JESUS, MOSES AND PETER, TOO: Part IX of Why Not? - a Perspective on Suffering

There is one infinite reference point and this is God.

If we have that vertical relationship with God, then we not only have our conscience whispering in our ear, we have a standard, God’s Word, to guide our morality. In this world, even when we follow that standard, we still have suffering we must endure, but we are upheld by our hope in God’s promises.

However, if we turn from God, disbelieve in Him, then we still have sufferings to endure, but no hope.

When we choose to ignore God’s will in our life we sin and sin can bring suffering by the mere act or can bring punishment for our actions. We may also suffer from discipline, used by a loving God to direct us back to the proper path or to strengthen us for the endurance we will need in this life. So reasons we suffer include sin, punishment and discipline.

Before we look at another reason, let’s think about the Israelites wandering for all those years in the wilderness and what their journey might tell us about our own journey in these times.

What is similar between our own plight before we were Christians and that of the Hebrews before they left Egypt?

Bondage to Egypt; bondage to sin. (Exodus 6:6) (John 8:34)

The Passover, of course, points toward Christ. What similarities do we see between Moses and Jesus? (Acts 7:35) (Luke 1:68) (Colossians 1:13-14)

See the list at the end of this post.

How might we compare the Israelites to ourselves once they have crossed the Red Sea that may indicate how our lives will be?

We still want more. We get what we need and are quickly complaining it isn’t enough. Manna, meat, water, law.

What could we face that might be fearful to us if we aren’t strong in our faith?

Like the Israelites, although we probably hate to admit it, we sometimes forget what God has promised and we try to take matters in our own hands, or complain about conditions or fear others because they are bigger or smarter, or so we think. Other times we jump in with both feet without fully thinking things through. Often we fail.

Last time I suggested finding a specific Bible character of import in the Bible who failed more than once, was disciplined more than once as well, and yet we certainly look toward him today as a rock of our faith.  Anyone come up with the fellow?

Simon Peter, the Apostle.

Name some things where he kind of failed.

Luke 5:1-9 Reaction to the great catch of fish.
Matthew 14:22-31  Jesus walks on water and Peter tries, but loses faith.
Matthew 16:13-23 Peter’s recognition of Jesus as Son of God, followed by his rebuking Jesus claim that he would die.
John 13:3-9 Peter refusing to have his feet washed by Jesus at first.
John 18: 1-11 Jesus draws a sword at the arrest of Jesus.

We have a man who swore his allegiance to his leader, insisted he will never betray or desert him. His leader tells him he certainly will do just those things and that very day. The man dismisses such a thought; he is a strong man and a man of his word. But then his leader is arrested and come morning the man denies he even knew his leader. He tries to hide who he is, but then he sees his leader, who gives him a knowing look. The man is shattered inside

Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest's house, and Peter was

following at a distance.  And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them.  Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.”  But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.”  And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.”  And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.”  But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.  And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.”  And he went out and wept bitterly. (Luke 22:54-62)

This wasn't the first time Simon Peter failed and was rebuked. He needed a lot of guidance in his discipleship. This was probably the time he finally accepted what he was, a weak and vacillating man, often impulsive, but more bluster than conviction.

Was he perfect after that or were there other miscues?

John 21: 15-23 Feed my sheep and question about the fate of John.
Acts 10:9-23  also Acts 11:1-18  The vision of various food and told to eat, followed by the gentile Cornelius family being Baptized.
Galatians 2:11-14 Paul confronts Peter’s hypocrisy.

The Apostles who followed Jesus were not perfect, were they? I think we can find some comfort in knowing the vacillations of Peter, because we are also often vacillators in our walk with Jesus, too, but this tells us we can learn and overcome our weaknesses of faith, if we just keep our eyes on the Lord. We also have to remember we can be prone toward denying we know him or we can be hypocritical if we let the world prevail too often in our lives.

This is why we sometimes need and suffer from discipline.

So, we have talked about three reasons we suffer so far. We sin and suffer mentally and emotionally because of conscience or fear, even if we escape detection. We sin, are detected and suffer some form of punishment inflicted upon us either as retribution or discouragement to repeat our deed. We suffer in some way that guides us toward being a better person or to protect us from a worse harm and worse suffering.


The first comes directly from sin, the second is the result of sin if it is not a result of an injustice against the one punished, but in that case it is the result of the sin of another. The third may or may not involve sin, but most likely does protect us from committing one. There is a riddle, for you.

NEXT TIME: RIDDLE ME THIS

References: Exodus 6:6, John 8:34, Acts 7:35, Luke 1:68, Colossians 1:13-14, Luke 5:1-9, Matthew 14:22-31, Matthew 16:13-23, John 13:3-9, John 18:1-11, Luke 22:54-62, John 21:15-23, Acts 10:9-23, Galatians 2:11-14

                            SOME COMPARISONS OF MOSES TO JESUS

MOSES                                                   JESUS
The first mediator The final mediator
Born a Hebrew Born a Hebrew
Chosen to lead by God Chosen to lead by god
Born when his people suffered Born when his people suffered
under a cruel leader (Pharaoh) under a cruel leader (Herod)

Hid in Egypt as a child Hid in Egypt as a child
Leader ordered all babies killed Leader ordered all babies killed
Turned water into blood Turned water into wine
Died on a hill Died on a hill
Fasted 40 days, then faced a spiritual Fasted 40 days, then faced a spiritual
crisis on a mountain crisis on a mountain

Told people of the Passover Lamb Became the Passover lamb

Communicated directly with God Communicated directly with God
Performed miracles Performed miracles
Revised an existing religion Revised an existing religion
Gave the Ten Commandments Gave the Great Commandment
Hated by the ruling party Hated by the ruling Party
Brothers and sisters misunderstood him Brothers and sisters misunderstood him
Chose 12 leaders to follow Choose 12 leaders to follow
Had followers who strayed from his Had followers who strayed from his teaching teaching
Lead figure in Old Testament Lead figure in New Testament
Taught his followers how to pray Taught his followers how to pray
Choose people to carry on when he Choose people to carry on when he was leaving was leaving
Led his people to the promised Leads his people to the promised land land
People picked up stones to stone him People picked up stones to stone him
Controlled the waters of the Red Sea Controlled the Sea of Galilee
Face shown on Mount Sinai Face shown at the Transfiguration
Was a Shepherd Is the Good Shepard
Fed thousands supernaturally with
bread (manna) Fed thousands supernaturally with bread
Showed compassion to a woman at a Showed compassion to a woman at a well
well
Mission was to redeem Israel from Mission was to redeem people from slavery to
slavery to Egypt sin
Loved and supported by his sister Loved and supported by his mother
Miriam (Miryam in Hebrew)              Mary (Miryam in hebrew)
Gave God’s law on a mountain Gave a new law on the Mount
Offered his life for the salvation Offered his life for the salvation of
of his people all people
Washed Aaron and his sons with water Washed the feet of the disciples


  Illustrations:

1.  Could not identify the artist or date.

2. "Peter's Denial" by Carl Bloch, 1865-79

...NOR BE WEARY: Part VIII of Why Not? - a Perspective on Suffering

A man builds his house on sand. A storm comes with heavy rain and high winds and the house crashes down. (See Matthew 7:24-27) The man has suffered the lost of his house, perhaps the loss of a family member. He also learns a lesson to build his next house on a solid foundation. Out of some suffering comes discipline. If we are willing to recognize it as such, there can then come growth.

But often we refuse to recognize discipline, don’t we? We go our merry way and we get smacked upside the head for it, but instead of changing our ways, we ignore the discipline over and over again. And the smacks get harder trying to knock some sense into us.

Remember that little boy who stole the coins from his mom’s purse. He had a bad case of conscience and threw away the money and worried each day that he would be punished further.  He wasn’t and a

few years later he was stealing again, this time shoplifting “girlie” magazines from a store. This time he wasn’t conscience stricken. But it was their fault he had to steal, because they wouldn’t sell to him; he was too young for such thing. He rationalized his guilt away in order to gain his end desires, but he did get caught this time and he was publicly humiliated, but no further punishment came. He stopped stealing out of fear of being caught again, but he didn’t stop pursuing his lust.

 I will tell you that one day someone saw him engaging in something bad and he was called from class at school and confronted by the police, who threatened him with reform school. He was scared again, tossing in his bed at night again, waiting for his parents to come and punish him again and expecting to go to jail. But none of that happened. He felt guilty and fearful for a while, but them he was drawn right back after his lusts because nothing really bad happened to him. He was just more careful when he did bad things now.

Yeah, sometimes we need a lot of discipline.

So, look at your life and think hard about what is happening when you have to suffer in some way. It may not be some obvious sin you committed and it may not be punishment, it may simply be a nudge in another direction, something strengthening you through discipline.

When we read Genesis 37:12-28 we find a teenager named Joseph out looking for his brothers. They see him before he sees them and what happens? They pounce upon him, planning to kill him, but Reuben says, “Wait a minute, let’s not be hasty here”, so they strip him and toss him in a pit. Next thing you know they sell him as a slave to some Ismaelites and Joseph heads down a long road of suffering, doesn’t he?

Now there was a reason for Joseph’s suffering that we won’t get to for a couple weeks, but sometimes our suffering has more than one reason behind it.

Let’s back up a little and read Genesis 37:2-11. Maybe there is something there that tells so not only how his brothers could have rationalized their actions, but something else as well.

These are the generations of Jacob.

Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors] But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.

Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” And his brothers were jealous of him, but  his father kept the saying in mind.

Did you ever stop and think that Joseph might have been a little bit spoiled? Perhaps something of a brat? Someone with a haughty attitude and little full of himself at times? Certainy a bit immature. Maybe Joseph needed a bit of discipline in his life that he wasn’t getting at home. Just sayin’.

What about that kid that stole from his mother’s purse and the newsstand and did other things that got

the police’s attention? Did he get enough discipline?  He didn’t get spanked for stealing by his parents. He didn’t get magazines put in an uncomfortable place as threatened by the news dealer. He didn’t actually get put in reform school. No, he went through some periods of doubt, shame, guilt and fear, but these faded over time and by the time he was in his late twenties he was deep into occultism and Satanism, as well as Adult Bookstores.

Then one week he got very sick. He had never felt so ill before. He really thought he was going to die. He was frightened enough to pray, not to Satan, but to God. He shouldn't have gotten through because he had torn down those communication lines years before, but when he opened his eyes there was a cross on the wall. Not a physical cross, just an image of one. At that moment his fever broke and he got well rapidly. He assumed the cross was a trick of light through the window blind, but had never seen it do that before. He looked for that cross to appear again for several nights in a row after getting well. It never did. It was a guidepost that came in the midst of his suffering and he should have recognized that, but after a while he put the cross on the wall out of mind and continued his hedonistic ways. In fact, he even became an Atheist, an activist Atheist.

On the positive side, Atheists don’t believe in the Devil either, so he threw away his satanic bible, but

on the negative he turned to pure pleasure seeking. He needed a  stronger dose of discipline to get his full attention. It took another decade before he got it and it came with a high cost.

Oh, did somebody notice we didn’t say how discipline fit those Hebrews wandering about in the wilderness for another 38 years, did we?

Well, by now you should know that besides punishment of those adults that wouldn’t cross over to Canaan the first time and now never would, the other thing must be discipline. Discipline for who and for what?

So think about your life and the times discipline may have played a part in your suffering or even now is that what is occurring?

We can fail more than one time, but receiving discipline may straighten us out. There is someone of import in the Bible who failed more than once, was disciplined more than once as well, and yet we certainly look toward him today as a rock of our faith. He is in the New Testament, which may make it easier for you to guess who he is before my next post, no denying that.

There is also one to judge in the Old Testament and he is pretty famous, especially his romance, but boy did he need discipline. Unfortunately he didn’t act very prudently at times and his suffering was very harsh indeed. But beyond his fate, his deeds are a clue to the next reason we may suffer.

NEXT TIME: JESUS, MOSES AND PETER, TOO

References: Matthew 7:24-27, Genesis 37:1-28,  

More what Scripture says about our suffering:

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11

For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. Hebrews 12:10

For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. Psalm 30:5

And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.Romans 8:17-18

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4

ILLUSTRATIONS:

1.  Fallen House on Ortley Beach, NJ after Hurricane Sandy by L. E. Meredith, 2012

2. The Author at age 13, photo by Ronald Tipton, 1954

3. "Joseph Thrown Into a Pit" by David Colyn, 1644

4. The Author at age 33, self-portrait by L. E. Meredith, 1974

5. Cover of the The Santanic Bible, photo by L. E. Meredith, 1969

DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY...: Part VII of Why Not? - a Perspective on Suffering

Sin brings its own immediate suffering of guilt, fear and shame, which we call conscience. But sin also causes suffering for others. Cain sinned by killing his brother. Abel suffered a short period of pain before he suffered death. Adam and Eve suffered the consequence of losing their sons, one to death and the other to banishment, plus the agony of one child harming another. Then man grew immune to conscience and built up defenses to justify sin. Conscience didn't constrain Cain nor did it make him regretful after the deed.

Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?"

"I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?" Genesis 4:9

Punishment was needed and punishment entails suffering. Cain was driven away from his home and family to become a wanderer (what the Land of Nod means) and he suffered a life of instability.

Sometimes the punishment was swift and fatal, such as it was for Ananias and Sapphira. Punishment may be a discouragement to others not to commit like sins. It may dissuade the sinner from repeating what they did. Or it may simply put an end to the person's ability to commit a sin through death or imprisonment. Punishment may be an end in itself, but sometimes something else may be in play.
I gave you this passage from Numbers 14:20-38 last time. I will tell you that it added around 38 years of additional suffering to the lives of the Israelites.

Then the Lord said, “I have pardoned, according to your word. But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice, shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it. But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it. Now, since the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valleys, turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.”

And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, “How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me. Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the Lord, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected. But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness. According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.’ I, the Lord, have spoken. Surely this will I do to all this wicked congregation who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die.”

And the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing up a bad report about the land— the men who brought up a bad report of the land—died by plague before the Lord. Of those men who went to spy out the land, only Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive.


We hear about the Jews wandering through the wilderness for 40 years, but what is so often glossed over is they could have entered “The promised land” a lot sooner, 38 years sooner, if they hadn’t disobeyed God and brought punishment upon themselves.

Now, did you figure out what the companion to this punishment was; this other thing that also caused suffering over those 38 years?

Will this help?

When my three children were still very young, we began taking them out to restaurants. Most of the

time we took them to a place just east of West Chester called The Ground Round. It doesn’t exist anymore. It was ‘kid friendly” and it was pretty friendly to my wallet as well because they charged a penny a pound for children under 12; so if my child weighted 50 pounds, they got a meal for fifty cents. Obviously this made it a place crowded with families with young children and it tended to be noisy. This was fine with us because if one of ours did act up with all the other distractions no one would be bothered. And there were distractions because in the back was an alcove of arcade games and there were kids wandering about or yelling or standing up in the booths and generally misbehaving.

But not our three, because even though others were allowed to behave in ways you were not supposed to in a restaurant, ours were not allowed to wander around or go play those games. We were employing something so that eventually we could take our children to nice eateries and they would know how to behave. I’m sure sometimes they suffered from our restrictions.

We also made them eat their vegetables, even though sometimes they had to sit at the table for a long time staring at green beans or some other dreaded vegetable. I’m certain that caused them some suffering. (It certainly did Lois and I waiting for them to finish.)

So what is this other reason for suffering we are addressing?

Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart. Proverbs 29:17

Sometimes we suffer discipline for our own good.

“And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

"It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:5-11

Suffering from discipline can be minor or great. It may be mild, such as being forced to eat your vegetables as a child, even if you sat at the table for a long time missing your favorite TV show.

It could be much more dramatic.

The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. The captain went to him and said, "How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish." Then the sailors said to each other, "Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity." They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. So they asked him, "Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?"

He answered, "I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land." This terrified them and they asked, "What have you done?" (They knew he was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.) The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, "What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?" "Pick me up and throw me into the sea," he replied, "and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you." Jonah 1:1-12

Then it gets worse for Jonah. He is eventually tossed into the sea and swallowed by a fish (not a whale). Seems he needed a lot of discipline to get him to do what he should have done in the first place.

Discipline doesn't always entail suffering, but sometimes it does. Good parents guide their children. It may be by example. It might be by explanation. Sometimes it is by inflicting suffering. The child is denied a favorite desert for not eating the vegetables. The child is guided to eat a proper diet. There is mild suffering from a mild punishment, but maybe next time the child eats some of those beans.

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

References: Genesis 4, Acts 5:1-11 Numbers 14:20-38, Proverbs 29:17, Hebrews 12:5-11, Jonah 1:1-17, Jonah 2:1-10, Proverbs 22:6

NEXT TIME: NOR BE WEARY 


Illustrations:

1. "Moses and the Messengers from Canaan" by Giovanni Lanfranco. 1621-24

2. My three children in 1987.

3. "After Eden: A School of One Fish" by Dan Lietha, 2003 AIG

DEGREES: Part VI of Why Not? - a Perspective on Suffering

There are degrees of punishment. Some are mild, yet suffice to end bad behavior.

When I was around 13 or 14 I noticed there was something different between boys and girls. I really didn't know exactly what this was, but I knew when girls were around my body felt different and the feeling was both pleasurable and anxious. I was very curious about this and though it had something to do with the way girls’ bodies were changing. They didn’t look like just a boy with long hair anymore.

Down at the local newsstand they sold all kinds of magazines. One section of the magazine racks said no one under twenty-one could buy the items on display. These items were known as "girlie" magazines. I knew what was in them, the secrets I was curious about. I wanted to see these secrets, but was far from being 21. I really wanted to buy the things, but being barred from that opportunity, I began stuffing two or three inside my shirt. This is called stealing.

I shoplifted for quite a while and it was their fault I had to steal. I rationalized I was just trying to satisfy my natural curiosity and would gladly pay for the magazines, but they wouldn’t let me.

Actually, I wasn’t accomplishing anything except more frustration. Most of the women in these magazines were wearing bathing suits or some other brief costume (this was the early 'fifties remember and Playboy wasn't even around yet). Occasionally a model posed in the buff, but the "dirty bits" as Monty Python called them, were somehow always hidden behind a potted plant or fence post or vase or some other oddly placed object. Still I pursued the secret, stealing more, stuffing perhaps four magazines in my shirt at a time.

Then Mr. Charles, who owned the newsstand, caught me. Oh man, right there in public in front of everybody he told me where he was going to put those magazines if he ever caught me stealing again. It was not a place anyone would want a magazine put. I never stole anything after that. It was the end of my criminal career. It only took a punishment of public humiliation and a threat that certainly would not have been carried out literally, but still it was enough to stop my stealing. (I am not counting the cars my friend Richard and I "borrowed" for joyrides a couple years later That'll be our little secret for now.)

Of course, punishment doesn't always deter, (as I said, the cars we "borrowed...) and then a harsher punishment is needed to end such behavior.

Although Mr. Charles' actions stopped me from any future shoplifting, they did not end my lustful desires for those magazines. Not too many years later I found another source for that sin, but that’s a tale for another time.

We find this term throughout the Bible. “Remove this evil from among you.” ( Deuteronomy 13:5; 17:7; 17:12; 19:19; 21:21; 22:21-24; 23:9; 24:7) Often the removal involved the execution of the guilty party. Why? It is because “a little leaven leavens the whole lump” as Paul puts it in Galatians 5:9.

Other punishments are harsh, but not fatal. Adam and Eve were banished from the garden and Cain spend the rest of his life as an outcast and wanderer.

If the punishment is coming from God, then it is just and will fit the crime or the nature of the person being punished. If punishment is being doled out by our fellow man it is not always perfect. Sometimes it is very unfair and even cruel, even illegal. But we must remember sin begets sin. The blame for such injustice should not be aimed at God, because it is the result of the free will we have to reject the will of God. Unjust men reject the guidelines of God through their free will for their own gain and purpose.

Although we all recognize there is much injustice in our world, we also recognize that punishments are often deserved. When our child does something against our will, we punish them in some way, whether this is grounding them, spanking them or taking away a privilege. It is very hard to punish our children, but we would be wrong if we neglected to do it when they stray. It is truly for their own good. In the same way, God would be neglectful if he didn't punish us for our sins. And punishment must involve suffering. We would simply ignore punishment that caused us no pain. In fact, we all measure our committing a "crime" against the possible punishment. If we feel we can bear the suffering more than we can bear not doing what we wish, we will do what we wish.

Most sins cause suffering for others. We have plenty of people committing sins that we suffer for, but how much worse would be the suffering we would be subjected to if there were no punishment inflicting suffering on those who commit such sins? How many sins might we commit ourselves if not for the swords of punishment dangling over our heads? When I hear people say, “Well, they’ll do it anyway”, I cringe. Yes, some will do it anyway, but many will not because the consequences outweigh the desire.

We all need punishment now and again. It always comes as suffering, but if we take heed to its purpose it will work for our betterment.

However, like Ananias and Sapphira, sometimes punishment is harsher and very final. To our human mind some suffering can't be fully understood. It appears extreme and unfair to us, but we don't have the full picture that God sees. Someday we may learn the why of such punishment. In the meantime, we can only accept that punishment is a necessity resulting from our free will to choose sin over God. We must also recognize that all suffering isn't punishment.

There is another reason for suffering somewhat akin to punishment. In some Bible passages we can see it and punishment working side by side. Here is what you should read, Numbers 14:20-38, and decide what was punishment and what was this other thing.

Then the Lord said, “I have pardoned, according to your word. But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice, shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it. But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it. Now, since the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valleys, turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.”

And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, “How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me. Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the Lord, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected. But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness. According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.’ I, the Lord, have spoken. Surely this will I do to all this wicked congregation who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die.”

And the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing up a bad report about the land— the men who brought up a bad report of the land—died by plague before the Lord. Of those men who went to spy out the land, only Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive.

There is punishment in these verses, but something else. What?

References: Deuteronomy 13:5; 17:7; 17:12; 19:19; 21:21; 22:21-24; 23:9; 24:7, Numbers 14:20-38

NEXT TIME: DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY

More what Scripture says about our suffering:

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 1 Peter 4:12

It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. Psalm 119:71

As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. James 5:10-11

In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him. Ecclesiastes 7:14

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

YES, THAT IS THE PRICE: Part V of Why Not? - a Perspective on Suffering

Did you ever try to squeeze the juice back into the orange? It is no easier doing that than finding a rhyme for the word orange. It is impossible. Once Adam and Eve let sin into this world, there was no getting it out through human effort. Humans just added to and compounded sin. There was suffering associated with sin itself, guilt, shame and fear.

And last time, when we wrote about how sin rippled out to cause suffering beyond just the

sinner, we didn’t even mention the animals. They suffered from Adam and Eve’s sin as well. When God sacrificed that first animal to provide covering for Adam and Eve how do you think they felt? 


But if man felt suffering from just doing the deed, man also has a great capacity for rationalizing his guilt and shame. Thus even “moral reasoning” started with Adam and Eve. Adam tried to put it all on Eve and she tried to put it all on the serpent.

“Moral reasoning is a thinking process with the objective of determining whether an idea is right or wrong. To know whether something is "right" or "wrong" one must first know what that something is intended to accomplish.” When we have an infinite reference point, God and Scripture, we have an absolute standard that makes knowing right from wrong easier. 

Most of the world today rejects God as the authority and so moral reasoning is not based on a standard of right and wrong, but on the subjective and the people’s desires and we end up with “situation ethics” – It is okay to have sex without marriage when all parties agree and the object is mutual pleasure. It does not matter if there are two, three, four or more parties involved; whether men and women or all the same gender, but it is okay because the desire is mutual pleasure. When you have no infinite reference point, then nothing is immoral.

But when the pregnancies result or the venereal diseases or the broken homes or the arrests because someone feels slighted and yells rape, then the suffering begins and whom do we blame then?

Do we blame God?

If people had accepted the infinite reference point they would have avoided such suffering.

Did you think about any suffering in your own life that was the result of sin? If it was your own sin, did you try and justify it in some way? Did you blame God or someone else for any consequences you suffered because of what you did?

Anyone come up with any Bible character that suffered consequences because of their sin?

How about Moses?

Numbers 20:2-12 Now there was no water for the congregation. And they assembled

themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. And the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord! Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle? And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.” Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them, and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.” And Moses took the staff from before the Lord, as he commanded him.

Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”

How about David?

2 Samuel 11:1-15 In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.

It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”

So David sent word to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing and how the people were doing and how the war was going. Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king's house, and there followed him a present from the king. But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. When they told David, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.” Then David said to Uriah, “Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. And David invited him, and he ate in his presence and drank, so that he made him drunk. And in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.

In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.”

Uriah, by the way, was one of David’s staunches allies, one of his Mighty Men. (1 Chronicles 11:41)

David certainly knew right from wrong, but still choose wrong. Conscience wasn't going to do the trick after a while. Jump ahead a few centuries and look at a married couple named Ananias and Sapphira. These were two early disciples of The Way. In those early days after the crucifixion, Christians depended on each other for survival. They often lived in communes and they did a lot of sharing of what they had. Members often sold property they owned and gave the cash to the community for support. It wasn't a forced thing, but a voluntary sacrifice for the common good. Ananias had some means and owned property. He sold some lots for the stated purpose of giving the proceeds to the church, but his wife and he decided to keep some of this money for themselves and only give a portion to the church.

When Ananias handed over the donation, Peter confronted him about it being only a portion of the proceeds, and Ananias immediately dropped dead. Three hours later Sapphira, his wife shows up and Peter asks, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?"

"Yes," she said, "that is the price."

Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also."

Then she dropped dead. (Acts 5:1-11)

Considering these, as well as what happened to Adam and Eve and to Cain, can you figure out another reason we sometimes suffer?

Punishment.

Was this punishment because Ananias and Sapphira didn't give money to the church? No, it was their land and they could have sold it for the full value and that would have been fine. They could have sold it and given a portion to the church and kept the rest as well, except they had vowed to God to give all the proceeds to the church and when they held back a portion they were in essence stealing from God. They probably rationalized no one would ever know and everyone would think they gave the full amount. In other words, they expected to be credited by the others for their generosity. It is obvious they didn't suffer purely from their sin; they showed no shame, no guilt. Apparently no fear either. Ananias boldly went to Peter and handed over the funds and Sapphira came later with no apparent qualms and lied.

Yes, the punishment was pretty final. Sometimes punishments are abrupt and extreme, but these serve as warnings to others who might consider repeating such offences. It is also a reason why some Christians suffer, because they become not an honor to God, but a determent.

The warning given in 1 Corinthians 11:27-32 should be considered in all our behavior as Christians, not just Communion.

Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

References: Genesis 3:21, Numbers 20:2-12, 2 Samuel 11:1-15, 1 Chronicles 11:41, Acts 5:1-11, 1 Corinthians 11:27-32

NEXT TIME: DEGREES

ILLUSTRATIONS:

"The Death of Ananias" by Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino), 1519

"The Rebuke of Adam and Eve" by Domenichino Zamvieri, 1626

“Moses Beholding the Promised Land” by Walter Rane, 1949

Once again, my disclaimer:


Keep in mine, this is my study, thus my interpretation and opinion of what Scripture says. You should study and confirm it for yourselves and not just take my word for anything. This is how you should approach the teachings of any man or woman, pray for guidance and enlightenment, read their references, study the text, confirm they are being true to The Word, ask questions and pray again.