The Lord Creates Evil Is 45:7 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
It may be surprising to you that the Lord creates evil. That horrible deed is usually attributed exclusively to the devil. Here are some examples of how and why the Lord creates evil:
The evil oppression by Pharaoh – Rom 9:17 – the evil was the enslavement of the Jews in Egypt. The purpose for raising up this Pharaoh was two-fold. The affliction caused the Jews to cry out to God for his help [Ex 2:23-25] and Pharaoh’s stubbornness caused him to harden his heart against the Lord until the whole world knew of God’s miraculous power demonstrated in the plagues and in the Red Sea crossing [Ex 8:19; Ex 14:31; Jos 2:9-11].
The evil plagues against the Philistines – 1 Sam 6:9 – this evil was the plague against the Philistines who had taken the ark of God. The purpose of the plagues was to testify against the Philistines that they needed to return the ark of God to Israel.
The evil destruction by Nebuchadnezzar – Jer 25:9 – this evil was the captivity and destruction of Jerusalem and of Judah. The purpose for raising up Nebuchadnezzar was to get the Jews out of Judah so that the land could enjoy her 70 years of Sabbaths that had been neglected since the time Saul had been chosen as king of Israel [Lev 25:4; Lev 26:34; 2 Chr 36:21; Jer 25:11-12; Jer 29:10].
The evil cruelty against Job – Job 1:21; 2:10 – this evil was the devastation of Job’s possessions, family and health. This evil came upon Job as the result of a confrontation between the devil and the Lord. The purpose of this evil was three-fold: first, to prove that the Lord’s men will suffer for him even more than the devil’s men will ever suffer for him; second, to point out to Job his own self-righteousness, so that he would repent and turn fully to the Lord [Job 40:3-5; 42:6]; third, as a consolation to the Jews in the Tribulation who are unmercifully attacked by the devil [Jas 5:10-11]. They need the patience of Job to endure to the end [Matt 24:13].
Conclusion: There are all kinds of evil things brought by God upon men. He created hell for the devil and his angels, he brought Noah’s flood upon the wicked world, and he will destroy the wicked nations at his second coming. You must remember that the Lord creates evil and you must also remember that he has made the way to escape in Jesus Christ. When you have Jesus for your Shepherd, you can be sure that if any evil comes your way he will guide you through it and use that evil in conjunction with everything else in your life for good [Rom 8:28].