Evil as we know it to be is defined: as morally bad, or wicked, it is also defined as something harmful or tending to do harm or extremely unpleasant or troublesome.
With this type of meaning, it leaves one to wonder, how can an all righteous God call such a thing not only good but very good in the beginning of his creation?
Now left by it self it would appear as if it is a paradox, because if God is good, and insists that we refrain from evil then why would he call evil good?
To understand this very provocative issue, we must go back to the beginning of Genesis chapter 1 & 2. In Genesis chapter 1 it gives the blue print of creation, however in Genesis chapter 2 it gives a more detailed account of that blue print.
In Genesis chapter 1, the word good is mentioned 7 times, which indicates perfection, completion or absolute. Nothing missing everything is in place for what is about to happen next. Amazingly, the last time in this same chapter when the word good is mentioned, it is followed by the phrase VERY Good. So we can agree that God was extremely pleased and satisfied with his creation.
Now in Genesis chapter 2: 9 which is now giving a detailed account of the plant part of the creation says, “And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and EVIL”. Now least we forget, Remember Genesis 1; 12 said, “And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was Good, so the tree of the knowledge of good and evil must me inclusive of these trees.
Then finally in Genesis 1:31 it says, “And God saw EVERY THING that he had made, which is inclusive of the tree of the knowledge of good and EVIL behold, it was VERY GOOD”.
Now, to unveil the revelation here, there is a word that we must discover the etymology of, and that is the word Good. The word good is an old English word which goes back to the prehistoric Germanic word “gath” meaning:
‘Bring together’ or “to benefit” which is where we get our English words (gather, and together); the progression of thought appears to be: brought together, unite, fitting, suitable, pleasing.
So, in essence when God said his creation was good, basically what he meant was all things together will equal good.
To prove or expound on this very important point lets look at Genesis 2:18 it said, “And the lord God said, it is NOT GOOD that the man should be alone so Eve was necessary to the creation for completion” So if the original meaning of good is to bring together or complete. Then not good must be the opposite. So the trend of thought is nothing in God’s creation was made to operate independent of itself, absolutely nothing all things are relative to something or someone.
Therefore, here it is folks, good can not be good by itself it is a culmination or gathering of good bad and indifferent that will eventually equal good. Interestingly enough, the Apostle Paul got a hold of this very profound revelation. Here is what he said, “And we know that All THINGS (GOOD AND BAD) work together for good, to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose, Rom: 8:28……… WOW!!!!!!!!!
Consequently, when God said that evil was not just good, but very good, he is simply saying that evil was apart of the creation, so that when gathered with someone or something it will produce good.
This same Apostle Paul who is responsible for writing about two thirds of the New testament, said in the book of Romans 7 that he had great difficulty performing the things that were good. Until he discovered that there was a law governing all of this. “I find then a LAW, that when I would do good, evil is present with me. This is clear evidence that there is a mystery behind evil, and I am by no stretch of the imagination promoting evil.
I am fully aware that this is a bit hard to except, so I will make another attempt to solidify my point. I am sure we can all agree that we are designed by God to be creatures of comparison. For example all choices that we make in life they are compared to something else to bring about a decision. So to say a apple is bad, then the only way I would know that would be, to have experienced a bad one.
As a result you can see where evil becomes necessary, so much that God included it in his creation for our benefit. This is why Genesis 2:9 clearly states that God himself placed the tree of the KNOWLEDGE of good and evil in the middle of the garden.
The bible is saturated with the mystery of evil, as an example let’s look at 1Samuel 16. In this story God had rejected King Saul from being king, and he commanded Samuel the priest to anoint David to be the future king. Indeed there was a twist in the story, in verse 14, it say’s, ” But the spirit of the lord departed from Saul, and an EVIL spirit from the Lord troubled him (Saul).
In another case Judges 9:23 say’s “Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech”. As you have read, the Devil did not send the evil spirit but God himself. Again this clearly indicates that there must be a mystery to evil.
Many are under the impression that Satan is the one who created evil, to the contrary, the Hebrew word for the word create is defined as making something out of nothing, and the Hebrew word for the word make is defined as making something out of existing material. Therefore only God the creator can create anything, all Satan can do is manipulate or make from his creation. The bible is crystal clear, when it says that God is the one that created EVIL (Isaiah45:7). Folks in no way fashion or form am I attempting to suggest to you that doing evil is ok. What I am suggesting though is that there is more to evil than we’re aware of, there is definitely a mystery to it.
So, as creatures that were designed to compare in order to make second by second decisions it can only happen by the KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL…….. WOW!!!!!!!!
The Apostle Paul told the believers of Rome, in his letter to that particular church in Romans 2:4, “That it is the “GOODNESS” of God that is leading men to repentance (Paraphrased). Interpretation: it is the gathering (goodness) of good and bad that will eventually cause men to repent. Changing the way he thinks through the good and bad circumstances of his life, making comparisons that should eventually cause him to make it right with his maker. The proof of this is called his testimony.
Every evil thing that you’ve experienced in your life time, that divorce, addiction, bad relationships, financial troubles could it have been a must that it happened to you so you could now recognize and make a decision on what is really good based on the evil that had a legal right to be present? Therefore that good person or thing that you’ve labeled good, is only as a result of the evil that brought you to that conclusion
BY: KEVIN L A EWING
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Posted by Kevin Ewing at 3:26 AM Links to this post
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A very good read. Thanks Met.
Good Afternoon Metty & KMG family. Very deep and thought provoking. Praise God for this message! Amen
JMG family 🙂
afternoonoo
Met after much thought I strongly disagree with the premise that “God created evil”. No where in the scriptures did I fine anything to support that position . And by the way he wouldn’t be the first to assert this either. Many skeptics of God say the same thing (not to imply that author is …I trust he is seeking understanding like the rest of us), due the evils we see all around us and our misguided notion that since God created everything like night and day then evil too must have been created – it isn’t that simple. So lets continue with what I found in the scripture – a God who not only did NOT create evil but also is incapable of doing so. Here are a few bible verses that clearly shows the authors assertions is incompatible with what the scripture say. “Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do wickedness, And from the Almighty to do wrong. (Job 34:10). For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil dwells with You. (Psalm 5:4)”Now then let the fear of the LORD be upon you; be very careful what you do, for the LORD our God will have no part in unrighteousness or partiality or the taking of a bribe.” (2 Chronicles 19:7). Christ himself reminds us in scripture that there is none good, except our Father in heaven, when the pharisee’s tried to trick him. There is more I could add but for now peace.
I think there is a supporting scripture hold on
Isaiah 45 vs 7 I form the light and create darkness,
I bring prosperity and create disaster;
I, the Lord, do all these things.
What you must understand is that all these energies have a place, God is God and there is a place for evil
The tree of good and evil was in the garden of eden..It was created by God not for us to partake of
To suggest that God did not create evil, is to also imply that there is something of someone greater than God. In fact it would dismiss the idea that God is sovereign. Secondly, The garden of Eden was created by God. God was the one that placed the tree of good and evil in the garden. Isaiah 45:7, clearly states that God created evil.
Thirdly, Satan is a creation and not a creator, so to suggest that God did not create evil, then are we saying that Satan did? So where did Satan, a creation get this supreme wisdom to invent, create or produce evil? Are we implying that Satan is equal to God, are we saying that Satan is God’s competition? God is sovereign my friend and to be sovereign is to have absolute supreme power and authority but in God’s case he is the only creator over all creation.
Finally, like with everything else in life there has to be balance and the following scripture reveals just that, “Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself? Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?” Eccl. 7:16-17.
Amen
I would never say that nor even imply it for “the fear of the Lord is upon me”. However I am very familiar with the scriptures quoted and was finding no fault with you or the scriptures. I was simply begging us to go further in our understanding. What I am suggesting is if the premise is wrong it will naturally lead a wrong conclusion. And for the author to suggest or say “evil in the opposite of Good. So therefore God must have created it is wrong. If you would entertain me for a second. I think to answer the question it would be useful to first establish if God is a liar. And I think we would all agree he is not “because he is not man that he should lie” and i am sure countless others in support. Now since we know he is not a liar and he tells us that he is Good. Then he is Good (period). Another way of looking at it that might be helpful is too imagining God (Good) as a bright light and Evil as darkness and light enters a dark room. The two cannot co-exists since the light will drown out the darkness , it flees from it every-time. I think what is a truer statement in our quest to understand evil as the complete absence of God…utter hopelessness. Which we are sadly free to choose since we have freewill and can reject him . Even when he place that calling in our heart to let us know he is near.
I hope you understand what I’ve said, Peace.