Punishment or Discipline?

What are God's motives behind exiling Israel in the book of Isaiah?

 Introduction

The Old Testament Prophets seem to portray God as punitive. God often appears harsh and angry in his words of judgment against Israel and the surrounding nations. How is a new Christian (or seasoned Christian) in the midst of suffering, to react when they pray, “God, I want you to speak to me” and proceed to open directly to Isaiah 3:13 which speaks ominously about how the LORD “has taken his place to contend” and “he stands to judge peoples.” In these moments, it is likely that the Bible simply gets slammed shut with the reader fearing punishment for the rest of the day. Or perhaps they skip past the Prophetic books all together to find a more comforting and encouraging passage. This raises a couple of questions. Is God punitive within the Prophets and can these books provide any benefit to present-day Christians going through suffering?

Within the book of Isaiah, the prophet prophesies to God’s people about His plans for them leading up to, during and after their exile.^[1] There were two exiles that occurred. The first was the Assyrian conquest of Israel in 722 B.C.^[2]The second was in 587 B.C. at the fall of Jerusalem and the ensuing deportation to Babylon.^[3] The book of Isaiah is divided up into two main sections with Isaiah 1-39 being pre-exilic and Isaiah 40-66 almost certainly being post-exilic.^[4]The book of Isaiah, therefore, serves as an excellent case study for determining whether God’s intent behind exiling his people is anger or love, punishment, or discipline. This paper argues that God exiles Israel out of love and not anger, and that Israel’s exile should be viewed as disciplinary, not punitive.

Definition of Punishment and Discipline

            Before discussing the innerworkings of punishment and discipline within God’s exiling of Israel in Isaiah, it is important to first establish what is meant by discipline and punishment and ameliorate how they relate to each other. To achieve this end, this section will present a biblical, and psychological understanding of punishment and discipline.

A commentator on the Old Testament delineates between these two terms by describing how “the differences between punishment and discipline have to do with both the intent behind the actions and the affections which motivated them.”^[5] This commentator goes on to state that while “people punish to exact judgment for past actions,” discipline is meant to teach and is “always done in the interest of the one being disciplined.”^[6] By this definition, whether God’s exiling of Israel is punishment or discipline is entirely dependent upon the intentions and affections that are driving his actions.

            Within behavioral psychology, punishment is defined as “inflicting pain or other negative effects for the sake of reducing a particular behavior.”^[7] Discipline is described as “reorienting behavior in more positive directions.”^[8]Interestingly, behaviorists observed how punishment is often less effective than discipline because punishment can cause anxiety which makes it much more difficult for learning to occur.^[9] By this definition, it can be observed that the act of inflicting pain could be interpreted as either punishment or discipline depending on the response of the individual experiencing the pain. If the individual is reoriented in a positive direction because of the pain experienced, then it is discipline. If not, then it is punishment. For reorientation in a positive direction to occur, there must be an element of learning that occurs. It could, therefore, be possible for pain to be inflicted in a disciplinary manner, but if the one being disciplined interprets that discipline as punishment, then they will experience anxiety and the learning process may be stunted. Therefore, while the intentions behind God allowing his people to suffer is important, it is also crucial that the people experiencing that suffering properly understand those intentions.

What are God’s Intentions and Affections in Exiling Israel?

            The previous section revealed that God’s intentions and affections are key to discerning whether the exiling of Israel is discipline or punishment. What are God’s intentions and affections in exiling Israel? To try and answer this question, a brief discussion of Isaiah 1, 40 and 55 will prove helpful.

Isaiah 1

            In the opening chapter of the book of Isaiah, the Lord calls the nations of Israel into a courtroom scene, where he is prosecutor and Israel is the defendant. The heavens and the earth (who witnessed the original covenantal agreement between the Lord and Israel) are called as witnesses.^[10] The accusations against Israel are severe. They are described by the Lord as a “sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity” (Is. 1:4 ESV) and likened to the egregiously evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (vv. 9-10). If punishment is viewed as “exacting judgment for past actions,”^[11] there may be no better example of this than God’s punishing of Sodom and Gomorrah for their wickedness (Gen. 19:23-27). God’s punishment of their wickedness involved the complete eradication of both cities and their inhabitants (except for Lot). There was no opportunity for the inhabitants to “reorient their behavior in a positive direction”^[12] as their sinful behavior was “reduced” by their lives being ended. For the Lord to refer to the actions of the people of Israel as synonymous with those of Sodom and Gomorrah, the Lord is revealing that the behavior of Israel is every bit as offensive as what had gone on in those two notorious cities of old.^[13] This comparison reveals that Israel should be deserving of the same punishment as Sodom and Gomorrah. If God’s affections towards Israel are the same as those towards Sodom and Gomorrah, then his sending of Israel into exile instead of destroying them is incredibly merciful and loving. It should be noted that a key differentiating factor here is the covenantal commitment between the Lord and Israel, a commitment which was not made with Sodom and Gomorrah. Based on this differentiation, it can be suggested that God’s loving discipline functions within the confines of covenant, and his righteous anger and punishment functions outside of it.

In Isaiah 1:16-17, the Lord begins to petition Israel to repent and “learn to do good, seek justice, correct oppression, bring justice to the fatherless and plead the widows cause.” Directly after this petitioning the Lord provides Israel with a gracious ultimatum, which reveals his innermost affections and intentions for the nation of Israel.

“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”[14]

This is a remarkable offer! Even though Israel’s sin equals that of Sodom and Gomorrah, the Lord is willing to overlook it all, making Israel’s scarlet sin as “white as snow.” The affections and intentions of the Lord are on full display in these verses. Forgiveness is freely offered which does not require the suffering of exile.^[15] The Lord is not desiring to simply punish Israel for their past actions. Instead, he is seeking a reorientation of their behavior. If Israel had repented and been obedient, then they could have eaten “the good of the land.” The threat of “the sword” is therefore meant to turn Israel back to covenantal obedience. The Lord is showing incredible grace to Israel. They deserved punishment, but they were provided with a gracious and reasonable opportunity to repent. It is as though God provides Israel with the choice of the carrot or the stick in this moment.

            Spoiler alert, Israel chooses the stick. They do not take up the Lord’s reasonable offer and ultimately end up in exile. The intentions of the Lord in sending Israel into exile are meant to cause the once faithful city to become faithful once again by passing through the fires of God’s judgment. The Lord describes how he will “smelt away all of Israel’s dross” (Is.1:25-27).  Dross is the mass of solid impurities that float atop molten metal during the melting process.^[16]Therefore, Israel’s exile should be viewed as a means of purification, and the remnant of exiles are those who have repented while the rest are destroyed.^[17] While the Lord inflicts great suffering on his people by sending them into exile, the intention behind this exile is the purification of Israel, which ultimately has the best interests of Israel in mind.

Isaiah 40 and 55

            It is likely that Isaiah 40-55 hold together Israel’s departure from Babylon and homecoming to Jerusalem.^[18]With this context in mind, the opening words of Isaiah 40 “Comfort, comfort my people” (v.1 ESV) take on a whole new tone. When read in conjunction with Isaiah 55, which is often considered a call to covenant renewal,^[19] the Lord’s affections and intentions are once again on full display towards Israel. The returning exiles are gently comforted. This comfort would have been greatly needed by those wearing the scars of the refiner’s fire. The exiles are welcomed back into an intimate covenantal relationship with their Creator. The Lord once again appeals to his people to return to him, and to forsake their wicked ways so that he “may have compassion” (Is. 55:7 ESV) on them. By speaking comfort and compassion over the returning exiles, a distinct undertone of love can be heard in the Lord’s voice, cementing the reality that the exile was an act of loving discipline towards his covenant people.

Implications for Present-Day Christians

            With God’s intentions and affections behind exiling Israel established, it is now possible to draw some applications for present-day Christians. It should be noted that these conclusions only apply to those who have entered covenant relationship with God by putting their faith in Jesus Christ. It was shown that the Lord’s loving discipline of Israel likely differed from the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah because of Israel’s covenant relationship with him. The nature of the God’s discipline/punishment towards those who are not in covenant relationship with him is a topic for another paper.  

            From the discussion on the definitions of discipline and punishment, it can be observed that for the one receiving discipline/punishment, the somatic experience of suffering can be very similar for both punishment and discipline. For example, one parent might get angry with their child, and as punishment, they might spank their child and send them to their room. Another parent might choose to discipline their child out of love, and they might also spank the child and send them to their room. The intentions of the parents are different, but the actual suffering that each child experiences is the exact same. This is significant because the perceptions of the child matter. If the child being disciplined perceives they are being punished, then they might experience anxiety which decreases the likelihood of learning throughout the disciplinary process.^[20] It is possible for God to discipline one of his children out of love, but if the child perceives of that discipline as punishment, then the likelihood of that child learning will be decreased.

            It is imperative for Christians to understand the heart of God behind allowing his children to suffer. God does not punish his children to exact judgment for past actions. If that were the case, Israel would not have received a choice of the “carrot” or the “stick,” God would have simply sent them into exile as punishment for their transgressions. Ideally, Israel would have by-passed exile by listening to God’s “reason” and responding with repentance.

God disciplines out of love for the overall betterment of his children. Proverbs 3:11-12 says, “My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.” At the beginning of the book of Isaiah, the LORD describes how he raised Israel as his children, but they rebelled (Is. 1:2). The sending of Israel into exile was God’s way of lovingly disciplining his children to bring them back into covenant relationship with Him (Is. 55:3). The book of Isaiah, and God’s exiling of Israel can serve as a reminder to Christians that God disciplines those whom he loves. When enduring suffering, Christian’s ought to remind themselves of the loving intentions and affections of God towards them and look forward to the benefits of being purified through God’s disciplinary process. The author of Hebrews says that “for the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Heb. 12:11 ESV).

Conclusion

The book of Isaiah can provide encouragement for Christians today. Even when confronted with great sinfulness, God does not wipe out his covenant people in punishment like Sodom and Gomorrah. Rather, out of love, he disciplines his people for their betterment. Christians enduring God’s discipline can joyfully yield to it, as they trust the loving affections of their Lord and Savior who intentions to remove the sinful “dross” from his people’s hearts, purifying them more and more into the likeness of himself.

 Notes

^[1] Barry, John D. The Lexham Bible Dictionary, Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016.

^[2] Chisholm Jr, Robert B. Handbook on the Prophets. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2009, 13.

^[3] Childs, Brevard S. Isaiah. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001, 289.

^[4] Chisholm, Handbook on the Prophets, 14.

^[5] Andrews, Stephen J. and Robert D. Bergen, Holman Old Testament Commentary. B&H Publishing Group, 2009, 109.

^[6]  Ibid.

^[7]  Cook, K.V. Baker Encyclopedia of Psychology & Counseling. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999, 182.

^[8]  Ibid.

^[9]  Ibid.

^[10]  Chisholm, Handbook on the Prophets, 15.

^[11] Andrews, Holman Old Testament Commentary, 109.

^[12]  Cook, Baker Encyclopedia of Psychology & Counseling, 182.

^[13] Webb, Barry. The Message of Isaiah: On Eagles Wings. England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1996, 43.

^[14]  Isaiah 1:18-20, ESV.

^[15] Barry Webb, The Message of Isaiah: On Eagles Wings, 44.

^[16] James Orr et al., eds., The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia. Chicago: The Howard-Severance Company, 1915, 880.

^[17] Ibid.

^[18] Goldingay, John. The Message of Isaiah 40-55. New York, New York: T&T Clark International, 2005, 7.

^[19] Chisholm, Handbook on the Prophets, 93.

^[20]  Cook, Baker Encyclopedia of Psychology & Counseling, 182.

References

1. Andrews, Stephen J. and Robert D. Bergen, Holman Old Testament Commentary. B&H Publishing Group, 2009.

2. Barry, John D. The Lexham Bible Dictionary, Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016

3. Childs, Brevard S. Isaiah. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001.

4. Chisholm Jr, Robert B. Handbook on the Prophets. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2009.

5. Cook, K.V. Baker Encyclopedia of Psychology & Counseling. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999.

6. Goldingay, John. The Message of Isaiah 40-55. New York, New York: T&T Clark International, 2005.

7. James Orr et al., eds., The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia Chicago: The Howard-Severance Company, 1915.

8. Webb, Barry. The Message of Isaiah: On Eagles Wings. England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1996.