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Bible, Theology & Philosophy
Divine Judgment
Disasters
LA Fire

“Our problem, as spokesmen for God in our culture, is when judgment comes and we have been negligent in warning. If we told them so beforehand, saying ‘I told you so’ when trouble comes is unnecessary (and unkind).” - P&D

Discussion

Mon, 01/20/25

Valid points, but there is a bigger problem with declaring that some natural disaster is God’s judgment on the people of city/state/country. Well, more than one.

(1) For one thing, the gospel declares that God’s judgment on sin is “death,” not natural disaster. It’s true that in the OT and in the Gospels, temporal judgments on groups of people are declared, but,

(2) unless we have received direct revelation from God that a disaster is His judgment, we are presuming to speak prophetically in His name.

Fortunately for those who commit this error, we do not live under the Mosaic Covenant law…

20 But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ (Dt 18:20)

31 Behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who use their tongues and declare, ‘declares the Lord.’ 32 Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, declares the Lord, and who tell them and lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when I did not send them or charge them. So they do not profit this people at all, declares the Lord. (Je 23:31–32)

It’s always fair to say that sin deserves the judgment of God, in whatever form He may choose to deliver it, but read the book Jonah. Frequently what is deserved is not dished out. Read the book of Job next. At times, what is dished out is not—in any special way—deserved.

The main point of the book of Job is to debunk the retribution principle: that suffering is always God’s judgment and abundance is always His reward. That’s not how it works.

God’s answer to that notion is that His workings in the world are mysterious and we should respond with humility. (God, to Job’s friends: You guys are wrong. God, to Job: Who do you think you are to demand explanations from Me?)

Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.

Mon, 01/20/25

Some good points Aaron. I was at a pastor's fellowship many years ago shortly after a major natural disaster. One of the young pastors there got really upset with me. He said that he knew for certain that the event was NOT God's judgment, I simply said that we did not know for certain one way or the other. God does what he does and we cannot always know why God does or doesn't do it.