On God's Punishment

I have been unwell the last few days. Struck by a migraine yet again. It seems that anytime there is variable weather - as one gets when the seasons are changing - that my migraines flair up. This reminds me of when I was a teenager and one summer before it would rain I would get a nosebleed; the severity of the nosebleed would depend on how severe the rainstorm would be. Growing up in the Bible Belt, I had a few people suggest that possibly God was punishing me for some sin that I had committed. Thankfully, the nosebleeds only lasted that summer (though I do still get them from time to time, but not every time it rains).

God does not punish sinners because it gives Him gratification to destroy men. If that gave Him gratification, He would not have created man out of nothing. He punishes man out of more important constructive reasons, of which two are most apparent to us: First, that by punishment He corrects them and leads him on the true path of salvation; second, to frighten others from sinning. St. Isaac also thinks this when he says, "The just wise man is similar to God, for he punishes man, not to reproach him for his sin but either to correct man or to instill fear in others." One recalcitrant young man, who ridiculed God and his parents, suddenly went insane. The entire city in which this young man lived saw, in this, the punishment of God and were terrified with the fear of God. The young man was held bound and isolated for three years. His mother wept bitterly and prayed to God for her son. One year, during the Feast of Pentecost, the mother brought her insane son to the monastery of St. Basil in Ostrog. After prayers, the insane youth was cured and became himself again. After that, he became an exemplary person and a true Christian. (Prologue - Reflection, March 20)

 God is not a sadistic, perpetually angry sky wizard just waiting to smite us for the slightest infraction. Neither is God some sadistic, cosmic author who created us from His mind as characters in a book whom He just loves to torture. God does not seek to punish us with sadistic glee just because He can.

Rather, God is a loving Father who uses punishment to reprove us for our wrong actions. God loves us and has set the right path for us. He directs our steps, and when we don't follow He gives us direction. And yet, He has given us free will for us to choose - but our choices will have consequences. Sometimes those consequences are good, other times they are bad - it depends on our choices.

Sometimes God will use punishment as an example for others. We see a lot in the Old Testament where God punishes pagans. These pagans were worshiping demons and committing terrible deeds, such as human - and child - sacrifice. Their punishment is an example that we should not do such things.

Not all bad things that happen to us is because God is punishing us. Many times bad things happen because of other people. If we are concerned that bad things are happening to us as a form of punishment then we should spend some time on introspection, prayer, and confessing our sin - these are never bad things for us to do.

If we see people who have come to fall on hard times we should not automatically assume that God is punishing them. Neither should we judge them. What we should do is pray for them and seek to assist them if we are able.

Pray for me a sinner.