Did God create evil?

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

Did God create evil? Is He the author of evil? Does this verse suggest it? At first glance, it appears to be suggesting it, but this is not the case. It's important to define what evil really is in the Hebrew tradition and it is important to read this verse in the context it is in.

First, just what is "evil"? Is evil some dark thing that goes around in the earth and causes bad things to happen? I don't think so, and many of great Christian thinkers like Thomas Aquinas also don't think so. Evil is the absence of good. Where good is not, is where evil is. Much like how darkness doesn't really exist, it's merely the absence of of light. It is where light is not. Another analogy would be a donut and a donut hole. No, I am not talking about those balls you buy and eat. I'm actually talking about the donut hole, in the center of the donut. The donut hole does not exist. It is where the donut is not. We can compare all of these analogies to evil. God is good, and He is not evil. Because He is so good, He cannot be evil. So if He created the light, and said it was good, then there has to be some sort of evil and bad. No, I am not suggesting that good can't exist without evil, I am merely trying to explain better. God is indeed not the author of evil. He said His creation was "good".

Second, it's always important to see what evil means here in this verse. The Hebrew word "ra (rah)" does indeed mean "evil or bad", but in Hebrew culture, it was viewed as being like a disaster, something bad or something simply, not good. And I think this is what this verse is suggesting. Before God said He creates evil, it says He brings peace. Other Bible translations translate the word "evil" into "disaster" because the Hebrew word for evil can mean just that. I think this verse is suggesting that God brings the good times and the bad times.


Conclusion: God is good, and He is not the author of evil. This verse is just trying to draw a picture, kind of. It is suggesting that God brings peace and disaster, and indeed He does.