Q: I am confused by Isaiah 45:7, “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. How does a Holy God who is void of evil create it?

A: It is important to recognize the theme of the Scripture: It is contrast. We are told God formed the light and created darkness. Is there a difference between forming something and creating something? To form something points to potential and purpose, while creating something points to bringing something forth. Light functions at different intensity while determining the boundaries of darkness, but darkness is pretty much darkness. God formed man with potential and a free will to choose but choose between what? Good and evil. God formed man with purpose, but gave him the ability to go his own way. In what way will he walk in? Righteousness or wickedness? Man was created in an innocent state, but when given the opportunity would he choose to come under God’s authority in line of His order to be brought to perfection or would he choose independence and rebellion?

God formed man with the highest potential to reflect His glory, but would man choose to reflect the false glory of something else? It is important to point out that God created man from the dust but also formed within him that free-will that will make a choice as to whether he walks in the light of God or in the darkness of this world (Compare the wording of Genesis 1:26-27 and 2:7.) Man is the only one in the physical creation that was given this freedom of choice, otherwise nothing moves outside of what or who it was created to be.

It is in light of this contrast that God proves us as to who we will choose to love and serve. It is because of this contrast that we are told in numerous Scriptures that man must humble himself and ask God to deliver him from evil. It is because of this contrast that man must choose to depart from evil, trust God to preserve him in the midst of evil, and know that God will never tempt him to do evil, but give those a way out of temptation from its far-reaching tenacles who seek it (Matthew 6:13; 1 Corinthians 10:13; James 1:13-17).

This brings us to the last aspect of the contrast between good and evil. God, who is the ultimate just Judge, will bring judgment on all evil and recompense the righteous (Revelation 20:11-15). However, the present test when it comes to our attitude about good and evil is found in Psalm 97:1. Such an attitude will keep us from evil, “Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.” (Emphasis added.)