(WEB) Isaiah 45:7 – I form the light, and create darkness. I make peace, and create calamity. I am YHWH, who does all these things.
What is peace? What is calamity? According to Strong’s Numbers, peace/shalowm, number 7965 is most easily understood as being sound or in a state of soundness. Calamity/Ra, number 7451 can be understood to be in a state of distress.
Sound(ness) – Free from injury, damage, defect, disease; in good condition
Distress – Acute physical or mental suffering
There really isn’t a coincidence that the word for “peace” only shows up in the bible 236 in 208 verses and the word for “calamity” can be found 663 times in 623 verses. As a symbolic representation of today’s world, calamity is far more abundantly represented than peace. Peace is a gift that only YHWH can give and sometimes to takes not having it for a period of time to realize how precious a gift it really is.
Before going any further, there is something that must be clarified. In some bibles, peace and calamity are translated as good and evil. In modern times, it is believed and unconsciously taught that “good” and “evil” are equal; this is not an accurate viewpoint. Equal can be described to be alike in quantity, value, rank, ability, merit or uniform in operation or effect. This misunderstanding is not true and not even held by YHWH as good and evil being equal or having the same worth in his eyes. This is clearly illustrated in Ezekiel 18:18-30:
18 As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, robbed his brother, and did that which is not good among his people, behold, he shall die in his iniquity. 19 Yet you say, Why doesn’t the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son has done that which is lawful and right, and has kept all my statutes, and has done them, he shall surely live. 20 The soul who sins, he shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be on him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be on him. 21 But if the wicked turn from all his sins that he has committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 22 None of his transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him: in his righteousness that he has done he shall live. 23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked? says Lord YHWH; and not rather that he should return from his way, and live? 24 But when the righteous turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? None of his righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered: in his trespass that he has trespassed, and in his sin that he has sinned, in them shall he die. 25 Yet you say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, house of Israel: Is my way not equal? Aren’t your ways unequal? 26 When the righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and dies therein; in his iniquity that he has done shall he die. 27 Again, when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he has committed, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. 28 Because he considers, and turns away from all his transgressions that he has committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 29 Yet the house of Israel says, “The way of the Lord is not fair.” House of Israel, aren’t my ways fair? Aren’t your ways unfair? 30 Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, everyone according to his ways, says the Lord YHWH.
It is clear that YHWH favors good but not just a good nature, he favors the good in the biblical context of those who know and keep his spiritual laws; this is illustrated continually throughout various chapters. Bad things do happen to good people for such reasons as tests of affliction, etc. At the broadest view of the big picture, evil only continually overcomes those “good-natured” people, lacking spiritual wisdom, that are not aligned with the greatest of good.
Building on the understanding of the inequality between good and evil, I would like to also clarify a second prevalent misunderstanding. Most know God or YHWH, depending upon your level of spiritual understanding, is the cornerstone of the greatest good. The misunderstanding is that so-called Satan is the cornerstone of evil, thereby an equal to YHWH. Opposites do not equate to equal nor relies upon the laws of gravity. With the understanding of Isaiah 45:7 in addition to the following verse of Isaiah 45:9, any of the Creator’s creations could ever equal out to him:
9 Woe to him who strives with his Maker—a clay pot among the clay pots of the earth! Shall the clay ask him who fashions it, ‘What are you making?’or your work, ‘He has no hands?’
How could so-called Satan be an equal to YHWH when YHWH formed everything in heaven and earth? He might have more spiritual power than men, but not more than YHWH, his maker. He still answers to YHWH and YHWH uses him as a tool, as good and evil are both tools, from a higher viewpoint, to carry out YHWH’s objectives.
Everything people believe so-called Satan to have “created” are but are inverse deceptions of what YHWH has created, just representations of everything that YHWH, the cornerstone of the greatest good is not; sometimes in order to understand what exactly is, you must understand what it is not.
In the upcoming future, I ask you to keep abreast of what is happening in the world, especially Israel. Once lasting peace or soundness is found in Israel, then you will know that it is by the hand of YHWH and it will not happen by any other means.
abdiyah elyon 