Did God Create Evil?

Did God Crate Evil?

Did God Create Evil?

I have been of the opinion that God did not create sin, evil, suffering, or disease. So when I recently became aware of a scripture that says God created “evil”, I decided to do a little digging on that subject. Here is the verse:

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

God formed the sun, moon, and the stars to give us illumination. Darkness is the absence of light. So we see both extremes—light and darkness.

Then we see the next contrasting segment in the verse—peace and evil.

Before I share what I found on the word “evil” let me point out another interesting comparison of the words “form”, “make” and “create”. The Hebrew for these words are all different:

Strong #H3335—form
yaw-tsar'
probably identical with H3334 (through the squeezing into shape); (compare H3331); to mould into a form; especially as a potter; figuratively to determine (that is, form a resolution): - X earthen, fashion, form, frame, make (-r), potter, purpose.

Strong #H6213—make
aw-saw'
A primitive root; to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application: - accomplish, advance, appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth, bruise, be busy, X certainly, have the charge of, commit, deal (with), deck, + displease, do, (ready) dress (-ed), (put in) execute (-ion), exercise, fashion, + feast, [fight-] ing man, + finish, fit, fly, follow, fulfil, furnish, gather, get, go about, govern, grant, great, + hinder, hold ([a feast]), X indeed, + be industrious, + journey, keep, labour, maintain, make, be meet, observe, be occupied, offer, + officer, pare, bring (come) to pass, perform, practise, prepare, procure, provide, put, requite, X sacrifice, serve, set, shew, X sin, spend, X surely, take, X thoroughly, trim, X very, + vex, be [warr-] ior, work (-man), yield, use.

Strong #H1254
bârâ'
baw-raw'
A primitive root; (absolutely) to create; (qualified) to cut down (a wood), select, feed (as formative processes): - choose, create (creator), cut down, dispatch, do, make (fat).

I must admit that the Hebrew meanings were a bit difficult for me to really grasp, so I put them in here for your own understanding.

But the most significant thing that I learned was that “evil” is never rendered as “sin”. Also that it is based on God’s law of “sowing and reaping”. This law also has two sides or extremes—good and evil.

Here is the key note from my Dake Bible:

4. I create evil. The Hebrew word for "create" is bara' (HSN-<H1254>) and here it means to bring about; bring into existence. The Hebrew word for "evil" is ra` (HSN-<H7451>). It is never rendered "sin," but "evil" (Isa. 45:7; Gen. 2:9,17; 3:5,22); "calamity" (Ps. 141:5); "adversity" (1Sam. 10:19; Ps. 94:13; Eccl. 7:14); "grievous" (Prov. 15:10); "sorrow" (Gen. 44:29); "trouble" (Ps. 27:5; 41:1; 107:26); "distress" (Neh. 2:17); "bad" (Gen. 24:50; 31:24; Lev. 27:10-14); "affliction" (2Chr. 20:9; Zech. 1:15); "misery" (Eccl. 8:6); "sore" (Dt. 6:22); "noisome" (Ezek. 14:15,21); "hurt" (Gen. 26:29); and "wretchedness" (Num. 11:15). The idea is that God has made the law of sowing and reaping, and evil results will come when men sin. God has decreed that misery, wretchedness, sorrow, trouble, and distress will come as a result of sin (Gal. 6:7-8). Ra` (HSN-<H7451>) is translated "evil" 442 Times and never with the idea that sin is created by God. If people sin and reap for it, the responsibility for both is theirs. God simply made the law and penalties for breaking the law which will always be in force.
—Dake's Study Notes

I hope you find this helpful and enlightening—I sure did.

So I was right about sin, sickness and disease. Because evil is part of sowing and reaping, if a person sows sin he will reap evil.