God's Punishment

I suppose there are (at least) two ways to look at just about everything.  That is most definitely true when it comes to looking at God, His nature, and His character.  You'll often hear people say things like, "I don't think a loving God would ever do that!"  They have in their mind what defines a loving God and they aren't willing to consider anything outside of that range of thinking.  And of course, they're sincerely convinced that their particular point of view is the most accurate point of view.

But if there are more than two ways to look at just about anything, how do you know which one of them is truly accurate?  Isn't that the source of conflict and perhaps even misunderstanding?  We base our beliefs about something on a set of facts, circumstances or even perceptions ... which in and of themselves may or may not be true.  Such is the case with God.  (I'm certain of it.)

When you read through the books of the Old Testament (which is actually much longer than the New Testament) you get a consistent image of God.  His nature and His character are revealed in great detail.  Mainly we see a loving, forgiving God who seeks after His own people and continually forgives and restores them when they mess up their lives.  At the same time, the Old Testament reveals a God whose anger over sin is sobering.  He must punish sin.  He has no choice in the matter.

I am the first to admit that I get uncomfortable when the religious zealots stand up and proclaim this or that about God.  They look like lunatics when, for example, they say that the soldiers dying in Iraq or Afghanistan wars are God's punishment for America's tolerance of homosexuality.  Honestly, they look like crazy people!  Or to hear a televangelist explain that the earthquake and resulting tsunami in Japan which created a nuclear crisis are all due to that country's sinful ways of living.  It seems pretty far-fetched, pretty unloving and maybe even a little arrogant to see someone making such proclamations.

But here's the thing.  I read the Old Testament and I realize that things like droughts, earthquakes, floods, tsunami's, and even wars can be God's punishment for sin.  Or at least they used to be.  Has that changed?  Is God no longer interested in punishing sin?  Many people would like to think so.  I know there are many Christians today who believe that God is not upset or angry whatsoever.  They believe that because Jesus died on the cross ... God is no longer bothered by the world's sinful ways.  (And that's certainly one legitimate way of looking at it.)

But me?  I'm not so sure.  When I read my Bible, one thing seems very, very clear to me.  God is unchanging.  His nature and His character never, ever change.  He is unchanging and that is one of His greatest attributes.  It means we can always count on God to be consistent.  And I've found nothing that says God is unchanging --- except for when Jesus came along. 

I've long believed that God is in control ... of everything.  So if something good happens I count it as a blessing from God.  And if something bad happens, I assume it's for a reason.  At the very least, God had the power to stop it ... and He didn't.  Because of what I know of God's nature and character, I assume that there must be a (good) reason why He didn't stop the bad from happening. 

But more than that, I cautiously believe that bad things could be sent to us by God.  Why would I believe something like that?  Again, the history of God's anger over sin and punishment to bring repentance are extolled in great detail throughout the books of the Old Testament.  But I think we can be even more specific.  In the Old Testament book of Amos 3:6, it says, "...When disaster comes to a city, has the Lord not caused it?"

Think about that for a moment.  Has the Lord not caused the tsunami, the earthquake, the tornado, the drought and so forth?  Our insurance companies refer to such things as "acts of God."  Are they?  Are they really deliberate acts of God?  And if they are --- what is their purpose?  Why would a loving, forgiving God do such things?  It's here that we do get a plausible answer ... from the Old Testament. 

Throughout the Old Testament times, God sent war, disease, famine, drought, floods, earthquakes, windstorms, insect plagues and many other calamities to punish the people of Israel for their sin.  He further used these calamities to help them experience the natural consequences of their sinful ways and motivate them to return to God with repentant hearts.

I was visiting with a friend last night and we got to discussing this dilemma.  I told him the troubling thing for me occurs every morning.  You see, when I rise early in the morning, the very first thing I do is read my Bible for at least a few chapters.  Then I set that aside and I read the morning newspaper.  The troubling thing is that I'm seeing the same stories in both readings!  The calamities I'm reading about in my Bible are the same calamities and "acts of God" that I'm reading about in my newspaper.  How can anyone expect me not to take God with me from one reading to the other?

Like I said in the beginning, I really try hard not to act like some sort of religious zealot or raging lunatic.  But the fact of the matter is I'm having a harder and harder time overlooking the parallels that I see between Biblical times and modern times.  And if those so-called "acts of God" had a purpose back then, can we really go on thinking that they have no similar purpose now?  Could they really just be happening for no reason at all?  I don't think so.

There are certainly at least two ways of looking at everything.  But my friends, isn't it time that we started trying to figure out the most truthful and accurate way to look at anything?

Judgment's Surprise

The Old Testament book of Zephaniah is an interesting book. Actually most of the books of the Old Testament books are interesting; each time I read through them I seem to notice something different. This week it was my time to notice something new in Zephaniah.

Zephaniah is a book that discusses, amongst other things, punishment for sin. It speaks of God's wrath; His fury over evil and the terrible acts He'll unleash to purge it. And then I noticed it. Even God's people - you know, the ones who are "saved" - have to go through that judgment.

Now we know God's judgment has a purpose for evil (to destroy it). And we also know that He is very much a purpose driven God. (Yes, it's true ... God never does anything or allows anything without some purpose that serves His will.) So what then could be the purpose of God's chosen people - the ones who are "saved" - getting to experience God's judgment?

And there is is. Judgment would not be merely for punishment for sin. It will not be limited to destroying those evil-doers in life. But it will also be a means of purifying people - those ones who are saved - the remnant of God's people.

So what will this look like? The thorns (in our sides) will be taken away. No longer will we have to make do with God's grace. We will be sinless. We will be untemptable. Can you even imagine! There will be nothing that can tempt us. No vice. No thought. No memories even. We will be pure. This is big!

You know, the Apostle Paul talks in the New Testament about the thorn in his side, which God refused to take away from him. Paul never reveals what exactly it was. But apparently he implored God to take it away. God said, "No, my grace is sufficient for you." In other words, God decided He would be glorified if Paul walked with that thorn in his side. He also knew He'd empowered Paul to handle it. It might annoy and trouble or aggravate Paul, but it would never overtake him.

You may remember Paul as the guy who wrote Romans 7 - where he talks about his inability to stop sinning. He said something along the lines of, "I know what to do - but I don't do it. I know what not to do - but that I do. Oh what a wretched man am I!" Now I don't know about you, but I have always figured that Paul was probably speaking to that thorn in his side. I just assume that some temptation, some sin pattern or something that would make Paul look less than stellar as an Apostle was the thorn in his side. Maybe he struggled with lust. Maybe he was fearful. We'll never know. But it was a thorn, it was bad, and God asked Paul to live with it.

So when God's judgment comes upon us all, the thorns will be wiped out. In all these years of studying God's ways and learning His character, I somehow missed the significance of that! God's judgment will surely destroy evil and wipe out the evil-doers. But of those that are "saved" and belong to Him - the remnant of God's people - the thorns will be taken away. We will be purified.

May we never consider God's wrath and judgment the same ways ever again!

God's Punishment?

Old Testament prophecy has always intrigued me. Of course it seems to have different meanings for different people. Bible scholars typically point to the lessons it has for mankind in how we should behave. Others seem to try to use it to figure out what God is going to do next. But the thing I see in it are the valuable insights it can provide me about the character and nature of God.

It is true that God never changes. (That's one of His promises.) So the God that was in Bible times is still the same God who is today. We don't see burning bushes or parted sees very much today. So I'm always on the lookout for opportunities to know the character and nature of God better. I find a wealth of such opportunities in the Old Testament.

This being an election year, many people are unhappy. There is the euphoria around Barack Obama and his promise of change. I know many people support him. I know fewer of them who know what kind of change he's talking about. An even smaller number can say why they think he's really capable of meaningful change.

Then there are the McCain supporters, who will talk about all the reasons why Barack Obama isn't qualified. They'll point to McCain's experience and extol his wisdom. Of course there are others, who sit around disgruntled because Hillary Clinton isn't going to be a nominee. But the vast majority of people I talk to seem to be saying that they aren't really happy with any of the choices. (Put me in that camp.)

So what do the presidential elections, and lack of suitable candidates have to do with Old Testament prophecy? (I thought you'd never ask!) Well, there is more than one occasion where a national leader "did what was evil in God's eyes." The Bible tells us that some of these leaders were used by God to punish disobedient and disregarding people (usually Israel). I wonder if that might not be what God has in mind today.

2 Kings 8:7-15 tells the story of Hazael, who murdered the king (of Aram) and became king of himself. God used him as judgment against the disobedient Israelites. Folks, this was the character and nature of God. And He hasn't changed. It still is. So if that's who God is, what are the implications for American voters in an election year?

We can talk about the virtues of Americans all day long. So many go to church. so many are generous. America tries to rescue and save the world. We can go on and on. Those things are all factual. But the truth of the matter is that America is a very disobedient nation. Greed, lust, arrogance, pride, and other sins are hallmarks of our existence. Abortion, same-sex marriage and other practices all would safely fall within the definition of "doing what is evil in God's eyes."

So what does God do with a disobedient nation that does what is evil in His eyes? Well, He often has punished them. And He often has punished them through bad leaders that He would allow to be placed over them. The radical televangelists will tell you that AIDS or Katrina or 9/11 were God's punishment on America. I honestly don't know.

But what I do know is that God is capable of so much more. His methods of punishment can be much more insidious and much more comprehensive. That should give me great pause as I consider whom to support in a presidential candidate. We often pray the Lord's Prayer, asking that His will be done here on earth as it is in heaven. I've always learned that you should be careful what you ask for.

If God's will is done in America, we might become a humbler, more obedient, more submitted nation. Who do you suppose God might use to take us on such a journey to become that nation?