When words are repeated in the Bible, that often means that they hold significance. We as readers should pay attention to the words that are repeated often. In this series, we are going to discover words that are repeated throughout Scripture and what they mean for us today.
The first word we are going to uncover is the word “good”. This is such a simple word we use all the time in today’s society. In the Bible, however, the word “good” means so much more than just something that tastes good or someone who had a good day. It is the Hebrew word “tob” and it can mean pleasant, better, agreeable, excellent, or even prosperous. So let’s look at where this word occurs.
This word is used so much in Genesis 1 that it practically jumps off the page. It is also widely used in Proverbs- 62 times and Ecclesiastes- 52 times. Let’s explore the use of this word in Scripture.
“Good” in Torah
The word is used to describe God’s creation (Genesis 1)
Eve sees the fruit in the garden is “tov”- good (Genesis 3)
Sons of God see human daughter are “good” (Genesis 6)
The Promised land was a “good land” (Exodus 2)
God’s instructions are “good”- opposite of death and destruction (Deuteronomy 30)
The uses in the Torah explore how humans try to develop the idea of what is good on their own instead of listening to what God calls good. God calls his creation good, he calls the land he’s going to give the Israelites “good” and His word is “good”. In the Torah, the word “good” has connotations of life and death around it. If humans call something “good” in their eyes, it is most likely not a good thing for them.
“Good” in Prophets
Obeying God’s word is “good” (1 Samuel 15)
David saw Bathsheba as “good”- this led to sin (2 Samuel 11)
Seek justice, love, be humble is good (Michas 6)
Good is established by God not humans (Isaiah 5)
This word in the prophets seems to conjure images of faithfulness and promises of God. The faithfulness of God and the promises of God are good in that they are true. The message may not be a positive message but it is good because it is true and came from God. WHen humans try to define good for themselves, “good” is distorted and everyone creates their own version of what “good” is. God is defined and established by God’s acts and promises.
“Good” in the New Testament
Jesus says no one is “good” except God the Father (Luke 18)
We can have “good” works (Matthew 5)
One fruit of the Spirit is having the quality of being good “goodness” (Galatians 5)
God is working everything (good and bad) for the “good” of the world- our transformation (Romans 8)
In the New Testament, Jesus comes on the scene to tell us that only God is good and we must be completely transformed by the Spirit to live out what this means. We must do good to others and to God by having and experiencing the fruit of “goodness” that only comes from the Spirit. The word “goodness” means that we have this life inflating and pleasant quality about us because of the Spirit in us. Then we can endure all life throws at us so we can reach the final “good” thing, the renewal of all creation.
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