Why does God claim to create both light and darkness in Isaiah 45:7? Immediate Literary Context Isaiah 45 is Yahweh’s oracle to “Cyrus … His anointed” (Isaiah 45:1). The pagan king will release Judah from Babylon, proving that “there is no God but Me” (v. 5). Verse 7 states: “I form light and create darkness; I bring prosperity and create calamity. I, the LORD, do all these things” . The verse underlines God’s unique, unrivaled authority over every realm—physical, moral, political, and historical. Canonical Parallels Genesis 1: God divides light from darkness—He alone does this work; no rival deity. Job 38:12–13, Amos 3:6, Lamentations 3:38: God governs both daybreak and catastrophe. James 1:13; 1 John 1:5: God is morally light; He does not tempt to sin. Scripture therefore distinguishes between God ordaining events that involve evil and God committing evil Himself. Rejecting Ancient and Modern Dualism Persian Zoroastrianism (light god Ahura Mazda vs. dark god Angra Mainyu) was ascendant in Cyrus’s day. Isaiah confronts it head-on: light and darkness are not co-equal forces but creations of one sovereign Lord. Philosophical dualisms—whether Manichaean, gnostic, or contemporary Star-Wars-style yin-yang notions—are thus biblically untenable. Providence, Evil, and Human Agency 1. God is the ultimate cause of all that occurs (Isaiah 46:9–10; Ephesians 1:11). 2. Secondary agents carry moral responsibility (Genesis 50:20; Acts 2:23). 3. God can decree a judgment (raʿ as calamity) while remaining “righteous in all His ways” (Psalm 145:17). 4. At the cross God used the darkest human evil to bring the greatest good—our redemption (Acts 4:27–28). The resurrection, attested by multiple independent eyewitness strands (1 Corinthians 15:3–8; minimal-facts data set), vindicates this theodicy. Historical Anchor: Cyrus and Archaeology The Cyrus Cylinder (British Museum, 539 B.C.) records Cyrus’s decree to repatriate exiles—precisely what Isaiah prophesied 150 years earlier. This external synchronism shows Isaiah’s predictive reliability and reinforces the credibility of the surrounding theological claims. Christological Fulfillment Isaiah’s contrast anticipates the Messianic “Great Light” (Isaiah 9:2) fulfilled in Jesus: • “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world’” (John 8:12). • At Calvary, darkness fell at noon (Luke 23:44–45), signifying judgment borne by Christ. • The resurrection dawn (Matthew 28:1) reverses the darkness, guaranteeing ultimate shālōm (Revelation 22:5). Thus Isaiah 45:7 is gospel-saturated: the God who controls light/darkness also brings salvation/light through His risen Son. Practical Implications • Confidence: No circumstance—disaster or delight—escapes God’s governance (Romans 8:28). • Holiness: Because God is not the author of sin, believers resist attributing personal evil to “God made me do it” (James 1:14). • Mission: The Lord who commands morning and night commissions us to “proclaim His excellencies” (1 Peter 2:9). Answer Summarized God claims to create both light and darkness to affirm His unmatched sovereignty, refute dualism, explain temporal judgment, and foreshadow the redemptive triumph of Jesus Christ. The verse assures readers that everything—from the first photon to the final trial—lies within the purposeful, righteous hands of the Lord who calls all people to the light of His salvation. |
    |