As a punishment for their sinfulness, God sent poisonous seraph serpents to bite the people, and many of them died. The people realized they were sinning and begged Moses to help them. “We have sinned in complaining against the Lord and you,” they said. “Pray the Lord to take the serpents from us.”
God’s Punishment in the Old Testament is a highly readable and relevant study of the ways God punished people for their sins. As we learn that God’s punishments were always related to sin, we can better understand how He will punish us if we continue to sin. Reading this book has been a real blessing to me, and I hope reading it will be a blessing to you.The Old Testament book of Genesis is a great place to start a study on the judgments of God because it provides a summary of God’s punishments against different groups of people. In this lesson, we will look at the consequences brought by these judgments on both individuals and entire cultures.
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List of God’s Punishment In The Old Testament
List of God’s Punishments in the Old Testament
1. Flood
– God sent a great flood to wipe out the wickedness of mankind, sparing only Noah and his family.
2. Sodom and Gomorrah
– These cities were destroyed by fire and brimstone for their sinful ways, with only Lot and his daughters being saved.
3. Plagues of Egypt
– God inflicted ten plagues on Egypt to show his power and force Pharaoh to release the Israelites from slavery.
4. Korah’s Rebellion
– Korah and his followers were swallowed up by the earth for challenging Moses’ leadership.
5. Golden Calf Idolatry
– The Israelites who worshiped the golden calf were struck down by a plague as punishment.
6. Achan’s Sin
– Achan stole from the spoils of war, leading to his death and the destruction of his family.
7. Samson’s Captivity
– Samson, the powerful judge, was captured by the Philistines and blinded for his sins.
8. Babylonian Exile
– God allowed the Babylonians to conquer Judah and exile the Israelites for their disobedience.
9. Destruction of Jerusalem
– The city of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians as punishment for turning away from God.
10. Israel’s Divided Kingdom
– The kingdom of Israel was divided into two nations, Israel and Judah, as a result of the people’s sins.
| PunishmentEventFloodGod sent a flood to wipe out mankindSodom and GomorrahCities destroyed for sinfulnessPlagues of EgyptTen plagues inflicted on EgyptKorah’s RebellionKorah swallowed up by the earthGolden Calf IdolatryWorshipers struck down by a plagueAchan’s SinAchan’s death and family’s destructionSamson’s CaptivitySamson captured and blinded by PhilistinesBabylonian ExileIsraelites conquered and exiled by BabyloniansDestruction of JerusalemJerusalem destroyed by BabyloniansIsrael’s Divided KingdomIsrael divided into two nations |
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God’s Punishment In The Old Testament
God’s punishment is clearly described in many passages in the Old Testament; it was intended to give instruction and to warn others, not only for that generation, but also for future generations. God’s punishment is not only reserved for those who had committed sins, but also applied to others who were connected with the sins of others.
GOD’S VIOLENCE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT: THE PROBLEM
Among the questions I’m most often asked about the Bible is this one: “Why does God seem so loving in the New Testament but angry, harsh, and vengeful in the Old Testament?” These violent passages not only trouble thoughtful Christians but they give fodder to the new atheists who assert, sometimes rightly, that religion is the source of much of the violence in the world.
Let’s consider three categories of Old Testament texts that are morally problematic:
- the “crimes” for which God prescribes the death penalty,
- God’s anger and wrath in punishing his people, and
- God’s command to the Israelites to commit genocide.
The death penalty. There are numerous “crimes” for which God, through the Law of Moses, requires the death penalty. Among these are sacrificing to a god other than Yahweh (Exodus 22:20), persistent rebelliousness on the part of a child (Deuteronomy 21:18–21), a child who hits or curses his or her parents (Exodus 21:15 and 17), working on the Sabbath (Exodus 35:2), premarital sexual intercourse (Deuteronomy 22:13–21), and the requirement for a priest to burn his daughter alive if she became a prostitute (Leviticus 21:9).
God’s anger and wrath. In the Old Testament, God’s anger repeatedly burns against his people for their disobedience. At times, the punishment he dispenses seems particularly harsh, unjust, and disproportionate. Let’s consider just one example.
In 2 Samuel 24, we find that King David decided to take a census of the men of fighting age. The prophet Gad was sent to David to announce God’s displeasure with the taking of the census. The punishment for David’s sin: “The Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from that morning until the appointed time; and seventy thousand of the people died” (2 Samuel 24:15). David makes a decision that does not please God, and God kills 70,000 Israelites for it? How could this action ever be reconciled with a God of mercy, compassion, justice, and love?
Genocide in the name of God. I’ll mention one last category of scriptures related to the violence of God: those that describe the conquest of Canaan. At the time the Israelites entered the land to conquer it, Canaan was populated with small city-states or kingdoms made up of various ethnic groups speaking similar languages. God promised Israel that he would give them this land, but to do so these people had to be displaced.
This is problematic enough, but God wasn’t asking the Israelites to forcibly relocate them to other lands. God instructed the Israelites to kill every man, woman, and child among these Canaanites. In Deuteronomy 20:16–18, Moses gives these instructions: “As for the towns of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not let anything that breathes remain alive. You shall annihilate them—the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites—just as the Lord your God has commanded.”
The Hebrew word for “annihilate” has as its root herem (also transliterated as cherem or sometimes charam). The classic Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon notes the meaning of the word in English is “to exterminate.” It also has the sense of devoting something to God by completely destroying it. This is sometimes translated as “ban”—a word that in this context means “given to God by complete destruction.”
In Joshua 6:20b–21, you can read about what this looked like as the Israelite army entered the town of Jericho: the Israelites “charged straight ahead into the city and captured it. Then they devoted to destruction by the edge of the sword all in the city, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys.” After the destruction of Jericho, next would come the people of Ai, then the people of Makkedah and Libnah and Lachish and Eglon and Debir—every man, woman, and child slaughtered and dedicated to God. In the end, the entire population of thirty-one city-states was utterly destroyed.
I suspect that most people who read the Bible either don’t think about this, gloss over these sections, or skip them altogether. I was fourteen years old when I first read the Book of Joshua. The stories didn’t trouble me at that time. They were epic battles with great story lines and heroic figures. Who doesn’t enjoy reading about how the walls of Jericho “came tumbling down”? Behind each story was the idea that God was fighting on behalf of his people. I suspect that’s how most people read these stories today.
But when I grew up, I reread these stories and began to think about the humanity of the Canaanites. These were human beings who lived, loved, and had families. Among them were babies and toddlers, mothers and fathers. Yet they were all put to the sword by “the Lord’s army.” Thirty-one cities slaughtered with no terms of surrender offered and no chance to relocate to another land. I came to see the moral and theological dilemmas posed by these stories.
How do we resolve the moral and theological dilemmas presented by these and other texts like them? I’ll follow this post with two others, presenting excerpts from the chapter in Making Sense of the Bible, “God’s Violence in the Old Testament,” that attempt to explain these difficult passages in the Bible. The chapter on violence is one of 32 essays addressing similar kinds of questions in the Bible.
Who is God?
Who is God? What is God? How can we know God?
Who is God? – The Fact
The fact of God’s existence is so conspicuous, both through creation and through man’s conscience, that the Bible calls the atheist a “fool” (Psalm 14:1). Accordingly, the Bible never attempts to prove the existence of God; rather, it assumes His existence from the very beginning (Genesis 1:1). What the Bible does is reveal the nature, character, and work of God.
Who is God? – The Definition
Thinking correctly about God is of utmost importance because a false idea about God is idolatry. In Psalm 50:21, God reproves the wicked man with this accusation: “You thought I was altogether like you.” To start with, a good summary definition of God is “the Supreme Being; the Creator and Ruler of all that is; the Self-existent One who is perfect in power, goodness, and wisdom.”
Who is God? – His Nature
We know certain things to be true of God for one reason: in His mercy He has condescended to reveal some of His qualities to us. God is spirit, by nature intangible (John 4:24). God is One, but He exists as three Persons—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16-17). God is infinite (1 Timothy 1:17), incomparable (2 Samuel 7:22), and unchanging (Malachi 3:6). God exists everywhere (Psalm 139:7-12), knows everything (Psalm 147:5; Isaiah 40:28), and has all power and authority (Ephesians 1; Revelation 19:6).
Who is God? – His Character
Here are some of God’s characteristics as revealed in the Bible: God is just (Acts 17:31), loving (Ephesians 2:4-5), truthful (John 14:6), and holy (1 John 1:5). God shows compassion (2 Corinthians 1:3), mercy (Romans 9:15), and grace (Romans 5:17). God judges sin (Psalm 5:5) but also offers forgiveness (Psalm 130:4).
Who is God? – His Work
We cannot understand God apart from His works, because what God does flows from who He is. Here is an abbreviated list of God’s works, past, present, and future: God created the world (Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 42:5); He actively sustains the world (Colossians 1:17); He is executing His eternal plan (Ephesians 1:11) which involves the redemption of man from the curse of sin and death (Galatians 3:13-14); He draws people to Christ (John 6:44); He disciplines His children (Hebrews 12:6); and He will judge the world (Revelation 20:11-15).
Who is God? – A Relationship with Him
In the Person of the Son, God became incarnate (John 1:14). The Son of God became the Son of Man and is therefore the “bridge” between God and man (John 14:6; 1 Timothy 2:5). It is only through the Son that we can have forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 1:7), reconciliation with God (John 15:15; Romans 5:10), and eternal salvation (2 Timothy 2:10). In Jesus Christ “all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9). So, to really know who God is, all we have to do is look at Jesus.
Bible Verses About God
Bible Verses about God – Top Scripture Quotes
The Bible is the Word of God and is a primary source of insight about the essence and authority of God. There are many things we can learn about God from Bible verses.
Who is God? What does He look like? Does he really care? It is normal to have questions about God and his characteristics. We have collected several Bible verses that will help answer these questions for you! Whether you have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ or you are just beginning to explore Christianity, the Scriptures are the only true source of wisdom when it comes to God. Be encouraged as you discover who God is to you personally!
1 Corinthians 10:13
13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
1 John 1:5
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
2 Peter 3:9
9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Genesis 1:1
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Hebrews 4:12
12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Isaiah 40:23
23 He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.
James 1:17
17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 4:24
24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
Matthew 6:26
26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Numbers 23:19
19 God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
Psalms 18:30
30 As for God, his way is perfect: The LORD’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.
Psalms 50:6
6 And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for he is a God of justice.
Psalms 116:5
5 The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.
Revelation 21:3
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Psalms 68:19-20
19 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.
20 Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.
Psalms 84:11-12
11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.
12 LORD Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.
2 Chronicles 30:8-9
8 Do not be stiff-necked, as your ancestors were; submit to the LORD. Come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever. Serve the LORD your God, so that his fierce anger will turn away from you.
9 If you return to the LORD, then your fellow Israelites and your children will be shown compassion by their captors and will return to this land, for the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.”
Joshua 1:8-9
8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Micah 7:18-19
18 Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.
19 You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
2 Samuel 22:32-34
32 For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?
33 It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.
34 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights.
1 John 4:7-9
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
Psalms 33:11-13
11 But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.
13 From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind;
Exodus 34:5-7
5 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD.
6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,
7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”
Deuteronomy 20:1-4
1 When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you.
2 When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army.
3 He shall say: “Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them.
4 For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”
Job 12:7-10
7 “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;
8 or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you.
9 Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this?
10 In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.
Deuteronomy 4:24-31
24 For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
25 After you have had children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time—if you then become corrupt and make any kind of idol, doing evil in the eyes of the LORD your God and arousing his anger,
26 I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live there long but will certainly be destroyed.
27 The LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the LORD will drive you.
28 There you will worship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.
29 But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.
30 When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and obey him.
31 For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath.
Deuteronomy 10:12-22
12 And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
13 and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?
14 To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it.
15 Yet the LORD set his affection on your ancestors and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations—as it is today.
16 Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer.
17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.
18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.
19 And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.
20 Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name.
21 He is the one you praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.
22 Your ancestors who went down into Egypt were seventy in all, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.
2 Samuel 22:27-37
27 to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
28 You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.
29 You, LORD, are my lamp; the LORD turns my darkness into light.
30 With your help I can advance against a troop ; with my God I can scale a wall.
31 “As for God, his way is perfect: The LORD’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.
32 For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?
33 It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.
34 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights.
35 He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 You make your saving help my shield; your help has made me great.
37 You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way.