is sicknes a result of punishment?

[brodav9]

In Deut. 28: we have the blessings and the curses. The Lord even shows them in Ex 15:26 God will not even allow diseases to come on his people. The curses were based on disobey his word. As long as they obeyed God which was to instruct them in righteousness, he would keep them from sickness and disease. All this was by faith in his provision. It would be very hard to believe that it's okay for his people to have these bad things if they are obedient in righteousness now. Even more so since Jesus has imputed his righteousness to them.

They didn't have hospitals in the wilderness yet God was able to touch them with good health. Those who missed God's will were given mercies by offering sacrificed lambs etc. Jesus is our sacrificial Lamb.

 

[HammerStone]

Is any sickness directly a result of something we did that was bad? No. The book of Job is a refutation of that line of thinking.

However, as you identify, the Bible talks about curses numerous times. We tend to ignore this because the word curse has a negative connotation of superstition and old dead religions. The final passage of Malachi - and in fact the final word of our Old Testament is curse. (The ESV Bible actually even avoids using the word, but most other versions use it.) Take the NASB below:

Malachi 4:6 NASB
He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.

In Deuteronomy, it refers to the man who is hung on a tree as being cursed...ultimately referring to Jesus, of course.

To get to the point, though, the idea of a curse is very real. There are families where certain sicknesses (alcoholism, gambling addictions, porn addictions, etc. come to mind) seem to be passed generation to generation. This has more to do with our hearts, I believe, as we can bring it upon ourselves. (IE: The old saying stew in your own muck.)

As believers, Jesus took the curse on for us!

 

[Rach1370]

No. God's doesn't tell us...I look at you and see the righteousness of my Son...and then go on to punish us.
Illness can sometimes be the result of living in a fallen world, having fallen bodies. Or, I think, it can also be used by God to grow us, and bring us closer to him. And that, is never a punishment!!

 

[Strat]

Sickness comes by living in a fallen world and by the habits and lifestyles we embrace as well genetics....and like anything else in Gods world he can use sickness for his purposes as well.

 

[jerzy]

Joh 9:1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
Joh 9:2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
Joh 9:3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

The apostles were aware of the cause of sickness but Jesus expanded it.

Job is also a great example.

As the matter of fact, not a hair falls out of one's head without God's knowledge.

 

[Eltanin]

Joh 9:1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
Joh 9:2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
Joh 9:3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

The apostles were aware of the cause of sickness but Jesus expanded it.

Job is also a great example.

As the matter of fact, not a hair falls out of one's head without God's knowledge.

I know this is a little divergent from the topic...

... But if a man were born blind, why would the disciples ask that question the way they did?

 

[Strat]

Sickness can be the result of many things...live on a diet of pizza,cigarettes,TV and beer and what do you expect,on the other hand people who lead very healthy lifestyles also get sick....God has put rules in place...break them,or put a better way break yourself over them and stuff happens.

 

[jerzy]

I know this is a little divergent from the topic...

... But if a man were born blind, why would the disciples ask that question the way they did?

They asked based upon what they knew.

Sickness can be the result of many things...live on a diet of pizza,cigarettes,TV and beer and what do you expect,on the other hand people who lead very healthy lifestyles also get sick....God has put rules in place...break them,or put a better way break yourself over them and stuff happens.

If you refer to clean food so consider that those who observe it also get sick.

 

[us2are1]

In Deut. 28: we have the blessings and the curses. The Lord even shows them in Ex 15:26 God will not even allow diseases to come on his people. The curses were based on disobey his word. As long as they obeyed God which was to instruct them in righteousness, he would keep them from sickness and disease. All this was by faith in his provision. It would be very hard to believe that it's okay for his people to have these bad things if they are obedient in righteousness now. Even more so since Jesus has imputed his righteousness to them.

They didn't have hospitals in the wilderness yet God was able to touch them with good health. Those who missed God's will were given mercies by offering sacrificed lambs etc. Jesus is our sacrificial Lamb.

It could be and in the case of Job it could be a test. If you need healing ask God who is Faithful. If someone you know needs healing go heal them by the power of the Spirit. These are the things that we are given power to do.

39 'Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.

7 I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.'

 

[jerzy]

It could be and in the case of Job it could be a test. If you need healing ask God who is Faithful. If someone you know needs healing go heal them by the power of the Spirit. These are the things that we are given power to do.

39 'Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.

7 I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.'

Eze 14:13 Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it: