1. God’s Goodness to Sarah
God was extremely good to Sarah on several occasions:
In both Genesis 12 and 20, we see God rescue her.
Genesis 12:
Sarah and Abraham traveled to Egypt due to a famine in Canaan, the land where they lived. Abraham was afraid that, because Sarah was so desirable, he’d be killed by some man who wanted her for himself.
So, instead of trusting God, he introduces Sarah as his sister.
Pharoah ends up taking her into his household to become his wife, but then God strikes plagues upon Pharaoh's household, which alerts him to who Sarah is, and she is given back to Abraham.
In Genesis 20, we see Abraham do this same thing again (of having Sarah act as his sister). And once again, God intervened by communicating the truth to the other man - this time, King Abimelech - in a dream. In verse 3 it says, “But that night God came to Him in a dream and told him, ‘You are a dead man, for that woman you took is married.’”
In both cases, God is showing goodness to Sarah and Abraham individually. But also to the nation God wanted to create from them.
We also see God’s goodness to Sarah in Genesis Chapters 15-21 regarding that very plan - and how she tried to make it her own.
In Genesis 15, God tells Abraham that he will have a son and that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars! And in verse 6, it says, “And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.”
Instead of trusting God, however, Sarah decides to take things into her own hands.
In Chapter 16, we read that Sarah gives Hagar, her Egyptian maid, to her husband to sleep with - the goal being for them to have a son through Hagar. (Like a surrogate mother.)
It works; Hagar gets pregnant.
But this is where things go downhill. Because Hagar’s pregnancy, and her new status, creates friction between Hagar and Sarah. The end result being that Sarah beats Hagar, causing her to run away.
In short, Sarah’s plan goes completely awry.
Yet, despite the mess Sarah made by taking things into her own hands instead of trusting God, He’s still good to her.
In Genesis 18:10, God tells Abraham that they will have a son by next year. Which is a miracle at their advanced age.
And in Genesis 21, despite Sarah laughing at His announcement in Genesis 18, God delivers on His promise.
Big Idea: Despite the sins of both Abraham and Sarah, God remained faithful and good to them. And the same is true today. No one’s sin can stop God’s goodness.
Note: It’s also worth noting that God was also good to Hagar in this situation. He met her in the desert, acknowledging her situation and feelings, while also comforting her. And supporting her so that she could return home and face her less-than-stellar situation.
2. God’s Goodness to Rahab
In Joshua 2, we meet Rahab.
Joshua sends two spies into Jericho to get the lay of the land. They end up at Rahab’s establishment.
The king sends men to get the spies. But instead of handing them over, she tells the king’s men that the spies left the city. Meanwhile, she’s hidden them on the roof.
Why? Because, as she tells the spies, she knows (as others in Jericho do) that their God - who has done mighty deeds such as parting the Red Sea - has given the land to His people.
Joshua 2:9: So, to save herself and her extended family, Rahab acts bravely by first hiding the spies and then asks that, when they take Jericho, she and her extended family are spared since she helped them. And they agree - and keep their promise.
Most of the time, Rahab is labeled and presented as a prostitute - which she was (verse 1). But she was also clearly intelligent and had some guts.
Still, what she was asking was a big risk coming from an outsider. She wasn’t an Isrealite. She was a woman (which meant she was looked down upon more so than today). And she was a prostitute.
The two spies could have very easily said no - especially since she had already hidden them and diverted the king’s men elsewhere. They could have risked slipping out of the city on their own rather than Rahab helping them down by a rope, since her building was next to the city wall (verse 15).
Instead, they agreed - and kept their promise. Rahab and her family - and all their possessions - were spared.
That’s already a large dose of God’s goodness. But it doesn’t end there.
In Matthew 1:5, which presents the genealogy of Jesus, we see that Rahab was grafted into the line of Jesus! (She married Salmon and was the mother of Boaz - who is featured in the book of Ruth.)
Big Idea: God’s goodness doesn’t extend only to those the world (or certain people within it) deem worthy. Instead, it’s available to anyone - and can include far more than we can imagine.
3. Jesus’ Goodness to the Samaritan Woman at the Well
In John Chapter 4, we see Jesus meet the Samaritan woman at the well.
It needs to be noted that the Israelites were not BFFs with the Samaritans - and vice versa. Which is why the woman starts off by saying what she does in verse 9. (Regarding her surprise that Jesus was even speaking to her, let alone asking her for water.)
This means Jesus was already breaking convention in order to bring truth and goodness to this woman. (Or, as verse 10 says in the NLT translation, “a wonderful gift for you.”)
Jesus was also meeting her at the hottest part of the day - a time when everyone would be indoors or in the shade if possible.
In verse 8, it notes that the disciples had gone into town for food. Jesus could have gone with them.
Instead, He lingered at the well, specifically waiting to speak to this woman. He put aside His own earthly comfort to bring comfort to her - of the spiritual kind. (As well as to everyone in the town who would hear the story of this conversation.)
It should also be noted that the first time Jesus openly admits that He is the Messiah was to the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:25-26).
Big Idea: God loves us so much that sometimes He’ll go out of His way to give us what we really need instead of what we think we need. And at times, that can include restructuring how we look at the world and what’s truly important.
