TRIAL OR PUNISHMENT?

When a misfortune strikes people, like illness, losing a job, family difficulties or financial problems, there is often a natural tendency to believe that these events are trials sent by Elohim, if He exists.

Is it so? Is it worthwhile to examine all the facts to be able to affirm that the misfortune that strikes is a trial? Is there no other possible cause for misfortunes? If the believer does not examine the situation wisely and prudently, he may step forward lightly and believe in lies.

Let me, with the help of our Lord, warn you against the confusion that is often made between

TRIAL AND PUNISHMENT.

To help you understand, I invite you to consider two examples taken from King David's life.

First of all, I invite you to read I Samuel 24: 1-23. Here David is pursued by King Saul who is angry at his life and apparently for no reason. Saul is even put in a propitious situation for David and his gang to kill him and David is in a situation of self-defense that would justify his act according to the criteria of human justice. In fact all these events describe the perfect example of a trial to which Elohim submits David. David successfully passes this test.

Turning now to the second example, I invite you to read the following story from the Bible: II Samuel 15: 13-16 and verse 23 as well as II Samuel 16: 5-7 and 21-23.

Is this also a trial that King David faces? The Bible will show us that it is not! We must not confuse trial with punishment. Too often, the carnal nature of man makes him believe that the various difficulties of his life are so many trials put on his way to test him while in fact, they are punishments sent by Elohim to punish a fault committed !

Elohim, in His word, makes the difference between trial and punishment. The believer must make every effort to understand this essential difference, otherwise he may disregard the punishment of Elohim and therefore he will not understand that he must correct himself and change himself according to the will of his Creator.

So let's go back to the two stories during David's life. Between these two milestones, a dramatically serious element has taken place! This is the adultery committed by David with Bath Sheba, adultery having a much more serious consequence, the murder of Uriah the Hittite, the husband of Bath Sheba.

Before this adultery and this crime, David has often been tested by Elohim. It is enough to read the part of his life described between I Samuel 16 and II Samuel 11 to understand that. These trials began with Saul's increasing jealousy as David's successes and popularity increased.

Saul falsely offers his eldest daughter in marriage in exchange for a large number of prepuces taken from the Philistines, hoping for his death in this fight.

Saul tries to kill him during another ordeal to get the hand of his second daughter Mical.

Saul is still trying to kill him with a spear, and from that moment David is constantly running away from him to save his life. And it is only after Saul's death that David is finally released from these trials.

But here is another behavior of King David that is not at all according to his previous ones! This is what you will now read carefully in II Samuel 12: 1 to 12. What you have read is the message sent by Elohim via his messenger to David after his adultery and his crime. Elohim forgives his sin, David will live, but he will be in misery from now on. These misfortunes are no longer trials like before, it will be punishments!

ELOHIM'S IMPOSED PUNISHMENTS AS A PUNISHMENT

FOR CRIMES COMMITTED!

And indeed, David's life will be hard marked notably by the following dramatic events:

· The son that he will have from Bath Sheba will die.

· Ammon, his son, rapes his sister.

· Absalom, another son, will kill Ammon to avenge his sister and he will go to war against his father to dethrone him. On this occasion, David will have to find refuge outside his kingdom staying with the Ammonites in Jordan today.

· And that's not all, David when he regains power, must face a rebellion of Israel

· Then he must fight the Philistines and finally,

· shortly before his death, he must foil a plot of his son Adonija.

This is a long list of punishments imposed by Elohim on David to punish his grave crime against Uriah the Hittite. These punishments have nothing to do with trials and we will analyze the essential differences between an trial and a punishment.

By the way, if Elohim punishes David like this, it is to render justice to Uriah the Hethian general. Let us remember that Elohim is ruling everyone in the same way.

Origin of a trial.

A first big difference between trial and punishment is that they have quite different causes.

At the origin of the trial of a believer, there is Elohim and only Elohim (Jeremiah 20:12):

" But, O Yehoah of hosts, You who test the righteous, and see the mind and heart,”

And also here (Psalm 66: 8-12):

" ⁸ Oh, bless our Elohim, you peoples! And make the voice of His praise to be heard, ⁹ Who keeps our soul among the living, and does not allow our feet to be moved. ¹⁰ For You, O Elohim, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined. ¹¹ You brought us into the net; You laid affliction on our backs.

¹² You have caused men to ride over our heads; We went through fire and through water; But You brought us out to [rich fulfillment."

The trial that Elohim makes impose to selected people pass is a kind of examination; but since our Creator is doing nothing useless, why is Elohim testing people?

Let His Word give us the answer in Deuteronomy 8: 2-3, where Yehoah speaks to the children of Israel born in the wilderness and who did not know Egypt:

" ² And you shall remember that Yehoah your Elohim led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. ³ So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of Yehoah.”

The first reason for the test is to see if we are ready to sacrifice our selfishness and put Elohim in the first place by obeying Him as He reminds us in Exodus 16: 4

“Then Yehoah said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather [a]a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. "

The second reason for trials is to demonstrate to us the important value of Elohim's word (the Bible) in our life in addition to physical things like food.

Job, like David in his youth, had an exemplary life that Elohim pointed out to Satan.

Note that Satan did not think of Job at all until Elohim pointed out his existence! That's when Satan gets permission from Elohim to harm Job; Elohim thus authorizes the Devil’s testing.

The false prophets that stil exist today are another example of testing ."(Deuteronomy 13: 1-4):

“¹ If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, ² and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’ ³ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for Yehoah your Elohim is testing you to know whether you love Yehoahyour Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul. ⁴ You shall walk after Yehoah your Elohim and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.”

Elohim tests his people by allowing a false prophet to act freely but note that Elohim does not inspire this prophet because Elohim is not a tempter by Himself as James 1:13 to 15 says. :

" ¹³ Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by Elohim”; for Elohim cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. ¹⁴ But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death."

In fact, what happens in this case is that a man, the false prophet, deliberately turns to sin and uses a power of satanic origin. From that moment, this man is condemned by Elohim for his sin and he deserves death; but Elohim entrusts the execution of the sentence to his people (Deuteronomy 13: 5):

" But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from Yehoah your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which Yehoah your Elohim commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst."

Cause of punishment.

The cause of a punishment is completely different. Here, it is not Elohim who is at the origin of a punishment but it is the man himself. It's already a big difference!

David was punished during the end of his life because he killed Uriah after raping his wife.

David is the only one responsible for these punishments.

Let's take the example of King Asa shown in II Chronicles 16: 1-9. Asa here too is responsible for the punishments he will get because he has not put his trust in Yehoah.

" When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity, You make his beauty melt away like a moth; Surely every man is vapor. (Psalm 39:11)

By the way, be also careful not to get caught up in some Christian sects where members impose physical punishment as a sign of penance. It is a shame in the face of Elohim by deciding alone about a punishment without consulting his Lord.

On the other hand, if we take into account the punishments that Elohim inflicts on us because of our sins, we will walk to perfection and therefore we will be hopefully less and less punished!

It is a privilege to receive the chastisement of Elohim and we must hope throughout our life to be corrected by our Creator since it is a way to get back on the right path without going astray (Hebrews 12: 5-8):

" ⁵ And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of Yehoah, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; ⁶ For whom Yehoah loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.”

⁷ If you endure chastening, Elohim deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? ⁸ But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons."

Elohim is always vigilant with the children He loves and He does not change as we can read in the Old Covenant what we read in Paul's Epistle (Psalms 89: 31-34):

" ³¹ If they break My statutes and do not keep My commandments, ³² then I will punish their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.

³³ Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him, nor allow My faithfulness to fail. ³⁴ My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.”

All this shows us that a punishment must make us think about its cause. Elohim wants us not to pass a punishment passively; on the contrary, He expects us to make every effort to, on the one hand, seek his cause and, on the other hand, remedy it.

To do so is to find the path to happiness (Psalm 94:12):

" Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O Yehoah, and teach out of Your law,,"

Punishment may also be the consequence of an unsuccessful trial, as was the case of Elohim's man whose story is told in I Kings 13: 8-24.

Elohim's man was fatally punished because he did not successfully complete the test imposed by Elohim.

Unexpectedness of the test!

Another great difference between trial and punishment is the prior knowledge of it. A test comes as a surprise as to its nature and when it occurs. It comes like a surprise to the one who is subjected to it and it is like a passing exam:

we do not know the question but we have at our disposal the useful material to pass the test!

Elohim makes us know what he expects from us in all areas of life in His Bible, but He does not tell us how He will test us.

For instance who would have thought that Elohim was going to test Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his only son he had when he was 100 years old! Read this in Genesis 22: 1-12.

By the way note that his son Isaac was also put on trial by his obedience to Abraham, his father; he did not imagine himself to be the sacrifice.

Joseph was also surprised by his ordeal. He is his father's favorite son and moreover Elohim warns him by two dreams about his future dominant position in his family. But instead, he is almost murdered by his brothers, then sold as a slave and he is finally thrown into a jail during several years because a false denunciation caused by his perseverance to obey Elohim.

To refresh your memory about these events, please read chapters 37, 39, and 40 of the book of Genesis.

Moses and the people of Israel did not suspect either the ordeal to which Elohim was going to submit them after having liberated them from the Egyptians with the miraculous manner that we know!

If we read Exodus 12: 31-36, we see that, following the death of all the firstborn in Egypt, Pharaoh and his people literally chase the Hebrews out of the land. According to this, it is hard to believe that the Egyptians will decide to run after the Hebrews to bring them back to slavery. And yet, a few days later, Exodus 14: 1-4 reveals to us the complete change in the attitude of the Egyptians who are going after the Hebrews. According to verse 4:

" Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am Yehoah.”

We realize that Moses is warned that something will happen but he doesn’t know what!

At the time of the approach of the Egyptians, the people in front of the sea began to rebel while Moses kept the faith before this ordeal (Exodus 14: 13-14):

" ¹³ And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of Yehoah, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. ¹⁴ Yehoah will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”

At this moment, Moses does not know yet that the sea will be split! But he has faith in telling the people that his Almighty Elohim will deliver them.

Read the following verses of this chapter to learn the deliverance of Yehoah.

Punishment is predictable and conditional.

Punishment strikes the Christian and any believer after he has been warned! Punishment necessarily follows disobedience to Elohim. David was warned of his punishment after he had committed adultery with the wife of Uriah the Hittite; Elohim forgives him his sin, he will not die but Elohim warns him of what will become his life from now on.

Let us also read the punishment that Elohim inflicts on Jeroboam by warning him after his unfortunately successful attempt to turn the people to worship idols (I Kings 14: 1 to 13):

" ¹At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam became sick. ² And Jeroboam said to his wife, “Please arise, and disguise yourself, that they may not recognize you as the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Indeed, Ahijah the prophet is there, who told me that I would be king over this people. ³ Also take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him; he will tell you what will become of the child.” ⁴ And Jeroboam’s wife did so; she arose and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. But Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were glazed by reason of his age.

⁵ Now Yehoah had said to Ahijah, “Here is the wife of Jeroboam, coming to ask you something about her son, for he is sick. Thus and thus you shall say to her; for it will be, when she comes in, that she will pretend to be another woman.”

⁶ And so it was, when Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps as she came through the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another person? For I have been sent to you with bad news. ⁷ Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘Thus says Yehoah Elohim of Israel: “Because I exalted you from among the people, and made you ruler over My people Israel, ⁸ and tore the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it to you; and yet you have not been as My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only what was right in My eyes; ⁹ but you have done more evil than all who were before you, for you have gone and made for yourself other gods and molded images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back— ¹⁰ therefore behold! I will bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male in Israel, bond and free; I will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as one takes away refuse until it is all gone. ¹¹ The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Jeroboam and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field; for Yehoah has spoken!” ’ ¹² Arise therefore, go to your own house. When your feet enter the city, the child shall die. ¹³ And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he is the only one of Jeroboam who shall come to the grave, because in him there is found something good toward Yehoah Elohim of Israel in the house of Jeroboam."

Now, I invite you, readers, to turn your face to the mirror and look at yourself as you are!

 Indeed Elohim warns us about the punishments we are expected to face if we do not take into account the good advice that the Bible is giving us.

The Bible is all the time at our disposal to encourage us to do good.

But what is our attitude about these warnings? A proverb says:

" Forewarned is forearmed."

Is this the case for us or on the contrary are we already half asleep?

Whoever we are, Jesus invites us to recognize ourselevs in the parable of the sower that we can read in Matthew 13: 1-17. I invite you to meditate this vital parable. It has a huge value for everybody and let us take into account the warning of Jesus in verse 9:

" He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”"

Let us especially note the explanation of this parable and try with perseverance to grasp its meaning so that we do not fall into any of the bad categories of people (Matthew 13: 18-23):

" ¹⁸ Therefore hear the parable of the sower: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. ²⁰ But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; ²¹ yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. ²² Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. ²³ But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

A good example of people who do not deny the name of their Savior is the Church of Philadelphia (Revelation 3: 7-13):

" ⁷ “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: ⁸ “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. ⁹ Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. ¹⁰ Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. ¹¹ Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. ¹² He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My Elohim, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My Elohim and the name of the city of My Elohim, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My Elohim. And I will write on him My new name.

¹³ “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

A positive behavior while facing a trial or a punishment.

Trial or punishment should not leave us inactive or passive.

First, let's try to find a definition for the test or trial to better understand its meaning:

The test is the situation one experiences

when one feels abandoned by Elohim!

The trial creates in us the impression that Elohim has abandoned us and no longer answers our prayers; therefore, the test may create in us the temptation to reject Elohim, as if he no longer exists.

To fully understand this situation, go and read the examples of Joseph who could have the feeling to have abandoned by Elohim when he is sold to the Egyptians.

Hezekiah too was exposed to a trial but he failed (II Chronicles 32:31):

" However, regarding the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, whom they sent to him to inquire about the wonder that was done in the land, Elohim withdrew from him, in order to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart."

Job too is abandoned during the trial and he seeks with faith why (Job 23: 1-9):

" ¹Then Job answered and said: ² “Even today my complaint is bitter; My hand is listless because of my groaning. ³ Oh, that I knew where I might find Him,

That I might come to His seat! ⁴ I would present my case before Him, and fill my mouth with arguments. ⁵ I would know the words which He would answer me, and understand what He would say to me. ⁶ Would He contend with me in His great power? No! But He would take note of me. ⁷ There the upright could reason with Him, and I would be delivered forever from my Judge. ⁸ “Look, I go forward, but He is not there, and backward, but I cannot perceive Him; ⁹ When He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him; When He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him."

During the trial, therefore, we must be very careful not to reject or forget Elohim, as was the case with Elohim's man when he was met by the false prophet or as Moses did ner the waters of Mériba (Numbers 20: 7 12):

" ⁷ Then Yehoah spoke to Moses, saying, ⁸ “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” ⁹ So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as He commanded him. ¹⁰ And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” ¹¹ Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank. ¹² Then Yehoah spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”

Here, we find the key about the purpose of the trials:

TESTING OUR FAITH.

" ² My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ⁴ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. " (James 1: 2-4).

As for punishment, its purpose is to make sure

Elohim is with us as Father and Teacher.

Punishment is showing us that Elohim did not abandon us, but that He loves us! In our turn, we must show our love by seeking first of all the reason for the punishment, namely the conscious or unconscious fault committed. We must then repent humbly and stop committing this fault.

It may be that the punishment lasts a long time, a lifetime: it will be necessary to be patient and support it.

Conclusion

When a misfortune reaches us or reaches those around us, do not pronounce any judgment lightly but carry out a review and a serious analysis of the situation.

To believe in a trial while there is punishment is a mistake inspired by pride because it is to believe oneself just when we are sinners. The trial is for the righteous while the punishment is for the sinner.

To confuse punishment with trial is to scorn Elohim by ignoring his warnings so that we may correct ourselves.

Let us act with as much prudence and care as Job to know what Elohim expects of us, and above all, never have a passive attitude facing difficulties; it's time to take action; action is the opposite of falling asleep!

This is the time to make store our oil, aka the Holy Spirit, because one day it will be too late as the parable of the ten virgins tells us (Matthew 25: 1-13):

" ¹Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. ³ Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, ⁴ but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. ⁵ But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

⁶ “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ ⁷ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. ¹¹ “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ ¹² But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

¹³ “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

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