Bible Questions
Isaiah 45.7 and Creating Evil?
"What does Isaiah 45.7 mean when it says God creates evil? My ex-husband showed me this scripture and I was stunned. I always thought that God only does good, but Isaiah 45.7 says that he creates evil.", (Question from Jackie Chavez).
Isaiah 45.7 says, “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things” (Isaiah 45.7 KJV bible). This verse seems to contradict what a lot of Christians believe. Isaiah 45.7 seems to be telling us that the Lord doesn’t only make good, but also evil. If God creates darkness and evil, then the implication is that he is behind the evil deeds that are perpetrated in the world.
We often give God credit for the existence of righteousness and good in the world, but is he also responsible for evil? We know that at least sometimes the Lord doesn’t intervene to stop evil acts from being carried out. Some have used Isaiah 45.7 to argue that God doesn’t just tolerate evil, but that he plays a causative role in its existence. They claim that God is like a puppet master, creating evil in the world to serve a greater purpose over time.
Despite what it seems to be saying, Isaiah 45.7 offers no scriptural support for the view that God creates moral evil. The problem is that the Hebrew word that is translated here as evil (Hebrew: ra’), can have a variety of meanings in different contexts. People read it and assume it means moral evil and sin. Ra’ can mean this, but it can also mean tragedy, calamity, distress, trouble, misfortune and so on.
This is how ra' is used in Amos 3.6, which is a similar verse, “Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?” (Amos 3.6 KJV bible). In this instance, Ra' is used to refer to trouble and distress within the city. So the Hebrew word "ra'" (used in both Isaiah 45.7 and Amos 3.6), doesn’t always refer to the moral evils of sin.
In this sense the ra’ is not that different from our english word evil. Our word evil doesn’t always refer to sin and wickedness. Evil can also mean trouble, distress, and calamity. One might have an evil time trying to get something to work, or speak of social evils etc.. Similarly, we can’t assume that the evil spoken of in Isaiah 45.7 is the kind of perverse wickedness we usually associate with the word.
The context further supports the idea that the evil or ra’ mentioned in Isaiah 45.7 doesn’t mean moral evil. One notices that the verse lays out a pattern of opposites, ”I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil…” (Isaiah 45.7 KJV bible). The opposite of light is darkness, which is the absence of light. Likewise the opposite of peace is not moral evil, but war, trouble, and calamity. Moral evil and sin might work against peace, but they are not its exact opposite. Therefore, the context supports that God does create evil in the sense of calamity and distress, but not that he creates sin.
God will not only bless, but also raise up evil.
Isaiah 45.7 is just as true today as it was in the past. A lot of ministries don’t like to use the word “sin”, (maybe if it was spelled “$in” they’d like it more). There remains a widespread attitude that God exists to serve and indulge us. Many churches have replaced God’s Word with a feel good message designed to gin people up on a psychological high. Every Sunday, people get sold on a false gospel in which Christ is their ticket to wordly desires, all the while giving them a license to sin, “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage” (2nd Peter 2.19 KJV bible) .
Isaiah 45.7 and many other scriptures teach against this false gospel. God not only rewards faithfulness, but punishes sin, often chastening those he loves (Hebrews 12). God will especially be a force for calamity and destruction upon those who don’t fear his name, even if they consider themselves children of light, “And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil [ra'a]” (Zephaniah 1.12 KJV bible).
Comments
Clifford 18 Mar 2011, 02:38
What is evil? Or how do you measure evil? It is the same as measuring cold. Cold gets measure by the absence of heat. Evil gets measured by the absence of the presence of the Almighty King YHWH. Evil came over Israel because they worshipped Astarte and other pagan “gods” and committed immoral acts with cult prostitutes, male and female, to appease their piece of stone or gold covered wood. These immoral acts made them blind to the Almighty Great Creator of Heaven and Earth.The result is the blessings of the presence of the Almighty Great King are taken away from them. The default then is if the Almighty Great King does not guard and care for them then evil will have free reign on them because they are exposed to their own ability to take care of themselves. You can interpret is as evil being “blessed” because evil is not being restrained on their enemies no more. You have a Levite priest being so miss informed that for money, clothes and housing he conducts services for the owner of the house with all his other pagan idols and on top of that tries and bring in worship to the Almighty Great King. You have a tribe of Israel “rolling around” on a servant maiden all night until she died on the door step of her master because she was given to them instead of the master because the men of that Israeli tribe wanted o roll around on the master.
Point in fact read at least two chapters before and two chapters after each section and more of you can to really give you an in depth guard to the context of the passage.
YAHUSHUA the Almighty Son of the Almighty King YHWH died on the cross for us to be saved and no power of evil will overcome Him for He is the Almighty Great King. Be blessed and always worship the Almighty YHWH with everything that you do. Blessed be the name of the Almighty Great King YHWH and blessed be the name of the Almighty YAHUSHUA our Savior and redeemer, for He lives.
We are almost home; I will see you all at the tree….the tree of life in the middle of the new Jerusalem.
Just another perspective….
Doug Buckley 18 Mar 2011, 12:56
Hi Clifford, I tend to agree that evil is what takes over in the absence of God. There might be exceptions such as when God sends the evil spirit into Saul, but these are not the rule.Clifford 20 Mar 2011, 00:29
*** Brother to me it is one and the same it is the evil entertained by the individual relenting to honor the Almighty and repenting if his sin. Here is an extract that reflects it in context.When King Saul realized that he had been rejected by God, and when he felt the force of the words of denunciation that had been addressed to him by the prophet, he was filled with bitter rebellion and despair. It was not true repentance that had bowed the proud head of the king. He had no clear perception of the offensive character of his sin, and did not arouse to the work of reforming his life, but brooded over what he thought was the injustice of God in depriving him of the throne of Israel and in taking the succession away from his posterity. He was ever occupied in anticipating the ruin that had been brought upon his house. He felt that the valor which he had displayed in encountering his enemies should offset his sin of disobedience. He did not accept with meekness the chastisement of God; but his haughty spirit became desperate, until he was on the verge of losing his reason. His counselors advised him to seek for the services of a skillful musician, in the hope that the soothing notes of a sweet instrument might calm his troubled spirit. In the providence of God, David, as a skillful performer upon the harp, was brought before the king. His lofty and heaven-inspired strains had the desired effect. The brooding melancholy that had settled like a dark cloud over the mind of Saul was charmed away. {PP 643.1}
When Samuel was living, Saul had despised his counsel and had resented his reproofs. But now, in the hour of his distress and calamity, he felt that the prophet's guidance was his only hope, and in order to communicate with Heaven's ambassador he vainly had recourse to the messenger of hell! Saul had placed himself fully in the power of Satan; and now he whose only delight is in causing misery and destruction, made the most of his advantage, to work the ruin of the unhappy king. In answer to Saul's agonized entreaty came the terrible message, professedly from the lips of Samuel: {PP 680.2}
"Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? And the Lord hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the Lord hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbor, even to David: because thou obeyedst not the voice of the Lord, nor executedst His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the Lord done this thing unto thee this day. Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines." {PP 680.3}
Doug Buckley 20 Mar 2011, 12:27
Hey Clifford, your post breaks rule #3 at the bottom. You can cut it down, add citations, and repost if you want. I was originally referring to 1st Samuel 16.14-16.Clifford 20 Mar 2011, 15:19
Sorry about rule number 3. The context I posted is about the same passage.Guy Randolph 23 Nov 2011, 12:26
THANKs GUYJanai 21 Dec 2011, 00:25
Extremely helpful article, paesle write more.Rules: (1) Posts should be on topic. Your comments and questions should be about the section you post them in. (2) Comments should be civil. No disrespectful, slanderous,
or abusive posts. (3) No repetitive, harassing, or disruptive posting. (4) Avoid swearing and vulgar language. (5) No copying and posting of material from other writers and websites.
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