Strong’s Concordance #2896 (OT)
Divine Judgment: Good
The genesis of GOOD is found in Genesis.
The first book introduces us to the Creator’s work as He brings order out of what was formless and empty—moving from darkness to light and then beyond. Again and again, His work is followed by the divine judgment: “good.”
What began as something as formless as water and as empty as the abyss begins to take shape. Then four spoken words change everything:
“Let there be light.” Genesis 1:3 (CSB)
With those words, an ordered sequence of events unfolds—each building on what came before, each revealing another part of the Creator’s work, and each receiving God’s declaration and judgment that it was good by what He saw—Genesis 1:4.
Establish
So, what exactly did He see?
He saw the separation of light from darkness and it was good.
Let’s first look at some of the many and varied qualities that can be associated with GOOD through the Letter-Lock method.
The first letter could be compared to the first thing God established. G begins and connects with RIGHT—a sense of rightness that can be seen when things are properly distinguished and set in their orderly, intended place.
O opens to ideas of what is positive, profitable, favorable, and worthy.
And D concludes the word which brings us an outcome or result to what is delightful and abundant.
These are only a few of the words that emerge as we explore GOOD letter by letter. They are the words that fit, but the words that fortify the exploration should not be separated from them, for they reveal something of the impressiveness of God’s handiwork.
Separation
So, the first day of creation gives us a remarkable starting point: God spoke, light came forth, and a separation was established between light and darkness. Then God saw the right result—and called it good.
This principle of separation does not end in Genesis. It carries forward into the New Testament, where Paul calls believers to recognize the distinction between what belongs to God and what does not. In 2 Corinthians 6:14–18, he asks, ” For what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?” He then calls God’s people to “come out from among them
and be separate,” says the Lord—not as an end in itself, but as part of belonging wholly to Him which it what He deemed right.
From the beginning, separation establishes distinction. Light is separated from darkness, and what belongs to God is distinguished from what does not. What God separates, He sets apart for His purposes—and that distinction becomes part of what is good.
Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.
Romans 12:21(CSB)
Don’t make friends with an angry person,
and don’t be a companion of a hot-tempered one,
or you will learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.
Proverbs 22:24-25(CSB)
Gathering
The second GOOD in Genesis begins with a gathering at the beginning of the third day in Genesis 1:10.
God gathered the waters into one place, and the dry land appeared. The gathering was not merely a separation for separation’s sake. It established an ordered environment for what would come next. What had been unable to produce was now prepared to bring forth according to the word God had spoken, “Let the earth produce vegetation…” . The ground was now prepared to bring forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit trees yielding fruit after their kind.
The separation made room for fruitfulness. And here another fortifying word of GOOD begins to emerge: fruitful.
Gathered with Purpose
Gathered with Purpose
Throughout Scripture, gathering continues to be associated with something God is preparing to do.
God brought His people together before Him at Mt Sinai. He gathered His people around the Tabernacle. He called Israel to gather before Him at the appointed times through the three great annual feasts—Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. The Temple itself became a place of gathering, where the people assembled before the presence of God.
The gathering was never simply about bringing people together. God gathered His people with purpose and intention.
At the dedication of Solomon’s Temple, all Israel gathered as the Ark was brought into its appointed place and the glory of the Lord filled the house. The gathering preceded a greater manifestation of God’s presence.
Something More
Again and again, Scripture gives us this pattern with something for us to consider when we come to the New Testament.
Paul speaks of a future gathering that has yet to occur:
“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 (CSB)
The language blends perfectly: together.
The believers are gathered—not merely to be removed from something, but to meet the Lord: and that is good.
Just as the gathering of the waters in Genesis prepared the earth for what God would command next, the promised gathering of His people points toward something God has planned beyond it. The Genesis pattern begins to open another dimension of GOOD: sometimes God gathers because something more is about to be brought forth.
He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
Matthew 24:31 (CSB)
The Third Day
There is another detail in this third-day pattern that invites us to look beyond Genesis. On the third day, God gathered the waters, the dry land appeared, and then the earth was commanded to bring forth vegetation—seed-bearing plants and trees yielding fruit according to their kind.
Then, millennia later, on the third day, our Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
Was this simply a coincidence of the third day—or was it part of the Master’s plan or pattern?
Jesus Himself gave us a remarkable picture when He said:
“Truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces much fruit.” — John 12:24 (CSB)
Again, the pattern blends perfectly: something is gathered, something is brought forth, and what comes forth carries the potential for fruitfulness. And that is good.
In Genesis, the earth brings forth according to the seed God placed within it. In Christ, the One who would die and rise again becomes the source of much fruit.
Perhaps the third day gives us another glimpse of the Creator’s pattern: what appears to be an ending can become the appointed place from which new life is brought forth—new life that reaches beyond time, into eternity.
Beyond Time
Day four brings us into another dimension of GOOD.
On the fourth day, God again speaks, and again light becomes central. But this time, the light is given form and function through the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. The lights are appointed to divide the day from the night and to serve as signs for seasons, days, and years.
Something new has been established. The Creator, whose handiwork does not depend upon the measurements of time, now establishes the lights by which time will be marked and governed.
There is a beautiful order to this. The first three days establish the environment, the distinctions, the gathering, and the bringing forth of life. Then, on Day four, God establishes the great lights that will govern the rhythms of what He has made.
The sun and moon are different, yet complementary. Each has its appointed place and purpose. Together they provide the framework by which time can be recognized, measured, and observed.
And there is something else worth noticing: God’s created order was not designed to leave the earth in total darkness. When the greater light rules the day, the lesser light rules the night. Even darkness has a boundary, and God appointed lights to govern it. And that has been a remarkable success.
Once again, God saw what He establishes is good.
What began with light separated from darkness has now become light appointed to govern the rhythms of time.
According to their Kind
Day five, just one day away from creation being completed but the Creator brings us back to the waters that were gathered on Day three and the expanse established on Day two. What God had prepared and separated is now ready to be filled with life. The waters that once stood empty begin to swarm with living creatures, while birds fill the expanse above the earth according to their kind. And God saw that it was good.
There is something beautiful about the way God created what He has prepared. He does not fill it sparsely, but abundantly. Life is not merely introduced—it is given the capacity to multiply. Fish swim in schools, and birds fly in flocks, displaying another pattern within creation: life moving together in unity.
The Blessing
Then something new happens. For the first time in the creation account, God blesses what He has made:
‘God blessed them: “Be fruitful, multiply and fill…’” — Genesis 1:22 (CSB)
God’s blessing flows from the goodness He sees. Fruitfulness is part of that goodness: what He creates is not merely alive but designed to reproduce, multiply, and fill the place prepared for it. Day by day, the pattern continues: God separates, gathers, prepares, establishes, fills—and now blesses. Emptiness gives way to fullness, and preparation for productivity. What God calls GOOD is capable not only of life but of fruitfulness and abundance.
The Final Day
While on Day five God created the creatures, this new day brought a new way as God said, “Let the earth produce living creatures according to their kinds…. Genesis 1:24.
The words “Let the earth produce” introduce something new while weaving a thread from Day three. God had already spoken life into the waters and the expanse, but now He speaks to the earth itself and calls forth living creatures from it. The earth that God had previously brought forth from the gathered waters now becomes the place from which another dimension of life emerges.
God repeated the words, “Let the earth produce.” The repetition draws our attention to the earth as an instrument within God’s creative order. The earth does not create independently of God; rather, God commands, and the earth responds to His word.
And what does the earth produce? Living creatures according to their kinds—livestock, creatures that crawl, and wildlife. Once again, God’s creation is not random or without distinction. There is order within the abundance, with each living thing brought forth according to its kind.
There is also a beautiful progression in this weave. On Day three, the earth brought forth vegetation: “Let the earth produce vegetation” (Genesis 1:11). Now, on Day six, the earth is called upon again: “Let the earth produce living creatures.” What began with vegetation now reaches another level of life.
The earth that first produced plants now brings forth the creatures that inhabit it and provides what they need to live. What God established earlier becomes the setting for what He creates later.
And then, as the animals appear, God sees what He has made and declares that it was good—a well pleasing success.
The goodness of creation is being revealed not only in what God makes, but in the preparation, order, purpose, variety, and fruitfulness He has built into it. His word goes forth, creation responds, and life fills the places He has prepared.
The Climax
But the sixth day was not finished. The creation of the animals was followed by the climax of God’s creative work—the creation of man.
God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). Here, the words “according to its kind” take on a new and greater dimension. The animals were created according to their kinds, each reflecting the order and design God had established. But humanity was made according to God’s likeness.
Male and female He created them, giving them a unique purpose within all that He had made. Created in His image, they were to “rule” over the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every living creature on the earth. They were created not simply to inhabit God’s creation in unity, but to represent Him within it—to steward what His hands had made and to govern according to the order and purpose established by their Creator. Their dominion was not independent authority, but a responsibility entrusted to them by God, reflecting His rule over all He had made.
The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the Lord, for he laid its foundation on the seas and established it on the rivers.
Psalm 24:1 (CSB)
And there is something significant about where this leads us in the progression of GOOD. God had looked upon the light, the land, the vegetation, the sun and moon, and the living creatures, and repeatedly declared what He saw to be good. Each part had its place. Each served its purpose. Each contributed to the unfolding whole in unity. But when God looked upon everything He had made, including man and woman created in His image, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” Genesis 1:31. Not merely good—but VERY GOOD.
We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28 (CSB)
Beyond Creation
But the story of GOOD does not end with what God made. It leads us to consider the goodness of God Himself. Everything declared good in creation points beyond itself to the One whose character establishes what goodness truly is.
As we move from the opening pages of Genesis into the New Testament, GOOD takes on another dimension. The Greek word agathos (Strong’s G18) carries the meaning of good, describing what is good in character or beneficial in its effect.
Jesus came proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The goodness revealed in creation now stands alongside the announcement of God’s kingdom, calling people to respond to what God is doing. GOOD is no longer only a word we encounter in the account of creation; it becomes part of the message Jesus preached.
The Pattern Continues
The goodness established in creation reveals a pattern. God separated, gathered, established order, appointed governing lights and filled what He had prepared. Life was brought forth according to its kind, blessed to multiply, and given a place within the greater whole. The variety of creation did not diminish its unity; each part contributed to the purpose of the whole.
This pattern finds a striking parallel in the good news of the kingdom of God. What God established in creation helps us recognize principles that appear again in the new life experience and mission of His people.
Through the good news, people are called out of the world’s ways and into a new life set apart for God. Believers are gathered into one body, with Christ as the Head. They are called to grow in His likeness, bearing fruit in their lives and helping others become His disciples. And they are sent beyond their own gathering, carrying the message of the good news of the kingdom to all nations.
Here, too, we see separation, gathering, growth, purpose, and multiplication. Unity does not require uniformity: people from many nations, backgrounds, and cultures are brought together in Christ, sharing one Lord and one calling. The message goes outward, just as Jesus commanded His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations. “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations…” — Matthew 28:19 (CSB)
The pattern established in creation now finds a parallel in the kingdom: a people called to belong to God, formed in the likeness of Christ, united in purpose, and sent into the world to make His good news, the gospel, known.
What God established in the beginning was not without purpose. And as the good news of the kingdom reaches the nations, we see these same themes of order, fruitfulness, unity, and purpose woven into the unfolding work of God.
The pattern of creation gives us a lens through which to recognize the goodness of His kingdom.
And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:8 (CSB)
The Highest Honor of GOOD
But the word GOOD finds an even deeper significance when a ruler approaches Jesus and calls Him “Good Teacher.” Jesus responds with a question that reaches to the heart of the word itself:
“Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.” — Luke 18:19 (CSB)
What began with God’s declaration over creation now brings us face-to-face with the goodness of God Himself. Jesus directs the ruler’s attention beyond the title he has spoken to the One who alone is the ultimate standard of goodness.
GOOD is more than an outward appearance, a favorable outcome, or something that serves a useful purpose. Its highest honor belongs to God. The goodness displayed throughout creation finds its source in Him, and the good news Jesus proclaimed calls us to recognize God’s kingdom and respond to Him.
The journey from GOOD to VERY GOOD has brought us beyond creation itself—to the character of the Creator. And in the words of Jesus, we are reminded that goodness finds its ultimate source and standard in God alone.
Remember, Lord, your compassion and your faithful love,
for they have existed from antiquity.
Do not remember the sins of my youth or my acts of rebellion;
in keeping with your faithful love, remember me
because of your goodness, Lord.
Psalm 25:6-7(CSB)
For the Lord is good, and his faithful love endures forever: his faithfulness, through all generations.
Psalm 100:5(CSB)
“Search the Scriptures”
Take a few moments to explore how this word is used throughout cross referencing Scripture. Let these passages guide your own study and reflection.
G: Proverbs 15:3, Matthew 5:45, Romans 2:6-8
O: Luke 8:15, Ephesians 5:9
O: 1 Peter 3:16-17, Proverbs 13:2
D: 1 Samuel 12:23, James 1:17-18, Luke 6:9, 6:27
Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.
Galatians 6:9-10 (CSB)