Does God Create Evil?

I am the one who forms light
and creates darkness;
the one who brings about peace
and creates calamity.
I am the Lord, who accomplishes all these things.

Isaiah 45:7

I have been reading through the book of Isaiah. I came to chapter 45, specifically to verse 7, when I began to look at different translations. I saw something very unfortunate. Some translations use the word “evil” in this verse, making this verse read: “God creates evil.” NOT TRUE. NOT RIGHT! This brings up an age-old discussion: is God the author of evil? He is not. But the point of this post is specifically the translation and meaning of this verse.

First, the Hebrew word “rah” MAY be translated evil, but it also may be translated sorrow or calamity. That is the better translation for the context of this verse, which is clearly announced by Isaiah two verses earlier:

I am the Lord, I have no peer,
there is no God but me.

Isaiah is speaking against polytheist dualism (as if there were some sort of division of labor among many gods -one god works to promote good in the world while another works to promote evil). This was an issue in the day when Isaiah penned these words, and was a problem for Israel. Isaiah (and the voice of the prophets) is continually proclaiming this message: “Israel, there is only one God!” 

Confucius ying-yang

2 Forces in Star Wars

In essence, Isaiah is proclaiming that there is no ying-yang, or no such thing as equal powers of good and evil (while the ancient Chinese may not have necessarily included the concepts of good and evil in their concept of ying-yang, Confucius did). A more contemporary example of this kind of thinking flowed from the storyline of the Star Wars movies: the force and the dark side of the force, constantly in battle with each other. The viewer was never sure which side would ultimately triumph. In God’s universe, there is no doubt that He will triumph, because He is the Creator, Sustainer, and Lord of all creation. There is ONE God and only one. That is the point of Isaiah’s words in this verse.

Second, we must always balance our understanding of any passage with clear teachings from other passages. In this case and for this particular translation, we must keep in mind passages such as Habakkuk 1:13, “You are too just to tolerate evil: you are unable to condone wrongdoing.” Or, consider Deuteronomy 32:4, “As for the Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are just.”  At the very least it would be inconsistent to translate “God creates evil” and then later translate “God cannot tolerate evil”. At worst it would make God appear schizophrenic.

Third, the language of this passage is highly poetic, uses metaphor, and is given to hyperbole. The next verse proclaims that “the sky should rain down righteousness, the clouds should shower deliverance, and the earth should absorb it all.”  Do we believe that the clouds literally shower deliverance and that the earth absorbs deliverance? There are obviously different usages for words and language to express ideas, and therefore we must make room for some flexibility in our interpretation when context clearly calls for it. I am not saying that verse seven is necessarily hyperbole! I am saying that it comes in a context in which metaphor and hyperbole is used in order to compare and to more clearly communicate important concepts to Israel. In that context, Isaiah communicates that God created everything, and He is in control. With progressive revelation, the Truth reveals that God allows for contingencies in His universe. Evil exists, but God is not its author.

Fourth, the comparison of good and evil follows another one about light and darkness. God created light. Isaiah also states that God created darkness. But, darkness is simply the absence of light. It is nothingness. Even though sometimes we compare darkness with evil, it really isn’t intrinsically evil. It is nothing. Yet Isaiah wrote this. Once again, we must allow for latitude in language.

Finally, God is not the author of evil. Calamity may be the result of something unjust or the result of true justice. God DOES chastise and punish sin and disobedience, but this is always just. That is different than calamity that results from anything unjust (rape, robbery, fallible judges, etc.). God’s punishment or chastisement is not evil, although it may cause sorrow for the ones receiving it. It may feel like calamity. (Much like a child when disciplined by a parent exercising tough love.) But God is always just and even gives a prior warning before He punishes (Isaiah explains this in the following verses in chapter 45).

The message of this verse is clear: Israel (and all humankind) must honor God as the one and only God, and and we must obey Him, or there will be negative consequences.

And it is very important to add that even if we honor God as the one and only Lord and obey him, that does not guarantee that we will not pass through times of sorrow or calamity. God may permit good and/or bad things to happen to those who follow him and to those who don’t, because that is the way he has created his universe. At any given time, he may be the cause of both, or he may be the cause of neither. Maybe that would be a good subject for another post, but another time.

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