Psalm 38:20 – They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is.
I have big feet. They are not huge or out of proportion with my height, but they are large. In fact my feet are a foot long. Knowing this tidbit of information, I have often used my foot to approximate the length of many things in feet. I can do this because my foot is a foot, and many say that that fact was what led to the unit of length called a “foot” gaining its name. Someone important set the standard for feet with a foot. Are you confused yet? This was the easy part.
David, the psalmist behind today’s verse, says, “I follow the thing that good is.” A more direct translation might be “I follow good.” In either case you can see that it does not say, “I follow the good thing.” Rather David followed the thing whose essence was goodness or the source of all that is good.
Jesus said, “…there is none good but one, that is, God” (Matthew 19:17). God only is truly good, and the only true good is God. One verse that made this truth crystal clear to me is James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” God is not merely good in appearance or even character. He is good in essence.
As you go away scratching your head over all this word study, consider why Jesus responded to the questioner in Matthew 19 who called Him “Good Master.” Before answering his question, the Lord made him first examine his own words, saying, “Why callest thou me good?” We all need to wrestle with how good is God.
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)