Although the Arameans attacked with only a small army, the LORD helped them conquer the much larger army of Judah. The people of Judah had abandoned the LORD, the God of their ancestors, so judgment was carried out against Joash. [2 Chronicles 24.24]
If we would just see the cycles of good and bad in Israel and Judah, we could understand that God blesses obedience and curses disobedience. It is that simple.
Now, it is worth noting, based on the scripture reference above, that the commitment of good or bad affects one for all and all for one. In other words, the people of Judah abandoned the LORD and judgement was carried out against them... no, it was said to be carried out against Joash their leader. And it works the other way too.
The point is, nations rise and fall based on their spiritual (moral) condition as a whole. If the leaders are bad, judgement comes on all. If the people are bad, judgment comes on all including leaders.
For the good of all, the only solution is repentance. Frankly, the more that repent, the greater the chance is for forgiveness and subsequent retirement of judgment. But, be sure of this: sin will be judged - sin will have its just reward (suffering of all types).
How do we know if God is judging us? Everything in me wants to say, "that is a stupid question!" However, I will refrain from doing so and answer with what the Bible says about it: We know God is judging us if we experience anything listed in Deuteronomy 28 as a curse upon disobedience!
Defeat, destruction, sickness, loss, death, poverty, failed crops, bad business deals, terror, and a whole package of "bad things" are well-defined in Deuteronomy 28.15-68 as the result of disobedience. AND, to be sure, these are commissioned by God - but not because He is pleased with us - but because He is NOT pleased with us!
Yes, then there is Jesus Who redeemed us from the curse of the Law (Galatians 3.13). But, you know what? Jesus' redemption form the curse of the Law does NOT redeem those who do not believe! So, even if a person could live a perfect life (which he can't), he would still be compelled to the obedience of faith or else Jesus' redemption does not apply to him!
So... when bad things happen, it is always the result of sin. Never are we to look at curses as anything but indicators of the need to repent. The false notion that bad things happen to good people has been one of Satan's most effective tools to keep the Church from a lifestyle of repentance, and, has consequently caused mass confusion over the workings of God in mankind. People today, for the most part, have no idea what is "God" and what is "not God" when it comes to the events of their lives! Instead, we have adopted an apathetic and pitiful doctrine of "it is what it is" (but we have no idea what it is). This is a pure shame because many who quote this nonsense carry around a Bible that clearly defines circumstances as they relate to obedience or disobedience.
We may say, "But I have done nothing wrong!" First off, the Bible disagrees... but that said, while "I" may say "I" have not sinned, what about "my city" or "my state", or "my nation?" If my nation sins (read it above again), I am responsible to repent for it!
I am not making this stuff up! If we would just turn off and put down our religious predispositions about God we would quickly see that WE NEED TO REPENT.
WE NEED TO REPENT!
WE NEED TO REPENT!
WE NEED TO REPENT!
How do I know? Because of all the suffering, loss, destruction, turmoil, sickness, poverty, and terror all around us (not to mention what we as individuals may be experiencing)! To argue with this is to argue with the overwhelming history of Israel as recorded in the Bible!!!!!
It is not complicated. But it does require humility... which is best expressed in repentance!
Father in heaven, help us to repent!
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