Know God and His Ways

The Verse Most Christians Skip: “I Create Evil”

Isaiah 45:7 says something most Christians are never taught how to read properly:

“I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create evil.”

At first glance, it sounds shocking. Some people rush to either deny it or accuse God. Both reactions miss the point entirely.

The Hebrew word translated as “evil” here is רָע (raʿ).

This word does not automatically mean moral wickedness the way modern English readers assume. Raʿ is a broad term. Depending on context, it can mean bad, calamity, disaster, distress, harm, adversity, or judgment. It describes undesirable outcomes, not sinful intent.

In Isaiah 45, God is speaking to a pagan king, declaring His absolute sovereignty over history. The context is not about temptation or sin — it is about power, authority, and control over nations.

God is saying He alone governs:

• Light and darkness

• Peace and calamity

• Blessing and judgment

In other words: nothing happens outside His rule.

This verse is not claiming God commits moral evil. It is declaring that God creates consequences, including disasters and judgments, when He deems them necessary. What humans perceive as “negative” outcomes are still under His authority.

Modern Christianity often wants a God who only comforts, never confronts, and never disrupts. Isaiah 45:7 destroys that version of God.

This verse forces a choice:

Either God is sovereign over everything — or He isn’t God at all.

The Bible does not present a tame deity. It presents a holy one.

And holiness includes the right to judge.