Tuesday, January 23, 2007

God creates evil?

Isaiah 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

This is another one of those confusing verses. It goes along with the previous verse on God sending evil spirits. We are taught that God is good and Satan is evil. To read Scriptures stating that God authored evil and participates in the propagation of evil does not make sense.

I should note that later translations do temper this verse but the hebrew word here is "ra" which is normally translated as evil, distress, misery, injury, calamity, wicked (ethically), and unkind (vicious in disposition).

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

What's confusing? Something can only exist if God created it, correct?

Wadena said...

Yeah, if God didn't create evil....who did?

This isn't at all confusing.

Anonymous said...

my point exactly... god is evil

BobWill said...

Mitzi. No, God is not evil...He is Creator and everything exists for His purposes. His use of evil is for punishment and dispensing His justice. We cannot comprehend His justice and the He functions in His creation. Mankind was created for Him and not the other way around.

Todd said...

It's amazing what clarifying info you can find if you actually use that seldom used search engine called Google. Why not read a few bible commentaries on Isaiah 45? We are such a microwave, self-level understanding society we can't take two seconds to do our own research when we hit a verse that troubles us. Lazy. Instead, what do we do? Throw the baby out with the bath water. Bob Williford is correct. It is not the "evil" you think of when you think "Satan". It is righteous justice and punishment. And why does evil exist? With freedom of choice there comes the freedom to choose to rebel and violate God's law, no different than in your own home when you rebel and violate the "House rules" of your parents. You violate the rules, you pay the consequences. It's called Reality. The Bible talks about REAL consequences to actions.It is not some "Kumbaya", everything-is-sunshine-and-roses book. That is why it relates to so many. It deals with real people screwing up. Yeah, depending on how they screw up depends on how they may or may not be punished. But if they are sincere in their hearts that they are sorry, make amends, and ask forgiveness, He does. Just. Like. A. Loving. Parent. Not to hard to understand, is it? A relationship with God is like any other relationship.....It takes work. It takes effort. It takes a willingness to not listen to the everyday gossip and go straight to the source for the answers, to seek clarification. It's the same reason we have so few real friends in life. We are too lazy to maintain that many relationships. The relationship with God is worth focusing on and working hard to maintain. There is no more fulfilling relationship in the world.