Creation Revisited Chapter 6

 Good vs Evil

Following the manifestation of the Father’s Light through His spoken Word into the Waters, Elohim “saw” that it was “Good,” “Tov” in Hebrew.    “And Elohim saw that the Light was Good” (Genesis 1:4a).  Note: I will capitalize the “G” when it refers to Elohim’s “Good,” to distinguish it from the “standard good,” that is, the "good" of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil.

Yeshua pointed out Elohim’s “Good,” when a wealthy man came up to him and asked about inheriting eternal life.  "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"   Yeshua responded in a typical rabbinic manner, with a question of his own:  "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except Elohim alone,” (Mark 10:17-18).  That may seem like a strange answer to someone who had been keeping the commandments from his youth (according to this man's admittance, v. 20).  Yeshua lovingly pointed out, "One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me" (v.21).  The word for riches or possessions in Greek is “chrema” and means “something useful or needful to the individual.”   

Yeshua was putting “eternal life” out of reach for every person who thought they could gain it by being "good" or righteous through good works.  In today’s world of languages, most of the usages of “good” denote something pleasant or agreeable to our soul or our physical senses, and likewise also that which is acceptable at large.  For example, matters, people, conditions, and ideas that are helpful, harmless, or useful may be titled "good," and especially so, when this "good" is deemed to pertain to individuals who act in a morally appropriate or commendable way.  But is that the same Good that Elohim “saw” when He made His pronouncement regarding the Light?  The answer was hinted at in Yeshua’s above-cited response to the rich man, as recorded in three of the gospels.  “No one is good except Elohim alone.”

The Hebrew word for "saw" (ra-ah) is made up of the consonants resh-aleph-hey, and has multiple meanings.  As we noted in the previous chapter, the Light was the Father’s Word/Son who is His (the Father’s) reflection of Light in the Waters.  Since Elohim is the only Good and is represented by the Son, wouldn’t the Son be also characterized by the same Good?   (Except when He took on the flesh and blood of humanity, at which time, as we saw, He attributed Good only to His Father.)

“Elohim saw,” that is, as if He were examining the Light and determining the goodness, the excellence, the fullness, and the abiding glory - the Shekhinah.  This Good, by its very essence, represents the opposite of Evil, which is why Elohim immediately "separated the Light from the Darkness" (Genesis 1:4b).   These two cannot co-exist, as in Elohim "there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5).  Because of their opposite nature, “separation” or “division” do not define adequately the meaning of Elohim’s action when He prevented the Light from penetrating the Darkness.  The verb that is used in Hebrew for this division or separation is "hivdil," which is “to make a distinction or recognizable difference for a specific purpose.”  This is why Elohim’s Tov/Good is unique and distinct from the tov/good of the Evil

We will break down the nature of the Good and the nature of the Evil once we discuss the “two trees,” later on in the creation story.  The power point presentation illustrates this 4^th verse of Genesis 1, as follows:

 Those green letters spell earth, to remind us that the creation of the earth and seas is yet to come into being in the “Spiritual Waters of Light”.