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The book says that God created good & evil. Light & darkness. That if it's evil in the city, God has done it. Why then does God punish & reward people if all the good & evil is done by God itself?
Hi Neumon. I believe you're referring to Isaiah 45:7 and Amos 3:6. Please correct me if you're thinking of other similar verses.
If we read those passages as given & understood, then we're liable to believe that the "evil" being spoken of in both verses is a moral or sadistic evil constructed by God. However, we must turn to the Hebrew to interpret that word. In both cases, the word for "evil" is from the same root word: Rah; and in both instances 'evil' is meant to imply 'calamity or adversity'.
So reading Isaiah 45:7: God both forms the light & creates darkness; if God chooses to remove the light, whether a physical light from the sun, we will have darkness. Or, He chooses to not give or prevent spiritual light coming to someone, then that mind lies in darkness (e.g. Ephesians 5:8, 1 Thessalonians 5:5).
Similarly, with "I make peace & create evil": God can choose to bring peace into a situation or within a person, or He can withhold that peace, & calamity or adversity prevails. So, when it says that God creates 'evil', it's impossible for an Holy God to bring out some evil from within Himself, when no such evil can even exist in such holiness. But God can remove light & peace for His Own purposes, thereby leaving distress & calamity.
Amos 3:6: in like manner, when a trumpet (of warning) is sounded, the people ought to be alerted & afraid of what's to come. If there is a calamity being struck in a city, shouldn't the inhabitants likewise be warned that maybe the Lord is trying to tell them something? Sometimes, not always, when we face an adversity or calamity in our lives, we need to seek the Lord's Face & examine our lives, lest there may be a word of warning from God for us. The Lord told Israel (through Amos) in verse 2: "You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities." Israel was greatly blessed, but they likewise also faced much warning & punishment for their sins & departure from God.
If we read those passages as given & understood, then we're liable to believe that the "evil" being spoken of in both verses is a moral or sadistic evil constructed by God. However, we must turn to the Hebrew to interpret that word. In both cases, the word for "evil" is from the same root word: Rah; and in both instances 'evil' is meant to imply 'calamity or adversity'.
So reading Isaiah 45:7: God both forms the light & creates darkness; if God chooses to remove the light, whether a physical light from the sun, we will have darkness. Or, He chooses to not give or prevent spiritual light coming to someone, then that mind lies in darkness (e.g. Ephesians 5:8, 1 Thessalonians 5:5).
Similarly, with "I make peace & create evil": God can choose to bring peace into a situation or within a person, or He can withhold that peace, & calamity or adversity prevails. So, when it says that God creates 'evil', it's impossible for an Holy God to bring out some evil from within Himself, when no such evil can even exist in such holiness. But God can remove light & peace for His Own purposes, thereby leaving distress & calamity.
Amos 3:6: in like manner, when a trumpet (of warning) is sounded, the people ought to be alerted & afraid of what's to come. If there is a calamity being struck in a city, shouldn't the inhabitants likewise be warned that maybe the Lord is trying to tell them something? Sometimes, not always, when we face an adversity or calamity in our lives, we need to seek the Lord's Face & examine our lives, lest there may be a word of warning from God for us. The Lord told Israel (through Amos) in verse 2: "You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities." Israel was greatly blessed, but they likewise also faced much warning & punishment for their sins & departure from God.
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