This past Sunday we reflected on our need as followers of Christ to cultivate a healthy fear of the Lord with respect to what scripture teaches us about the coming judgment. (2 Cor. 5:10-11) As we do this, we also need to develop a clear understanding of the difference between God's providence and His judgment.

"Providence is the sovereign, divine superintendence of all things, guiding them toward their divinely predetermined end in a way that is consistent with their created nature, all to the glory and praise of God. This divine, sovereign, benevolent control of all things by God is the underlying premise of everything that is taught in the Scriptures." - Walter Elwell (Evangelical Dictionary of the Bible, Baker, 1996)

Now as you read that definition in light of the recent tragedy in Haiti, some difficult questions come to mind. For example, if this is true, if God does in fact divinely superintend all things, then what are we to make of this disaster? Why did it happen? Well, these kinds of questions demand carefully thought out and theologically informed answers, especially when certain "Christian leaders" imply that it may be part of God's judgment or curse on the past sins of a nation.

See here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8460520.stm

In response to these kinds of comments and in order to help us think about these types of questions from a biblical perspective, here is a quote from pastor and author Bob DeWaay:

"To claim that any calamity that comes upon the face of the earth is an act of God’s direct judgment in history is to obscure the truth. For one thing, it makes men think they can escape. The people of Sodom did not escape and they did not rebuild. For another, it makes people think that God is unjust, which was Abraham’s concern when he pleaded with God. If a calamity comes and strikes the just and unjust together, and it is seen as a direct act of God’s judgment, then it makes it appear that coming to God in faith and trusting Messiah does not spare people from judgment. This is false according to the Bible. God, in His direct rule, will not condemn the righteous with the wicked.

Furthermore, confusing providence with direct judgment leaves people confused about God’s moral law. I say this because we become like the pagans, trying to glean special revelation from acts of nature. Unless there are authoritative prophets like Moses to declare the terms and the consequences (in history), people use their own prejudices and imaginations to determine what God is angry about. Reality is complex. If a given city is wiped out by a natural calamity, and we have no inerrant, authoritative prophets who predicted the event, declared what the issues were, and what action would avoid the calamity, then we have to guess. We could say, “God is angry at industrialists who burn hydrocarbons and create global warming.” We could say, “God is angry at rich people who exploit the poor.” We could say, “God is angry at fathers who abandon their children.” We could say, “God is angry at drunkenness and riotous living.” We could say, “God is angry at homosexuals.” Whatever it is that we see as the problem in society becomes the cause of natural events because we imagine it is.

But think about what this says to unbelievers. Consider the recent hurricane that devastated New Orleans. If God was angry at the industrialists, why didn’t He wipe out just the industries and spare the poor people with no jobs? If God was angry with fathers who abandoned their wives and children, why did some absentee fathers escape while the wives and children were left behind to die? If God was angry at the homosexuals, why did most of them escape while some Christians were left on the roofs of their destroyed houses saying the Lord’s Prayer? You see, when we claim that God’s justice can be learned by watching who prospers and who doesn’t on the scene of history, we give credence to the lie that God is unjust, because it appears He is. This does not help anyone understand the gospel.

The truth is that God is angry against sin—all sin. The truth is unless we repent, we shall all likewise perish:

Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And Jesus said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:1-5)

There is plenty of truth to be learned from cataclysms in nature, but it is not the comparative wickedness of various sinners. What can be learned is that the whole world hangs in the balance of God’s future judgment and time is running out. The only way to be spared when God DOES directly judge, is to have the perfect righteousness of Christ imputed to one’s account by faith. These events are happening now while judgment is being delayed, not executed."

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