces the word doma, a gift. It is something that is presented to another. In this case, the implication is that what is presented comes from beyond the immediate means of the person who receives it. Otherwise, it would be something that would have already been earned or obtained on his own. This doesn’t mean the person couldn’t earn or obtain it, but that, at present, it is not within the scope of that person’s assets.   As parents, humans have the ability and the desire to give such gifts to our children. Though we lack perfect goodness, we have shades of goodness from person to person. Even the most corrupt person, however, will have something good about him. It might take quite a while to figure out what it is, but it is there.   Despite this, Jesus is noting that the general state of humanity is that a father, in his state of being evil, still has the sense to tend to his child and give him what he needs and even what the child may ask for beyond his needs. As this is true with someone who is evil, “how much more your Father.”   Jesus now brings in the comparison, meaning the perfect Father who is God. If the man who lacks perfect goodness knows how to tend to his own children, how much more will God know how to tend to His children?   We are on earth in a fallen economy. God is “the ‘in the heavens.’” He sees everything perfectly, and He tends to everything perfectly. He is infinitely wise and will always do what is right. When it is appropriate, He will give His children exactly what they need to meet His infinitely perfect plans. As Jesus says, “He will give good to those asking Him.”   Of course, this must be in accord with His nature and plans, but when the circumstances are appropriate, God will perform perfectly in providing for His children.   Life application: It must be understood that the things we receive from God are appropriate to our needs and the situation in which we exist at any given time. If a saved person lives in a nation that is living contrary to God, it may be appropriate that God withhold the rains from the nation as a whole.   In withholding the rains, there will be a lack of food. In a lack of food, there may be hunger. In such an instance, it means that people will starve, including the saved person. But this will serve a greater purpose. The book of Lamentations describes the suffering of Israel due to their rejection of what is good.   Although the people who experienced those sufferings were experiencing evil, meaning a lack of goodness, they were also experiencing good from God through chastisement. They were being rightly disciplined, and yet they were being saved as a people through their discipline.   It is not appropriate to question God’s goodness when we don’t have all the facts at our disposal. In times of terrible troubles, we should remain people of faith and consider that His ways are higher than our own. We should submit to Him and honor Him, even when we feel the gifts we are receiving are inappropriate. For sure, they are not. They are the good things we need for our situation and to meet His glorious plan for His redeemed.   O God, troubles and trials have been experienced by Your faithful people all along. Job suffered greatly, and yet we can now read the record of his life and understand why those things happened. Give us the desire and ability to trust You, even through the difficulties and trials we may not understand. Amen.