I Form the Light

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

How can God, who is good, create darkness and evil? And we know that God is good; His goodness does not stop, but continues without change or end. His Word proclaims that …the goodness of God endureth continually… Psalm 52:1

The light that God creates is not just physical light. His Word, which is truth in spiritual matters, is light. Think of a room in late afternoon, when the light of the sun begins to dim. At first, your eyes adjust to the dimness, and you continue as when the light was brighter. But when you turn on the first lamp, shadows are created in the corners. The difference between light and dark becomes distinct. The far corner is no darker than it was before the light was turned on, but it appears darker because of the contrast with the light.

So does God’s Word reveal the untruth of the world around us. God does not create evil any more that you created darkness when you turned the light on. It is simply that His light reveals the darkness and makes it distinct from the light. We often become used to the uncaring world. We begin to expect the worst from people, and shrug off evil as something we must get used to. But like turning on a light in a dim room, the light of God’s Word reveals the evil around us, and makes us realize that it is evil. God also gives us a way out of evil; He promises us His goodness.