God Has Not Changed

“But consider the joy of those corrected by God! Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin. [Job 5.17]

What do God's correction and discipline look like?

Not to be curt, but God's correction and discipline look like what they've always looked like!

Regardless how advanced mankind has become, God's ways have not changed. He does not change. Without an understanding of this Biblical Truth, man is susceptible to all manner of confusion and deception. Man must stand by what the Bible says about God no matter what his circumstances may be. Man must guard against estimating God's character based on his experience of God rather than basing it on what God said about Himself in His Word!

Man must also understand that, what God is revealed as in any given moment in history, is what He always was and also always will be. God does not change! God has not changed. God will never change!

Why is this important? Because if God is not consistent, He is nothing. Man is inconsistent and any attempt to degrade God to that state of being is ludicrous.

When God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, it was not a new thing. Cain's murder of Abel was just as unacceptable to God before the Ten Commandments were given as it was after they were given! Why? Because God never changes - what He is, He always was and always will be!

If man fails to have an unmovable understanding of God's character, he will be hopelessly confused in this life. God's unchanging character was very well-defined in the Ten Commandments. God's timeless just reward for obedience, as well as disobedience, was also well-defined in the Blessings and Curses of Deuteronomy 28. The Ten Commandments and the Blessings and Curses were not "new" with Moses. While the Ten Commandments gave clear instruction on how to please God, the Blessings and Curses accordingly gave clear definition as to how man could know whether or not he was in compliance with the Ten Commandments (clearly identifiable blessings when he obeyed and clearly identifiable curses when he disobeyed). 

The curses for disobedience found in Deuteronomy 28.15-68 show us exactly what God's correction and discipline look like. In fact, everything Job experienced can be found in detail in Deuteronomy 28.15-68.

Amazingly, Job's story, although occurring long before the Ten Commandments or the Blessings and Curses, indicates that Job and his friends all indisputably acknowledged the direct association of good or bad outcomes with obedience or disobedience respectively.

However, what we see with Job in particular is that, even though he acknowledged that the bad things he experienced were associated with disobedience, he proudly defended his innocence as if God had made some error in falsely accusing him. It is no wonder why Job had a good tongue-lashing coming from God later in the story!

Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim. [Proverbs 26.2]

The things that happened to Job didn't "just happen." Likewise, the things that happen to us today don't "just happen." The only way to conclude that things "just happen" is to willfully ignore what the Bible says. Just as pride was revealed in Job, so pride will be revealed in us when we 'get real' with God - with Who God is and what God does. However, to do so will require that we categorically reject the proud notions of the world (infiltrated into the Church) that things "just happen." When bad things are attributed to "randomness," then repentance is proudly ignored. This is done both in very scientific secular "explanations" for bad things and very proud religious "doctrines," neither of which place any burden upon man to repent.

The greatest mistake any man can make is to assume his own innocence.

So, let's get this transferred into New Testament terms. While the Church today has largely bought in to the popular "believe in Jesus" slogan, an important ingredient has been ignored: repentance. Following John the Baptist's pattern in Matthew 3.2, Jesus began His earthly ministry accordingly:

From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” [Matthew 4.17]

Any attempt to separate the message of Jesus from the message of repentance is pure error.

Job was not restored until he got off his pride and repented. Yes, Jesus "paid it all" for us in this time of Grace, but be sure of this, proud insistence upon innocence will never enjoy anything of God's Grace. Until men acknowledge their complete and total depravity before Holy God, the blood of Jesus does them no good. Self justification in the midst of obvious curses, is to trample the blood of Jesus in flagrant arrogant disregard.

To be sure, this is a "can of worms" to be opened. But, if we do not start to explore this on the Biblical foundation that God is unchanging, past present and future, we are doomed to confusion and outright error. And worse yet, we can only enjoy a shallow "relationship with God" if it is not firmly based on His Word that exhaustively defines Who He Is and What He Does.

God's correction and discipline are defined in Deuteronomy 28.15-68. 

God's correction and discipline have not changed any more than He Himself has changed. Indeed, God's correction and discipline look like what they've always looked like!

Father, may we be found believing Your Word. May Your Word be exalted in our lives above science AND religion. May we approach Jesus in reverence and humility. May Your Name and the Name of Your Son, Jesus be exalted above all - and certainly above unrepentant science and religion. So be it.