Why God Punishes
By Ana Blackwell
When David sinned, God took it personally. 2 Samuel 12:11 says:
“Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife”.
David knew better, yet he committed evil in the sight of God. Apparently, having seven wives and ten concubines was not enough. The fact is, when an individual is led by the flesh, it never stops wanting the new and shiny; until the novelty wears off, and the cycle continues. The king had an adulterous one-night-stand, but whenBathsheba sent word of a baby, David had her husband killed in order to take the woman as his wife. The story can be found in 2 Samuel 11.
The man after God’s heart failed miserably in this area of his life. It is hard to think that people remember this great king as the guy who committed adultery. Therefore, since this is such a famous part of history, we need to take a look at the results of this man’s actions.
Firstly, it is important that we notice God’s mercy. The Tora dictates that if one takes a life, then his life must be forfeit. Yet we see that the king is spared.
“Then David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord’ Nathan replied, ‘the Lord has taken away your sin, you are not going to die’” 2 Samuel 12:13.
Amazing! So then one questions the punishment and events that follow this ordeal. God showed David grace, but because He is a righteous God, He had to bring justice on behalf of Uriah. Otherwise, you and I would question God’s integrity.
“You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel” 2 Samuel 12:12.
Secondly, the Lord made it clear to David that bad actions have bad results. The prophet Nathaniel was the one God spoke through during this conversation and disclosed to the king that it would be a person in the royal family that would dishonor David in the future.
Absalom was the son who overthrew the throne and disgraced the ten concubines of his father. It is interesting that it was a man who grew up around David that possessed the audacity to engage in such heinous acts. One does wonder if it was the environment and attitude towards women and adultery that ultimately encouraged Absalom to act in such a way. Children often do, not as parents say, but as parents do.
Make no mistake, the Almighty did not approve of Absalom’s actions. He did however, remove His hand of favor from David, and this allowed the king’s son to do outrageous acts for a time. So, we see that sin results in natural consequences and it also causes people to lose the favor of God.
This is where repentance comes in. If we confess our sin, we have an advocate in heaven who hears our case. There may be natural consequences and we may miss out on God’s blessing for a while, but if we repent, “all things work together for those who trust in Him” (Romans 8:21).
Some may get angry and say we are in the “Age of Grace”, the Lord doesn’t punish. To which I have to say, if God does not avenge those who are wronged, then He is not loving, nor is He just.
Do not misinterpret, the Father is not lying in wait with a whip, ready to punish our every sin. No, the blood of Jesus has paid for our sins. If we turn away from our wrong doing, the Almighty will forgive and heal. Also, if there are natural consequences, He can even use those and turn them around for our good.
It is when we sin against others without repairing the relationship that God has to step in and take action. In David’s case, committing adultery and killing Uriah could not be reconciled. God carried out judgment for the husband who was killed.
The king repented and even though certain events followed due to sin, the Lord blessed David and Bathsheba. Not only did He approve of their relationship, but He chose their son Solomon to reign over Israel. God legitimized David’s last marriage and their children. Also, when considering that David never took another wife, it shows how he did not simply apologize to God and then went on to commit more sin. There is no other wife of David mentioned in the Bible. Incredible how the Lord allowed David’s failure to become what propelled his character to grow.
Lastly, Solomon was shown more favor than all the kings who existed after him. This son was not the result of David and Bathsheba’s sin, he was the result of their repentance. When He causes blessings to come down from Heaven, he creates torrential storms. It is to show God’s power. There is nothing man can ruin, wreck, destroy, or trample that God can’t turn into something even more beautiful than the human mind can imagine.
“…to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified” Isaiah 61:3.
