Does God create evil?

R.C. Sproul, a well-known Presbyterian pastor and teacher who passed away in 2017, enjoyed testing his seminary students by reading aloud this statement from the Westminster Confession of Faith: “God from all eternity did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and immutably ordain whatsoever comes to pass; …”

He would then ask his students, “How many of you believe that statement?” Quite a few hands would go up. Then he would ask, “How many of you don’t believe that statement?” A few hands would be raised. The trap was set.

“How many of you are atheists?” he would then ask. Seeing that no hands were raised, he would feign a look of puzzlement and state that he couldn’t understand why those who don’t believe that statement from the Westminster Confession didn’t raise their hands when asked if they were atheists.

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Sproul’s goal was to convey to his students his position that God has foreordained and controls everything that happens in this world and that belief in this doctrine is a non-negotiable requisite for believing in the God of the Bible. Sproul maintained that a deity who does not control “whatsoever comes to pass” is certainly not the sovereign God of Scripture.

This concept of God’s sovereignty is often called “divine determinism” or “meticulous providence.” In effect, it presupposes a definition of “sovereignty” that requires God’s preplanning and absolute, meticulous control of everything that happens. But is this view of God biblical?

Who did what?

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (Genesis 50:20 ESV)

Genesis 50:20 is often cited as a proof-text for divine determinism. Joseph is speaking to his brothers, who, years earlier, out of jealousy and anger, threw him into a well and sold him to Midianite traders, who in turn, sold him Potiphar, the captain of the Egyptian guard (Gen 37:12-36).

Joseph tells his brothers that their act of treachery, although intended for evil against him, was “meant” (ḥāšaḇ) for good by God. Indeed, the amazing events that ensued allowed Joseph to obtain a high-ranking position in Egypt which allowed him to be instrumental in saving many from a severe famine.

Those who subscribe to the doctrine of divine determinism would say that Genesis 50:20 is evidence that even the sinful, nefarious acts of the brothers were ordained and brought about by God in order to achieve his greater purpose, the salvation of many lives.

There can be no doubt that the brothers intended — that is, had a mindset — to harm Joseph, but can we conclude that God planned and orchestrated the entire event, including the brothers’ sinful actions to accomplish his purposes? Not necessarily.

Not so fast

A viable, biblical alternative to a determinist interpretation of Genesis 50:20 is revealed in a lexicological study of the Hebrew word ḥāšaḇ, translated in the ESV as “meant” both times it is used — “[the brothers] meant it for evil …, but God meant it for good… ” While it is clear that the brothers’ intention/mindset was to do harm, it does not necessarily support a preplanning or orchestration of the event by God.

The word ḥāšaḇ is used 13 times in the book of Exodus, most often in reference to the skillful crafting of the tabernacle furnishings and fixtures.

• Exodus 28:6 ESV – “And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and of fine twined linen, skillfully worked” (ḥāšaḇ).
• Exodus 28:15 ESV – “You shall make a breastpiece of judgment, in skilled work” (ḥāšaḇ).
• Exodus 36:8 ESV – “And all the craftsmen among the workmen made the tabernacle with ten curtains. They were made of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns, with cherubim skillfully worked” (ḥāšaḇ)…

Note that ḥāšaḇ in these verses has nothing to do with a predisposition or a predetermined mindset. It is a reference to the subsequent action of the fashioning, shaping, or weaving of the raw material in the hands of skilled craftsman.

So, rather than an event whose every action was meticulously orchestrated by God, we can understand Genesis 50:20 as the act of a God who fashioned the evil workings of the brothers into something beautiful — the salvation of many. This understanding aligns perfectly with the biblical God who “(skillfully) works all things together for good” (Rom 8:28), or who “(skillfully) works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Eph 1:11), or who skillfully reshapes the clay based on the actions of the nations (Jer 18:1-10) or of the individual (2 Tim 2:21).

Did God predetermine certain future events and bring them about? Of course (Acts 2:23, Acts 4:27-28). The Bible clearly reveals that God has predetermined and brought about events critical to the path of redemption, even overriding peoples’ own wills (Gen 20:6). But such predetermination and causation seem to be the exception, not the rule.

I propose that a deity whose normative modus operandi is the preplanning and causation of “whatsoever comes to pass,” including all evil acts and sinful behavior is foreign to the pages of Scripture. It seems much more in keeping with the character of our benevolent God that out of His love for his creatures, He skillfully fashions/shapes/weaves (ḥāšaḇ) the evil done in the minds of men into something of divine good and beauty.

In other words, it is a reasonable and biblical position to believe that, more often than not, man breaks the eggs; God creates the omelet.  An omelet is a pretty good illustration of how something broken and messy can be made beautiful in the hands of a skillful craftsman.