Is Suffering Always God’s Judgment?

I once heard a pastor ask his congregation if they looked for demons in door locks. “When you go to a hotel and your room key doesn’t open the door, do you cast demons out of the lock or accuse God of punishing you? Surely, not. You simply go to the desk and get a new key!” 

His point was that every bad thing that happens isn’t necessarily the devil’s attack, nor is it God’s judgment. Sometimes bad things happen in this broken world, and the consequences splash onto us as if we were standing too near a mudpuddle when a car drives past. 

But doesn’t Hebrews 12 say that we should regard suffering as God’s discipline?  

What’s the difference between discipline and judgment?  

These questions and more like them have driven some folks away from God and caused others to question their faith. Let’s take a look at Scripture’s overall picture of suffering and judgment as we wrestle with God’s Truths. 

When It IS Judgment 

If you’ve been following my FaceBook posts on Wednesdays, you know we’ve been marching through questions about the last of Judah’s kings from Manasseh to Zedekiah. Only one—Josiah—was faithful to Yahweh, and he was inexplicably killed in a seemingly senseless battle against the Egyptians. Seemingly senseless—but history proved its significance. 

While Josiah and his Judean troops delayed the Egyptian army, who had promised to help Assyria, Babylon—in a shocking turn of events—overcame Assyria’s unconquerable war machine. It was the crumbling of Assyria’s empire and the tipping point of prophecy. And it was ultimately Judah’s doom. 

After Josiah’s fateful defeat, Judah’s throne became a seat for puppet kings:  

• Jehoahaz reigned three months.  
• Jehoiakim eleven years.  
• Jehoiachin three months.  
• And the final king, Zedekiah, eleven years.  

None of them served Yahweh. All of them sinned grievously. After years of mercifully pleading with His people through His prophets, Yahweh stopped pleading. He stopped warning. He proved true to His promises—as He always does—and poured out His righteous fury on the people and city dearest to His heart. Judah’s towns were destroyed, Jerusalem was burned, and the Temple was razed. 

Mud-Stained Judeans 

But did EVERYONE in Judah worship idols, turn their backs on Yahweh, follow the sinful kings? The answer is no. Even in the darkest societies, God’s light shines. The prophet Jeremiah remained in Jerusalem until the walls were breached in 586 B.C. (you can read about those last days in By the Waters of Babylon).  

So were the faithful saved from God’s wrath? That answer is also no. But they were given a promise with a long-range view of what they were living and dying for. 

“Then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder.” Zephaniah 3:9 

The faithful Judeans, who were caught in the dragnet of God’s judgment, maintained their faith because He promised them relationship. With purified lips they would call on Him and serve with Him shoulder to shoulder. Deeper. Personal. Lasting. Relationship with the Creator. 

Living Out the Promise 

Remember what I said in the intro about standing too close to a mudpuddle when a car drives past? We all get splashed with the consequences of sin simply because we live in a sin-sick world. Both Christians AND those who refuse God’s mercy get cancer, lose their jobs, and get killed by drunk drivers. Christ-followers don’t get a standard issue cape and shield when we pray the salvation prayer. We do, however, get a promise. 

“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?” Hebrews 12:7 

The moment we trust in Jesus’ work on the Cross to wash away our sin, we’re considered children of the Most High God. We need never again look at tragedies in life as punishment or judgment. Any hardship becomes loving discipline from a perfect Father. We need not wait—as the Jews of the Old Testament did—for that close relationship with the Creator. We have it immediately through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit, who empowers us to live as overcomers in this broken world. 

God’s purpose for allowing hardship into His people’s lives is as unchanging as He: purifying our hearts and deepening our relationship with Him. Remembering those two prizes on the other side of the fire make the flames easier to bear. 

“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:6,7

Tweet-A-Licious

• What’s the difference between God’s discipline and His judgment?
• We all get splashed with the consequences of sin simply because we live in a sin-sick world.
• God’s purpose for allowing hardship into His people’s lives is as unchanging as He is.

Today’s Question:

• Can you think of suffering or hardship that brought you into deeper relationship with the Lord?