Week of Sept. 27, 2026

Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. -Psalm 25:8 (NIV)

My wife is a model of forbearance in many ways. The first is: she has to put up with me. The second is, she is an educator by trade. And all educators are immersed in forbearance as part of the job. They get immediate on the job training in forbearance as they deal with students, administrators, and parents. During professional development sessions, Becca would often be asked to “define your ‘why.’” (cue groanings from any educator past or present). If you’re not familiar, to “define your ‘why’” is a question asked typically by conference or workshop speakers to help the teacher develop and define personal reasons of why they are a teacher. (The reason it may cause groaning is because it can also be used as a signal from administration to the teacher: you love teaching and you love students, so you’ll do this incredibly demanding job for poor pay and no support because you’re an altruistic person, so stop whining already… pray for your educators, folks!)

But the exercise to define one’s “why” is not inherently a bad thing. Self-examination of why we do what we do can be very beneficial - especially if we struggle with what we do. “Why do I work out when I’d rather not?” “Because it’s good for my health and well-being.” “Why do I cook at home when it’s easier to eat out?” “Because eating out is expensive, and you’re trying to be faithful to the household budget.” The examples can go on. Defining one’s “why” can actually help stick to a task that is difficult or mundane. 

Fortunately for us, we are told why God forebears with us enough to instruct us. In Psalm 25:8, the psalmist writes “Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.” The why is linked to God’s character: Good and upright. The Hebrew for “upright” can also be understood as straightforward: God is a straightshooter. He’s not trying to deceive or trick us. Yes, He’s the GOD that is above our understanding. He’s not deceptive. He’s transcendent. When He deals with us, there’s no trickery or sleight of hand. He might be mysterious, and summons us to discern Him; but He’s not evading us. God is a straightshooter. 

The metaphor goes further into the Hebrew word for “instruct.” The word for “instruct” is related to archery terms for shooting an arrow accurately. Bullseye! The term for shooting an arrow would be transliterated to “point out,” which then became “teach” or “instruct.”   

God Himself is upright and straightforward. No wicked detours in His nature. Because of His personality, we then are invited to learn how to become straightshooters with Him. He wants to form us in His image found in the person of the Lord Jesus and enabled to do so with His Spirit. WHY? Because He is good and upright, so we can learn from His gracious instruction.

May it be so with us,

Matt