But He's Good: Aslan

'Course He Isn't Safe, But He's Good

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

What are the dominant characteristics that we attribute to God?

Certainly there are many possibilities. The bible records that God Himself enumerated 13 Attributes of Mercy which are, in part or as a whole, invoked by later prophets. These include that He is merciful, gracious, slow to anger and so on. We may turn to the amidah the center of the Jewish prayer service in which we praise God as, “great, mighty, and awesome.” But, perhaps an even more dominant trait, one that appears throughout the bible, is that God is good.

The Psalmist calls out to the crowd that has gathered to praise God with the opening, “Praise the Lord, for He is good, for his kindness is everlasting.” Indeed, at pivotal moments of Jewish history, great leaders have utilized this exhortation. King David calls upon his people to praise God when he brings the Ark of the Covenant to the capital city of Jerusalem using this same verse. When his son, King Solomon, brings the Ark into his newly built Temple, it is with these very words that God’s presence becomes apparent. Many years later Jeremiah, at the moment when the Babylonians are besieging Jerusalem, about to fulfill the prophecies of doom which he himself delivered, comforts Israel:

So says the Lord, there will again be heard in this place… in the cities of Judea and the courtyards of Jerusalem that are desolate without men, without inhabitants, and without animals: the voice of happiness, the voice of rejoicing, the voice of the groom, the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say, “Praise God the Lord of Lord of Hosts, for the Lord is good, for His kindness is everlasting!” (Jeremiah 33:10-11)

Finally, upon laying the foundation for the second Temple, the priests and Levites sang in praise of God, for He is good for His kindness is everlasting.

Indeed, God’s goodness is so integral that it was fully imbued in our world. In the first chapter of Genesis, God sees each item he has created and declares it good, and when creation is complete he declares it very good.

What is goodness? A child may think that eating candy instead of vegetables is good because the child appreciates the sweet taste of the candy. Adults, however, are charged with restraining a child from acting this way. Adults understand that such goodness is fleeting and, ultimately, will not provide true goodness. Taking this argument to its logical conclusion we must realize that only God has a fully expansive and utterly comprehensive knowledge and vision. Thus, it is only He who can determine what is truly good. While mere humans may regard a particular event as good, bad or dangerous, only God can properly characterize the goodness of any occurence.

This lesson of determining ultimate goodness is one of the first taught to the Pevensie children during their adventures in Narnia. As the Beavers prepare them to meet the mysterious Aslan we find the following back-and-forth.

[Mr. Beaver] “I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-beyond-the-Sea. Don't you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion - the Lion, the great Lion."
"Ooh!" said Susan, "I'd thought he was a man. Is he - quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion."
"That you will, dearie, and no mistake," said Mrs Beaver; "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly."
"Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy.
"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver; "don't you hear what Mrs Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."

Aslan is not safe because safety implies that nothing will occur that you perceive as bad or dangerous. But he’s good and only under his guidance can the ultimate good be achieved. This contrast between safe and good has been the kernel of many a Christian sermon. I particularly like this one from Pastor Robert Marsh, especially as he reaches out to comfort those who may not feel particularly safe during “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” However, centuries ago the Talmudic Sages told stories and taught lessons emphasizing this very theme. We will explore some of these in our next post.