I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness, I make weal and create woe; I the Lord do all these things.” 6b-7
Isaiah 45:5-7
According to Isaiah, Cyrus, the Lord’s anointed, did not know the Lord, but that didn’t make any difference. Because God is, all things have their being in God. In fact, Isaiah says, not only do light and darkness come from God, so do both good and evil! That thought may seem offensive to those who say things like “God is good,” and who blame evil on demonic, satanic beings who have somehow infiltrated God’s good world. There are in fact many who prefer that easy to understand dualistic view of existence, and we can find bible verses to back up that perspective. But Isaiah doesn’t think that’s an adequate way to understand existence. For him all things have their origin in God. And when we think about it, that way of looking at things makes a lot of sense. Neither good nor evil can even exist without the presence of the other! And if we’re not a fan of the word “evil” perhaps we could simply say, “the world is both good and broken.” Put that way most all of us can agree, because that’s how we experience it! Granted, we have a strong preference for the “goodish” side of things, both in ourselves and in others. But we’re never surprised when the cracks and flaws show up. That’s just how it is in God’s good world!
Thought for the Day: What would life be like if there were no evil?
0 Comments