Understanding Isaiah 45

Q

Isaiah 45 says: I make peace, and create evil.  Please explain this verse to me. Thanks.

A

In Isaiah 45:1-7 God is speaking to Cyrus the Persian who won’t be born for over 100 years. In these verses He will commission Cyrus to conquer Babylon, and will show him exactly how to do it. He is in effect introducing Himself to Cyrus as the Creator of the Universe and everything in it. When He says He created evil, He used the Hebrew word that means to make something from nothing. This means He created the origin of evil, the one we know as Satan.

It’s important to remember that Satan, like every other created being, had the potential for both good and evil. As we know, Satan chose evil. God is taking responsibility for having created evil because it was through one of His created beings that evil came into the world.