Waiting to punish?

As I look at the complaint of Job here, I see a way of thinking that many people have.  Job said,

You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit.

But this is what you concealed in your heart, and I know that this was in your mind:  If I sinned, you would be watching me and would not let my offense go unpunished.  (Job 10:12-14)

Job also complained,

Are your days like those of a mortal or your years like those of a strong man, that you must search out my faults and probe after my sin (5-6)?

So many people, like Job, think of God as someone who is just waiting for us to mess up so that he can blast us.  Sure he will bless us when we do good, but if we do one bad thing, BAM!

But the interesting thing is that God wasn’t like that toward Job at all.  In chapters 1 and 2, we see it was Satan who was accusing Job.  God was the one who was actually defending him.

Even today, God defends us against those who would accuse us.  We saw this in part yesterday, but it bears repeating.  Paul tells us in Romans,

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…

Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.

Who then is the one who condemns?  No one.  Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.  (Romans 8:1, 33-34)

So let us cast aside forever the idea that God is watching over us, just waiting for us to make a mistake so that he can blast us.

He’s the one defending us.  And there is no condemnation at all for those who belong to him.