The creation narrative in Genesis is vital to understanding “good” within the Old Testament. As God brings order to chaos, he judges the way in which he has ordered the world to be “good” (1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). Goodness within the creation narrative involves alignment with God’s commands. God speaks, and the varied facets of creation align with God’s speech.
What is nice emerges from God because the enactment of God’s will. Old Testament scholar Bruce Waltke notes,
“Although the eggshells of the precreated state, darkness and seas of abyss, are still present, they’ll now be called ‘good’ (i.e., helpful and desirable) because they’re bounded by light and land, respectively, and serve useful tasks (Ps. 104:19-26). Creation is imbued with God’s goodness and joie de vivre (Prov 8:30-31).”
What is deemed “good” contributes to God’s order in some productive manner. That order is designed to underscore God’s glory. There is not any abstract moral good that serves as a typical other than God. Instead, the “good” aligns with God and his purposes (cf. Gen 2:9, 12, 18).
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