One of the ways that God can be known is by the things God has to say in the Bible. God portrays Himself in the Bible as the Creator of all that exists, as eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing, and One whose character is love. But how often do we struggle to understand the things God says even though they are stated in plain, simple language? How can we know what God means?

In this post we will unpack the meaning of a statement in the Bible that seems to make God contradict Himself.

Our Bible Quotation of Focus

To illustrate how to unpack the meaning of the Bible, we will focus on the following Bible quotation.

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

For those who are new to Bible notation, “Isaiah 45:7” is a reference to the Bible, which is a collection of books. In the Bible, each book consists of one or more chapters, and each chapter has numbered sections called verses. The quotation referred to as “Isaiah 45:7” is taken from the book of Isaiah in the Bible, the 45^th chapter, and the 7^th verse.

Two Meanings

In seeking to understand the meaning of Isaiah 45:7, and indeed any Bible verse, we should recognise that the Bible (the Scriptures) is its own interpreter. That is, it is by comparing Scripture with Scripture that we can unlock the meaning of any Bible verse. This is what we will do in this post to unpack the two meanings of Isaiah 45:7.

Literal Light and Darkness

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Genesis 1:1. “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.” Genesis 1:3-5.

“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament [expanse] of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament [expanse] of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.” Genesis 1:14, 15.

“And God made two great lights; the greater light [the sun] to rule the day, and the lesser light [the moon] to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament [expanse] of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.” Genesis 1:16-19.

The above is a record of what God did on the first and fourth days of the six days of creation of the earth and all living things on earth. Note that the record does not say that God made the stars on the fourth day, only that God made the stars also. Thus, God gives us an understanding of when the sun, moon, and the earth came into existence.

This is the literal meaning of Isaiah 45:7 regarding light and darkness: “I [God] form the light, and create darkness.” Isaiah 45:7.

Literal Peace

King Solomon of ancient Israel said, “The LORD my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent [occurring].” 1 Kings 5:4. Thus, God caused Israel to be at peace with all the nations of the world.

Moreover, God says, “When a man’s ways please the LORD [God], he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.” Proverbs 16:7.

So, we see that God says, “I make peace” (Isaiah 45:7) and, therefore, literal peace comes from God.

Literal Evil

God says, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer!” Isaiah 14:12. Lucifer was an angel whose name God changed to “Satan.” Revelation 12:9. God “cast [Satan] out…and his angels were cast out with him.” Revelation 12:9.

Why was Satan cast out of heaven? We find the answer in the warning God gives to humanity. For God says that they should beware “lest being lifted up with pride…[they] fall into the condemnation of the devil [Satan].” 1 Timothy 3:6. In fact, all evil in the universe originated with the pride and other sins, that is, with the wrongdoing, of Lucifer.

It was God’s power, His rule over the universe, the adoration and worship given to God by all intelligences in the universe, that created envy, hatred, and rebellion in the heart of Lucifer. So, it is in this sense that God says, “I…create evil.” Isaiah 45:7.

But what about here on earth? God says, “the whole world lieth in wickedness.” 1 John 5:19. In other words, all humanity have “walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air [Satan], the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” Ephesians 2:2.

So then, all evil on earth is directly attributable to Satan. Thus, in the face of all the wickedness on earth, God says, “I…create evil.” Isaiah 45:7.

Spiritual Light and Darkness

God says all humanity are such as “having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.” Ephesians 4:18.

This is what is known as spiritual darkness, the sinful condition, in which every human being is born into the world. In this sense then God can say that, spiritually, “I…create darkness.” Isaiah 45:7. Is humanity to remain in sin (which is evil and wrongdoing) and darkness forever? The answer is, No.

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6.

In other words, “our Saviour Jesus Christ…hath abolished [eternal] death, and hath brought [eternal] life and immortality to light through the gospel.” 2 Timothy 1:10. God’s plan to save humanity from eternal death, a plan known as the gospel, was made secure by the death of Christ “for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:2.

Every human being then may be saved if they comply with God’s conditions. They all may say of God in truth, “My God will enlighten my darkness.” Psalm 18:28. This is what is known as spiritual light. Hence, God can say, spiritually, “I form the light.” Isaiah 45:7.

Spiritual Peace and Evil

“Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6, 7.

What is prayer and supplication? Prayer is a two-way communication with God and supplication is to make requests of, or to petition, God. So then, God is able to give us peace of mind when we trust everything into His hands. In this sense God can say, spiritually, “I make peace.” Isaiah 45:7.

Some people can say to God in truth, “When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.” Psalm 27:8.

On the other hand, God says of some people, “I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war.” Psalm 120:7. That is, God’s words to such people antagonise and harden their heart. For God says to these people, “Ye will revolt more and more.” Isaiah 1:5.

Now “God is love” (1 John 4:8) and so God’s speaks only words of love. But we see that there are different responses to God’s words. Some people are drawn to God in love and other people rebel against God.

In the case of those that are rebellious against God, He can say that, spiritually, “I…create evil.” Isaiah 45:7.

Conclusion

We have sought understanding of the things God says by unpacking the two meaning of the a Bible verse: “I [God] form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.” Isaiah 45:7.

God can be said to literally create light and darkness as it was He who separated the light from the darkness on earth.

Literal peace comes from God who causes others, even our enemies, to be at peace with us.  

God can be said to literally create evil by virtue of the fact that it was God’s power, His rule over the universe, the adoration and worship given to God by all intelligences in the universe that led to the envy, hatred, and rebellion of Lucifer (Satan). And through Satan the whole earth is found to be evil.

Spiritual darkness on earth is the result of God bringing human beings into the world in this condition. Notwithstanding this, it is God who brings spiritual light into an individual’s life if they desire it.

God gives spiritual peace when we trust everything into His hands. However, God’s words of love antagonise and harden the heart of some people and so God can be said to, spiritually, create evil.

How This Blog Teaches Bible Study

My blog posts take one or more Bible verses and unpack what is often the hidden meaning in them, to help you to gain in your understanding of the Bible, and to receive insights into how to study it. For God says, “Study [the Bible] to shew [show] thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing [interpreting] the word of truth [the Bible].” 2 Timothy 2:15. There are new blog posts every two weeks on a Monday at 12:01 a.m. in timezone UTC-5 (GMT-5).

Further Reading

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