First, let me be clear. I never said, "God causes evil"--period. I said, "God causes evil
things." Not splitting hairs, but evil resides in the hearts of sinful humans. We are wicked and are inclined to do evil. God uses our evil hearts and inclinations to cause events.
Second, as for the concept of God causing evil events for His good purposes--that might indeed make people shudder. We have a tendency to imagine God the way we would be God, but sometimes the way He reveals Himself to us is not in line with the way we think He should be. Consequently, we try to explain things away, or at the worst to accuse God of unrighteousness. Again, I think we see in Romans 9 where Paul was dealing with such potential issues. But we need to accept that God's thoughts and His ways are so far above ours that we cannot fully comprehend His thinking and doing. I think Hume is on the same page with that.
Scripture, however, must be our witness, and Scripture clearly indicates that God is behind certain sinful actions without sinning Himself. Again, looking at the Joseph account, the exact same phrase is used to describe the brothers' intentionality and God's. So, who is responsible for Joseph being sold into slavery--God or the brothers? My answer is, "Yes." God did it. The brothers did it. But the brothers sinned, and God did not. He simply used their sinful inclinations to accomplish His perfect plan.
Job is another fine example. Satan is clearly the one who so tragically inflicted Job, but Job attributes it to God. However, we read that "in all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong," and that "Job did not sin with his lips." So, who did it--God or Satan? Yes.
God also caused the death of Christ. But he used sinful people--people who wanted to kill Jesus--to do it. It was predestined and planned perfectly by God. But the people were guilty of sin, while God was exalted as both the just and the justifier. Isn't that cool?
The only reason this should cause some to shudder is because they want God to be a certain way. I know, I've wrestled with these things as well because the way God reveals Himself in the Bible has not always lined up with the God I had imagined. I had created Him in my own image. Someone once said, "God created man in His own image, and man has been returning the favor ever since." Yep. Guilty. That's why we must strive to see God as he has revealed Himself. Sometimes it just doesn't make since, but like you said, we just don't see it clearly yet. I think that's why Paul, after four chapters of discussing the sovereignty of God, finally just breaks into doxology at the end of Romans 11:
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?" "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Rom 11:33-36 ESV)
Finally, I will just say a brief word about free will. There is no such thing. Now, wait a minute before you start throwing things at me through cyberspace. I did not say that we do not make choices. Everything we do is a willful choice. However, no will is completely free. On the one side of that, we are so steeped in sin that if God did not restrain us, we would be much more wicked than we are. That is how he sometimes accomplishes His will, by lifting the restraints. I shudder to think how evil I could actually be were it not for God's grace. How wonderful to know that he restrains me. In fact, that is part of the foundation of our doctrine of perseverance of the saints (i.e., that we cannot lose our salvation). Why can't I choose to walk away and renounce my faith in Christ? Is it because I am so good and that I would never exercise my free will like that? No, it is because God has constrained my and will not allow me to walk away. Thus, my will is not completely free. Thank God!
In addition, sometimes, people are not free to choose the good. Pharaoh could not choose not to act like he did. In Isaiah's day, the people would not be allowed to repent until God brought about the full measure of judgment. Judas could not repent and choose not to betray Jesus. Pilate could not have chosen to let Him go. And all of the events surrounding the end times
must happen exactly like God said they will. The guilty parties are not free to choose differently. To say that God simply
knows what will happen doesn't line up with Scripture. He has decreed certain events (and not just allowed--see Isaiah 14:26-27), and the people involved cannot do otherwise. Again, he predestined the events of the crucifixion. That does not mean He just
knew about it. He brought it to pass in the exact manner that it did. Therefore, we are moral creatures who make moral choices every day. However, our choices are limited by God's perfect plan. Our wills are thus somewhat less than free.
Well, that's all for now, but I'm really enjoying this discussion. And by the way, for anyone reading, I know that it's hard to tell what someone's attitude is when they write. Please be assured that this is all great fun for me. I never get upset about this stuff, and I don't argue (in a contentious way) about it. My belief is that these discussions are good for the church. They stretch us and grow us, and ultimately serve to cause us to fall on our faces before the only wise God as we realize just how small we are and how great He is.