Is God Punishing You?

You claim, “My beliefs are pure,”

and “I am clean in the sight of God.”. . .

Listen! God is doubtless punishing you

far less than you deserve! Job 11:4, 6

WE KNOW FROM THE FIRST CHAPTER of Job that Job had turned away from evil and that God himself had said Job was blameless. As readers, we are also privy to the wager with which Satan had challenged God. Of course, Job’s friends did not have the advantage of all this information.

Even so, as they circled around Job in his suffering state, they were quite certain they knew the cause of Job’s incredible suffering: It was his own fault. Job was being punished for some secret sin. In fact, according to Zophar’s words in Job 11, Job was not simply getting what he deserved, but far less than he deserved! Job’s friends assumed that such extreme suffering came only to someone who had committed a heinous sin that God had determined must be punished.

And we get this assumption, don’t we? We assume in our suffering, or in our child’s suffering, that God is punishing us. But is that how he works? Does God punish us or our children because of what we’ve done or failed to do?

My friend, if you belong to Christ, you can be confident that your suffering or your child’s suffering is not punishment for your sin. Someone has already been punished for your sin so that you won’t have to be. All the punishments you deserve for your sin —your outright rebellion against God or your utter apathy toward God; your refusal to love him with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength; your ugliest, most shameful words and deeds —have been laid on Jesus. He was punished for your sin so you won’t have to be.

Lord, your gospel goes against my instincts. It seems too good to be true. I need your help to deeply believe it is true when I jump to the conclusion that I am being made to pay for my sin, or that ________ is being made to pay for my sin. Thank you that I don’t have to fear that you are going to take out your anger on me. Instead, I expect that you will pour out your love, your mercy, your grace, and your forgiveness on me.