Give Thanks to the Lord, for He Is Good—Part 2—A Word Study on the Word "Good"

 

God Is Good

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever" 

— Psalm 107:1

This study centers on the above Scriptural phrase, quoted six times in the Old Testament.

The definition and pictograph of the Hebrew word for thanks studied in the first part of this series express the idea of understanding His loyal covenant love towards us and communicating it with our mouths and hands, which is symbolic of "throwing" it out there. This lesson will examine the Hebrew word for "good" as it relates to God's goodness and our responsibility to recognize it.

Distinguishing between good and evil became an entangled affair after partaking of the forbidden tree. by Dr. Lidia Kozenitzky 

It's a Matter of Distinguishing

When God created in the beginning, He declared that what He had made was "tov טוב" good. Immediately after calling forth "Light" and declaring it "good," God separated the light from the dark and distinguished the two. We will look later at what the word "good" means in distinguishing. 

There was also a tree in the Garden titled "The Knowing of Good (tov טוב) and Evil." This tree had much more to do with Adam and Eve's desires than simply acquiring forbidden intellectual information, "knowing good and evil." 

The Hebrew word for "know" sounds identical to the term "yada ידה," which is used in the Hebrew word for "thanks." Yada ידה" as in "know," however, has a one-letter difference. The final letter of the Hebrew word for "thanks" (yada ידה) is "hey" and is represented by an image of a window indicating a revelation. The Hebrew word "know" (yada ידה) ends with the Hebrew letter "ayin ע," which is a picture of an eye meaning to see, to know, or perceive. 

Eve's hand ("yod '"), the first letter of both of the words "yada ידה," symbolizes action. She will now do what she has perceived with her eyes rather than obey the revelation she received. She has fixed her eyes and perceptions upon the one thing she was instructed not to have.

Gesenius' Lexicon defines "know " as perceiving, becoming acquainted with, seeing with your eyes, discovering, knowing by experience, and becoming intimate with. We can see that according to this definition. Eve was interested in more than just "knowing" evil. She expressed her interest in discovering it and experiencing it.

... the woman (Eve) "saw" that the tree was good for food, pleasant to the eye, and desirable to make one wise. 

— Genesis 3:6

The Hebrew word for "wise" (shakal שכל) in this verse is not the more familiar word used throughout the rest of Scripture for "wise." "Shakal שכל" means to look at, behold, desire, turn the mind towards, gain understanding, intelligence, prosperity, success, and happiness. Eve was looking for much more than intellectual stimulation. She expected that knowing good and evil would supply her with all of the above. She already knew what "good" was, since all that God had made was good. Here is an example of how "shakal שכל" is translated as "succeed."

Therefore, observe the words of this covenant and follow them, so that you will succeed (shakal) in everything you do. 

— Deuteronomy 29:9 (HCSB)

The following verses in Hosea, concerning Gomer, Hosea's unfaithful wife, depict the adulterous element of Eve's desire.

... For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers, 

Who gives me my bread and my water, 

My wool and my linen, 

My oil and my drink.’ 

— Hosea 2:5b 

... For she did not know 

That I gave her grain, new wine, and oil, 

And multiplied her silver and gold—

Which they prepared for Baal. 

— Hosea 2:8 

Something more than tasting fruit is going on. It seems to be an illicit affair with evil itself. The issue of God's goodness at this event was brought into question. It doubted His goodness that led Eve to her demise. Her decision to become intimate with evil caused her to become like the evil she partook in. What we become intimate with, we become like.

Our "gods" may not be human-made statues of silver and gold, but instead, they may be fantasies we have carved in our imaginations that seem good to us to serve our needs. We fantasize about the things, people, or positions we believe will redeem us from our current miseries. But apart from the one and only true God, they are nothing. They are empty. The Hebrew word for "idol" means vain, empty, nothing, and that is what we become when we worship them. We become what we worship. And we worship and become intimate with what we perceive as good for us. 

The Hebrew word pictograph for "good" adds some additional insights.

A snake's forked tongue tastes and helps it distinguish its environment. 

Hebrew Word Study on Good "Tov טוב."

"Tet ט" is the first letter of the Hebrew word for "good" and is a picture of a coiled snake. When looking at this letter, it is hard to associate a snake with something good, especially considering that the serpent led Eve away from good. In this case, we will study the distinguishing aspects of snakes.

When a snake sticks out its tongue, it tastes the environment around it. A simple flick of its tongue displays that it is sensing chemical particles in the air. The air it tastes is analyzed by a receptor in the roof of its mouth to determine what might be "good" for food or a potential enemy. This behavior is also used as a courting ritual. Once the data is analyzed, the snake will act upon its input. This description shows that "tet ט" conveys the idea of collecting data through our senses, analyzing it, and ultimately acting on it. This analysis can be for good or evil.

"Vav ו," the second letter in the Hebrew word for "good," is a picture of a nail and conveys the idea of connecting or securing.

"Bet ב," the final letter in this word study, is a picture of a house or dwelling. It speaks of what is on the inside. 

If we combine all these concepts, we can see that good is something we can taste, see, and distinguish as connected to what is on the inside. Our brains make connections and associations with what we distinguish as good.

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! 

— Psalm 34:8

The unfortunate part of this story is that they already had everything they needed or wanted. Life was "good." They were entitled to eat of every tree in the garden except one. They were already like God. He had given them dominion over everything. By choosing to focus on the one thing they couldn't have, they became blind to what they already had and to what was good. 

Faulty Discernment

Listening to the serpent, they judged what was considered "good" based upon a liar and deceiver's input, who convinced them that God was not good. It implied that God was withholding what was good from them. They agreed with the serpent by acting upon it. They chose to taste and see if evil was good and lost their eternal soul.

The Latin root of the word "deceive" is "ceive," meaning "to take or accept." The prefix "de" means to remove or subtract. Evil's Modus Operandi is to steal from us what we have already been given. That is how it is with us. We become so focused on the one thing we can't have that we're convinced it holds the key to our success or happiness. Sin and addiction are founded on this faulty premise. We are in grave spiritual danger when we determine and judge that the sin we may want is good. Because ultimately, in that judgment, we declare that God is bad, like it or not, and we become subjects of the one who lies about what is good.

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 

— Isaiah 5:20

God has made dark and light, good and evil, clear and distinguishable, and He asks us to distinguish between the two and make a conscientious, purposeful conclusion about Him. The tree was about knowing both good and evil, and they had deluded themselves into thinking they could live with one foot in both domains. Good belongs to God, and evil belongs to the evil one.

You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. 

— 1 Corinthians 10:21

This was the grave mistake of Adam and Eve, and of the rest of us, to believe that we could have it both ways, not realizing it isn't about the things we run after. It's about who we run after.

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 

— Galations 6:7-8

Here again, God distinguishes one thing from another. We will never get good from evil. Even Christians sometimes mistakenly believe that good will come from forbidden things. God can make good from the not-so-good things in our lives, but to consciously choose what is prohibited and expect the blessing is ludicrous and bordering on insane on our part.

And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” 

— Joshua 24:15

In declaring that "He is good," He asks us to make a distinction and choose. It was the first decision in that garden of whom they would serve. He grants us this same opportunity as individuals.

"See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil,  in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. 

— Deuteronomy 30:15

It's as clear as night and day. God is calling us to make a distinction and draw the line about whom we will serve. (Joshua 24:15) He invites us to taste the "All-Sufficient" One El Shaddai, who is truly GOOD! He will not share our affections with evil.

We remain outside of His will and covenant when we partake of evil. To be outside of His covenant is to be apart from where all His goodness dwells.

In closing, the Word of God (Yeshua—Rescuer) is the Tree of Life. (John 6:68) When we analyze the data of our senses and human logic alone, we are susceptible to deception. May we cling to Him alone, who has the Words of Life. Declare and throw it out there. God is good!!! Let us all dispel the biggest lie in the universe and the implications that He is not through our experience and testimony. Let us turn our loyalty to our relationship with Him and Him alone.

© 2010 Tamarajo

Links to All Articles in This Series

Give Thanks to the Lord: A Word Study on Thanks

Give Thanks to the Lord, for He Is Good: A Word Study on the Word "Good"

Give Thanks to the Lord for He Is Good, for His Mercy Endures Forever

Sources

(1) http://www.coolquiz.com/trivia/explain/docs/snakes.asp