God is in the Destruction Business

Isaiah 10:22-23: "Though your people, O Israel, be like the sand by the sea, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed, overwhelming and righteous. The Lord, the LORD Almighty, will carry out the destruction decreed upon the whole land."


There is tremendous debate today as to the involvement of God in catastrophic events in our world. Whether packaged as natural disasters like Californian earthquakes or Caribbean hurricanes, man made catastrophes like 9/11, or pandemic illnesses like AIDS, people have passionately argued the reasons for such horrific events. Of course, there have been televangelists in the public eye who have quickly pronounced these events as God's judgment upon the world (and particularly the United States) for flagrantly promoting sinful, profligate lifestyles. And these responses have resulted in a widespread backlash from many as heartless, rancorous words against an already hurting people. Emotions have been heightened against those who would ascribe tragedy as an act of God against the sinful ways of a nation/world.

Whereas we must be extremely sensitive to the needs of a hurting people who have experienced tragedy (and that includes being tactful in sharing our opinions as to the cause of disasters), we must understand that there is Biblical precedent for God interjecting widespread disaster upon a nation for its abject rebellion against His Lordship. One only has to read the first few chapters of the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah to see how debased the people of Israel had become and how God in response enacted his fierce wrath upon these sinful people . Jeremiah 6:13-15 tells us that from the "least to the greatest all were (1) greedy for (personal) gain, (2) practicing deceit, (3) (perpetrating) loathsome conduct, and (4) (having) no shame at all." Israel had become so brazen in her wickedness, that she flaunted her licentiousness ways "on every high hill and under every spreading tree" (Jeremiah 3:6). God told His covenant people that their "own conduct and actions were bringing this (judgment . . . the invasion of the Babylonians) upon (them)" (Jer. 4:18). In their backsliden condition, the Israelites were unresponsive to the prophets of truth that God had sent to them in years past. Now the One True Righteous God was going to bring calamity upon His people for their abject rebellion.

In Isaiah 10:17-19, Isaiah tells these wayward people that God, "a Fire and a Flame" would "burn and consume . . . . the splendor of his forests and fertile fields [i.e. his people]" so that only a small remnant would remain. Some theologians have conjectured that the 18-month siege by the Babylonians [588-586 BC] upon the Judean region was so severe, that the population was reduced by as much as 90%. Many of the inhabitants of Jerusalem died as a result of the invasion, and others were carted nearly 1000 miles away into captivity. Destruction was so pronounced upon the city of Jerusalem that even 140 years later, Nehemiah would mourn that the city walls still had not been rebuilt (Nehemiah 1:4).

After Israel was decimated from the invading armies, God sent prophets to encourage His remnant that His Glory and Divine blessing would again be revealed among His people (see Haggai 2:6), after the people agreed that destruction was brought upon their wickedness by the Lord and responded to His wrath with repentance and submission. God Himself decreed that His words of promised judgment were the key ingredients that brought the utter destruction upon His people (Zechariah 1:6). He used the pagan nations as the instruments to bring disaster upon the Israelites (see Isaiah 10:5-8); still, God was not finished with the Jewish people, but would restore His fellowship with them in years to come.

It is amazing to see how much of the Holy Scriptures (i.e. the Bible) is committed to showing us that God does not tolerate our sin and will introduce disaster as a way to get us to repent of our sins. Time and again, we see the Israelites turning away from the Lord only to see God responding with His wrath and the Israelites then responding with contrition and submission (the book of Judges is a collection filled with this reoccurring cycle). We today need to understand that God is a God of constancy in His Holiness and Righteous. If He did not spare His chosen people (i.e. the Israelites) in ages past for their sins, why should we believe that He would respond any differently to us today?

The only solution to avoiding God's wrath is to forsake our rebellious ways against the Lord and to capitulate to Him as Lord. We must repent of our sins that are in clear defiance against His Sovereignty, and we must receive His grace that is offered exclusively through His own death and resurrection.

Whereas we are not able to arrogantly ascribe all calamity as evidence of God's judgment upon us; we cannot rule out the fact that God does use natural and man made disasters as punitive instruments against wickedness. May we ever avoid His Righteous Wrath by our submission to Him as the One True Lord.