Isaiah 45:7 – Does the Lord Create Evil?
Whenever I tell people that God is good and he is not the One making them sick nor is he responsible for the bad things going on in the world, I can guarantee that I will get two cynical responses. (1) “Tell that to Job,” and (2) “That’s not what is says in Isaiah 45.” As I have looked at the foolish words of Job elsewhere , today I want to look at the words of Isaiah: I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things. (Isaiah 45:7) This is a stunning verse – as we shall see – but it has been used for terrible purposes. “Have you got cancer? God did it. Lost your child? God needed another angel in heaven. There was another school shooting ? A deadly earthquake ? A devastating hurricane? God ‘allowed’ these things to happen, for he is the author of both good and evil.” What nonsense. We are supposed to “Ascribe greatness to our God” not evil. His work is perfect and just, not imperfect and bad (D...
