Does God Punish His People?

As you read through the book of Judges (and indeed much of the Old Testament), you will notice a theme: Israel follows God. Israel abandons God. God punishes Israel. Israel returns to God. Israel abandons God again. God punishes Israel again. And so on. This is the dance between God and His people that weaves its way through the pages of the Hebrew Scriptures. Many people, especially those antagonistic toward Christianity, have dwelled far too much on the “punishment” portion of the cycle. In so doing, God is seen as a capricious master who delights in tormenting those He “loves” when they have even the slightest slip-up. But is this really the case? Can God be so cruel? Or perhaps is there something else going on here?

I think there is something else going on here, and in order to see it, we have to look at the idea of covenants. Covenants were quite common in the Ancient Near East, so it is no surprise that they show up in the Bible. A covenant is simply a formal agreement or promise. Usually covenants are made between a stronger and a weaker party (called the suzerain and vassal, respectively). For instance, a king might make a covenant with his subjects in which he promises to protect them as long as they pay their taxes, volunteer for the army and don’t cause trouble. In the biblical context, we see many different covenants that God makes with His people. One of these covenants occurs in Joshua 24. Under Joshua’s command, the people have entered into Canaan and have driven out many (though not all) of the people there. At the end of the book, God reminds Israel that He took them out of slavery in Egypt, guided them through the wilderness and gave them possession of the Promised Land. This is the backdrop for the covenant; God has protected and guided the Israelites faithfully. Then God, taking the role of suzerain, tells His vassals what He expects from them: “Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD” (Josh 24:14). This, to me, is a pretty fair deal: Yahweh will continue to protect and provide for Israel, but they must serve and revere Him in return. It’s nothing different than any king would ask of his people. But what if the people don’t hold up their end of the deal? “If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you” (24:20). The consequences of breaking the covenant are given at the outset: God will withdraw His protection and in fact bring disaster on Israel. He is letting Israel know ahead of time what He will do if they choose to violate the covenant.

My wife and I are currently taking a class on Love and Logic. Love and Logic is a method of parenting wherein the goal is to raise children who can think on their own, make wise decisions and generally contribute to society. One method that L&L teaches is to make enforceable statements. In other words, when a child misbehaves, don’t tell them what to do; instead, say what you will do. For instance, if a child is whining, a parent might respond, “I am happy to listen to people who can speak in a normal tone of voice.” L&L says this is a better response than “stop whining!” because a parent cannot control if his or her child whines. A parent can control how he or she responds to whining.

This is precisely what happens in the book of Judges. God has laid out His covenant with Israel in Joshua 24. God will protect and provide for Israel, and Israel will serve God. If Israel chooses not to serve God, then God makes the enforceable statement, “[I] will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you.” God knows that He cannot control humans. He didn’t make them to be controlled; he made them to love Him, and of course love is meaningless without the option not to love. In Judges, Israel decides to take the latter option: Israel chooses not to love God.

This brings me to the question, does God punish His people? I think punish is not the right word. In L&L, as a parent I am not punishing my child for disobeying me; rather, I am allowing him to experience the natural consequences of his choice. It is my duty as a parent to make sure that those consequences are uncomfortable for him at times. Furthermore, I don’t parent in this way because I am cruel—I parent in this way because I love my son! Consequences are a very real part of life, and he needs to learn about and experience them under the careful eye of mom and dad before he gets out on his own and it’s too late. In the same way, I don’t see God as punishing the Israelites in Judges; rather, he is acting on his own enforceable statement. Israel knew what would happen if they chose to forsake God, and they did it anyway. As a good parent, God allowed the natural consequences to happen, and he made things uncomfortable for His children at times. He did this because He loved them.

How do I know He loved them? Take a closer look at Joshua 24:20: “If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.” Did God bring disaster on Israel in the book of Judges? Numerous times. Did He make an end of them? No. In His grace, time and time again God raised up judges to deliver Israel from bondage and bring them peace. When Israel cried out for help in the midst of a situation of their own making, God had compassion and saved them.

And this compassion carries over into our covenant with Him, the covenant of the cross. We are all in a lethal mess, one we made ourselves by choosing to forsake God. God allows us to experience the natural consequences of our decision, and sometimes it can be quite uncomfortable. But in His grace, He sent His Son to die on the cross, to take our mess upon Himself, if only we will cry out to Him. When we do cry out to Him and accept His grace, not only does He take those consequences upon Himself, but He goes so far as to empower us to fulfill our end of the covenant. He gives us what Israel lacked—the gift of the Spirit.

Does God punish His people? I don't think so. Not in the Old Testament, not in the New Testament. Instead, He shows grace time and time again. In Judges, God raised up human deliverers. With Christ's work, we are now delivered and empowered. If that is God's idea of punishment, I'll take all He's got!