This verse seems to be saying God authors evil as in ‘sin,’ but as we will see this is not true.

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

What does this actually mean, God “create(s) evil”? Is God responsible for evil? If God is holy (righteous), how can He be the origin of evil? For a time, as a young Christian, when I encountered this verse, I was troubled by what it seemed to be saying, but I was mistaken.

Note that Isaiah 45:7 (above) contains two sets of contrasts; light versus darkness and peace versus evil. Stated another way, Darkness is to light as evil is to peace. “Evil” in this sense is the antonym of “peace.” Thus, “evil” here means “trouble,” “hardship,” or “something bad or negative,” in the absence of peace.

Below is a list only a few of the many instances in the Bible in which “evil” is used in the sense of God causing bad things to happen or about to cause bad things to happen, in response to sinners committing transgressions, usually in reference to His people of the Nation Israel.

• Deuteronomy 31:21: “And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I (The Lord) know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware.”
• Deuteronomy 31:29: “For I (The Lord) know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.”
• Joshua 23:15: “Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all good things are come upon you, which the LORD your God promised you; so shall the LORD bring upon you all evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.”
• 1 Samuel 6:9: “And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Beth-shemesh, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us; it was a chance that happened to us.”
• 1 Chronicles 21:15: “And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, the LORD beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD stood by the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.”
• 2 Chronicles 7:22: “And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them.”
• Jeremiah 1:14: “Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.”
• Jeremiah 4:6: “Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.”
• Jeremiah 6:19: “Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it.”
• Jeremiah 18:8: “If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.”
• Jeremiah 19:3: “And say, Hear ye the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall tingle.”
• Jeremiah 19:15: “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon this city and upon all her towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because they have hardened their necks, that they might not hear my words.”
• Jeremiah 32:23: “And they came in, and possessed it; but they obeyed not thy voice, neither walked in thy law; they have done nothing of all that thou commandedst them to do: therefore thou (The Lord) hast caused all this evil to come upon them:”
• Jeremiah 32:42 “For thus saith the LORD; Like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them.”
• Jeremiah 35:17: “Therefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them: because I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard; and I have called unto them, but they have not answered.”
• Jeremiah 36:3: “It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I (The Lord) purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”
• Jeremiah 36:31: “And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I (The Lord) will bring upon them (Israel), and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them; but they hearkened not.”
• Jeremiah 39:16: “Go and speak to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee.”
• Jeremiah 40:2-3: “[2] And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said unto him, The LORD thy God hath pronounced this evil upon this place. [3] Now the LORD hath brought it, and done according as he hath said: because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come upon you.”
• Jeremiah 49:37: “For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I (The Lord) will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger, saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them:”
• Ezekiel 6:10: “And they shall know that I am the LORD, and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them.”

Notice that the verses listed above are all from the Old Testament while Israel was under “the Law.” During today’ age of God’s grace, God does not remove the negative happenstances that occurs in our lives, no matter how much we pray otherwise. God’s motive in allowing ‘evil’ or the negative happenstances (that come upon all men) in the lives of grace believers is always used redemptively, for their eternal benefit ... to push His loved ones to the truth, faith, and trust in His Son.

The Lord is always “working” within us, by the circumstances and situations of life, for us to acknowledge reality and to turn to Him, to learn to trust Him in the midst of “all things” -  learning to walk in accord with Christ’s “Spirit of life” within us (cf. Gal 5:16, 25), and by which we will spontaneously enjoy His light and His peace in our hearts and lives.

“we know that ALL things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son… (Romans 8:28-29)

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13)

The O.T. law of blessing and cursing given to Israel was God’s external way of motivating the Nation Israel walk with Him. Recall that at that time nobody had the “Spirit of Lord” permanently abiding or indwelling them; thus, David prayed in “… take not thy holy spirit from me” (Psa. 51:11). So, in the case of the lost who don’t have the “Spirit of life in Christ” speaking within them, evil may be punitive and/or, to push them to Himself. God is always working on behalf of His believers and those who He has “foreknown” from “before the foundation of the earth” (Eph. 1:3) … always “for the good.”

When the Bible talks about God “creating evil,” “bringing evil,” and “doing evil,” it’s not about Him committing sin or causing sin to come into existence. Rather, it is talking about Him righteously judging man’s sins. When a lost person commits evil, God may act accordingly and punish the wrongdoer(s)...  as we see in the Old Testament, and as we will see by His Tribulation wrath upon the world.

In the Old Testament the LORD acted to bring trouble, hardship, or bad things upon the sinners. But today, we as grace believers will never see than angry face of God. Now, in the case of grace believers under today’s grace dispensation, who disregard the inner restraint of the Holy Spirit and the revealed word of God, … the Father today simply permits His own to bear the consequences of their foolish decisions and unbelieving ways. This then is the ‘sowing and reaping’ that is in effect during this age of God’s grace. “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” (Galatians 6:8)