In a Bible study some time ago I learnt an important principle- in the Old Testamant, whenever man fell into sin or disobedience, God would subsequently proclaim judgement and punish them. When Adam and Eve fell, they were cast out of the Garden of Eden and cursed. When man became evil beyond reckoning, God sent a flood to destroy all mankind. When man became proud and wanted to build the Tower of Babel to heaven, God came and confused them and scattered them all over the earth. God made it very clear to the Israelites- "Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God...But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you..." Deut 28: 1-2, 15.
However, what is significant is that whenever man fell, God would always provide a way back for man, a means of salvation. With the Flood, God saved Noah and promised him that never again would He destroy the earth with a flood (Gen. 9). After the Tower of Babel, God set aside Abraham and promised that through him, all nations of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 12). In the story of Gideon (Judges 6), because the Israelites were unfaithful to Him, God delivered them into the hand of the Midianites for seven years; however He raised up Gideon to lead an army of a mere three hundred men to defeat the 100000 strong Midianites and free Israel. Of course, with the original sin in the Garden of Eden, God provided a means of forgiveness and reconciliation- Jesus Christ.
In this New Testament era of grace, does God still punish and abandon us like He did with the Israelites? I believe He does; the God of the Old and New Testament are one and the same. Why He does it no one can ever know and say for sure, but I can think of three reasons why. Firstly, as a punishment for our sin and disobedience. We know that our God is a loving and gracious God, but He is also a holy God who hates and detests sin. We should never neglect that aspect of His character. While we know that the punishment of eternal damnation has been taken away by Jesus and salvation assured us by grace and faith in Him alone, God can still choose to punish us for our disobedience, to teach us a good lesson, like He did with the Israelites. Secondly, God may allow us to feel a deep sense of abandonment and despair, or even punish us, when we walk away from Him and choose not to follow His ways. He may hold back His blessings from us and allow us to go through a time of deep sorrow and anguish. Why? Perhaps to allow us to see and experience for ourselves that His way is the best way; that true life and joy comes from Him and we should never stray away. A lesson learnt in time, so to speak. Thirdly, God may allow us to feel that abandonment in order to test and strengthen our faith- true faith is not forged on calm seas, but in the midst of raging storms. We must learn to walk by faith and not by sight; to follow Him and hold true to Him even when things do not seem to be going right. And when we learn to do that our faith would have grown so much deeper.
This we know for sure, that God always provides a way back to Him, and although we may feel abandoned or be punished, we know that God still loves us all the same and will never leave us. He is in control of our lives, the captain of the ship who will never fail. "My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives." Hebrews 12:5-6. All that happens is part of His plan for us, part of His plan to deepen our faith and build our relationship with Him. So if you ever feel this way, come back to Him, reexamine yourself, seek Him, persevere in Him, and know that He is still there. He is always there.
But don't get confused- at the same time, even if God punishes, that does not mean at all that we are not saved. The punishments are not to take away our sins, but to teach us lessons; through His Son Jesus He has already given salvation to all who receive Him, whether He punishes them or not. Jesus has taken the punishment for sin. We know that beyond death, there will be no more sorrow, no more punishment, only an eternity with Him thanks to the atoning work of our Lord Jesus.
However, what is significant is that whenever man fell, God would always provide a way back for man, a means of salvation. With the Flood, God saved Noah and promised him that never again would He destroy the earth with a flood (Gen. 9). After the Tower of Babel, God set aside Abraham and promised that through him, all nations of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 12). In the story of Gideon (Judges 6), because the Israelites were unfaithful to Him, God delivered them into the hand of the Midianites for seven years; however He raised up Gideon to lead an army of a mere three hundred men to defeat the 100000 strong Midianites and free Israel. Of course, with the original sin in the Garden of Eden, God provided a means of forgiveness and reconciliation- Jesus Christ.
In this New Testament era of grace, does God still punish and abandon us like He did with the Israelites? I believe He does; the God of the Old and New Testament are one and the same. Why He does it no one can ever know and say for sure, but I can think of three reasons why. Firstly, as a punishment for our sin and disobedience. We know that our God is a loving and gracious God, but He is also a holy God who hates and detests sin. We should never neglect that aspect of His character. While we know that the punishment of eternal damnation has been taken away by Jesus and salvation assured us by grace and faith in Him alone, God can still choose to punish us for our disobedience, to teach us a good lesson, like He did with the Israelites. Secondly, God may allow us to feel a deep sense of abandonment and despair, or even punish us, when we walk away from Him and choose not to follow His ways. He may hold back His blessings from us and allow us to go through a time of deep sorrow and anguish. Why? Perhaps to allow us to see and experience for ourselves that His way is the best way; that true life and joy comes from Him and we should never stray away. A lesson learnt in time, so to speak. Thirdly, God may allow us to feel that abandonment in order to test and strengthen our faith- true faith is not forged on calm seas, but in the midst of raging storms. We must learn to walk by faith and not by sight; to follow Him and hold true to Him even when things do not seem to be going right. And when we learn to do that our faith would have grown so much deeper.
This we know for sure, that God always provides a way back to Him, and although we may feel abandoned or be punished, we know that God still loves us all the same and will never leave us. He is in control of our lives, the captain of the ship who will never fail. "My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives." Hebrews 12:5-6. All that happens is part of His plan for us, part of His plan to deepen our faith and build our relationship with Him. So if you ever feel this way, come back to Him, reexamine yourself, seek Him, persevere in Him, and know that He is still there. He is always there.
But don't get confused- at the same time, even if God punishes, that does not mean at all that we are not saved. The punishments are not to take away our sins, but to teach us lessons; through His Son Jesus He has already given salvation to all who receive Him, whether He punishes them or not. Jesus has taken the punishment for sin. We know that beyond death, there will be no more sorrow, no more punishment, only an eternity with Him thanks to the atoning work of our Lord Jesus.
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