Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

GOOD

Unlike the Platonic abstract ideal of “the Good,” the biblical texts portray goodness as a quality of lived experience.

In the OT trees (Gen. 2:9) and ears of grain (41:5) are described as good (Heb. ṭôḇ). Aspects of the human experience referred to as good include hospitality (Gen. 26:29), loyalty (1 Sam. 29:9; NRSV “blameless”), prosperity (Hos. 10:1), and old age (Gen. 15:15). Goodness describes the sensuous pleasures of sweetness (Jer. 6:20), fragrance (Cant. 1:3), and beauty (Gen. 24:16). God also brings the Israelites into a “good and broad land, flowing with milk and honey” (Exod. 3:8), “a good land” of brooks and water, of fountains and springs (Deut. 8:7-10).

The biblical writings testify everywhere to God’s goodness, including creation and his faithfulness to his covenant with Israel (Exod. 18:9). However, Joshua reminds the Israelite community that the Lord “will turn and do you harm, and consume you, after having done you good,” if they forsake God’s ways (Josh. 24:20). The exhortation to be faithful to the covenant and walk in God’s ways is common in the prophetic literature (Jer. 6:16; Hos. 3:5). The Psalmist gives thanks to God’s name “for it is good” (Ps. 54:6[MT 8]), and the Spirit and its fruits are good (Ps. 143:10; Gal. 5:22). The Psalmist also emphasizes that there is no good apart from God (Ps. 16:2), for only God is good (Matt. 19:17).

In the NT Gk. agathós refers to the moral excellence of a person or an object. Matthew consistently contrasts agathós with ponērós, “evil,” in his descriptions of individuals (Matt. 5:45; 12:34-35; 22:10; 25:21-26). Gk. agathós appears most often in the NT in Romans, where Paul discusses God’s goodness and the good for which humans strive.

Gk. kalós is used frequently in the Synoptic Gospels in parables and moral exhortations. Objects such as the “good fruit” (Matt. 3:10), the “good seed” (13:38), and “fine pearls” (v. 45) all signify the goodness that resides with God. Gk. chrēstós appears primarily in the Pauline and Deutero-Pauline letters to refer to the goodness of God.

Henry L. Carrigan, Jr.

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

GOOD

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)