Vengeance Is Mine
I have a hard time accepting the view that God is vengeful.
From Mount Hor the Israelites set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. The people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food." Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, "Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live." So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live. - Numbers 21:4–9
There are advantages and disadvantages in believing that God manipulates the world to teach us lessons.
The advantages are that we don't feel we need to take action against folks who do things we don't like or we believe are evil. God will handle it, we say.
The serpents were sent by God because the people disobeyed. Good. Not my problem, right?
But the disadvantage is that we start to believe that everything bad that happens has a reason behind it, and that could be difficult to accept.
We need to lay blame somewhere. It is a form of closure for us.
The tornadoes had to happen for a reason, right? But people died. Were those people guilty of something?
No.
We the universe does not right itself that way. If it did, no one would be able to commit a heinous act. They would be struck dead before entering the school and pulling the trigger.
If God was going to dole out punishment immediately after an act, why wouldn't He stop the act from happening instead?
God doesn't pull our strings. It is all on us. And on nature.
Yes, nature is chaotic at times, and we get in the way.
So, maybe we can do something to lessen the blows. Maybe technology will evolve to control the weather, or prevent murders, or shut down car engines when we drink too much.
If we accept that these things happen, maybe we can find ways to intercede before they do harm.
More to come...