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NASB | Isaiah 45:7 The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Isaiah 45:7 The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing peace and creating disaster; I am the LORD who does all these things. |
Bible Question:
I am currently reading Isaiah and kinda became worried when I read chapter 45 verse 7 which states. "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace and create evil: I the LORD do all these things." Did God create evil? This has really shaken my ideas about God. |
Bible Answer: Hi, Lmad! Scripture can seem complicated at times... but it really isn't! The Word of God must be studied with God's Holy Spirit's guidance... it is He who through holy men of God gave the world the Scriture! When reading Isaiah 45:7, you must take into account that God created all that He created and He saw that it was God (Genesis 1:31--read the whole chapter 1:1-31)! Due to language license (grammar, poetic, prose, translation...) some passages seem obscure... they even confuse those who are linguist or theologians as they get caught-up in the "higher/deeper" meanings of words... Genesis 1:31 clearly states that God Created everything and that He saw (tested, analyzed, foresaw) that it was good: God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning-the sixth day. (Genesis 1:31) Nowhere in Creation does it state that God created evil and He saw that creating evil was good! Hollow wood has a tendency of creating gray zones (movies, tv programs, theatre, music...) where good and evil are not only interchangeable but codependent, and, at times, partners! Genesis 3:15 obliterates all of that pseudo-spiritual mumbo-jumbo! Sadly, some "Christians" are beginning to buy into all those bogus claims... they read Scripture as Isaiah 45:7 and they give complete credence to man's doctrines rejecting God's own Word: "GOD SAW ALL THAT HE HAD MADE, AND IT WAS VERY GOOD!" Now, when Yahweh speaks to Israel (through the prophets) there are two repeating themes: a) the promise of the Mesiah, and b) man's disobedience and God's Wrath unleashed to curve their unrighteousness... at times God allows Israel to be subjected to the oppression and serviture of other nations... at times God uses Israel to curve the other nations... and at times God uses even other nations to rescue Israel from her oppressors... This is the evil that is spoken of in Scripture... notice that it is exclusively used in the Old Testament Scripture, when the Old Covenant demanded a physical economy (eye for and eye, sacrifice of animals for atonement of sin...)! Do not despair! God created all that is good! He even came to our rescue when Satan introduce his wickedness onto the world (1 John 3:8, 16). Remember read Scripture in light of the rest of Scripture! God Bless! Angel |