Does God ever send sickness and death to people? He has the misfortune of being blamed for almost everything bad that happens. Whenever tragedy occurs, there is usually some well-meaning but misguided person who calls it “the will of God.”
That’s too much! Most such things are not from God but from Satan. He, not God, is the author of suffering and death.
However, there are times when God does send suffering and death on people. The Bible calls these acts “chastisement.” The word chasten generally refers to some kind of punishment or affliction intended to instruct, discipline, or train up a child.
The Bible teaches that God does sometimes send sickness and death on his people to discipline, correct, or teach them. There are five things that need to be understood about chastisement.
First, chastening is for our good (Hebrews 12:10-11). It is always to help make us better people. God wants his children to live holy and pure lives. If we sin and do not repent, he will chasten us to turn us back to him. His purpose is to help us, not hurt us. Suffering gets our attention when nothing else will. We learn some of life’s greatest lessons during times of trouble. Some people never look up until they are flat on their backs.
Second, chastisement is an expression of God’s love (Hebrews 12:6). He punishes us not because he hates us, but because he loves us. Like the discipline of any good parent, it is his way of saying, “I love you too much to let you go on this way.”
Third, chastisement is a sign that we are God’s children (Hebrews 12:7-8). As a father I often punished my own children, but I did not discipline children who are not mine. That’s not my responsibility or my right. God is the same way. If he never disciplined us, it would be because we were not his children.
Fourth, chastisement comes in many ways. Sometimes God sends physical weakness, sickness, and even death to discipline us (1 Corinthians 11:30-32).
Death? Yes! God will sometimes take his children out of the world and on to heaven if their sin is bad enough or they won’t change. There is a sin unto death (1 John 5:16).
Fifth, if God is chastening us, we always know why. No one else may know why, but we will. Somehow, some way, he will make it clear to us whether we are experiencing divine chastisement to discipline us or a devilish attack to destroy us. No wise parent would punish a child without telling him why. It would defeat the purpose. God is the same way.
If we will discipline ourselves, God will not have to discipline us. Stay close to him and you will avoid God’s chastisement.