Posts like this and its sequel are risky. Some will deliberately misinterpret what I say. I will be cast as a ‘Brian Tamaki’ who was ridiculed for tying the natural disasters with homosexuality around the time of the Christchurch earthquake. But I believe what I am saying is clear from Scripture. So it is good and profitable for us to meditate and think about it. The secular materialist rules out supernatural causes of disasters because they are materialists. They don’t believe in anything beyond the material world. However Christians are not materialists, so we should see what God’s Word has to say about Disasters and our God.

Let us begin our meditation by looking at a passage from the prophet Amos. Amos warned the Northern kingdom of Israel of God’s impending doom because of their covenant-breaking idolatry in the 8th century B.C. In amongst a series of rhetorical questions, Amos asks,

Is a trumpet blown in a city,
and the people are not afraid?
Does disaster come to a city,
unless the Lord has done it?

Disasters are not a surprise to God. Does a disaster come to a city taking God by surprise? No. Disaster comes because he causes it. Now here, this rhetorical device serves as a warning to a prosperous but idolatrous Israel. Do you think you are safe because you are rich and powerful? You are not, because you have broken covenant with God.

This is a general principle. God is sovereign. Nothing catches him by surprise. He does as he pleases (Psalm 115:3). He is the God who brings prosperity and brings disaster (Isaiah 45:7). He is the God who sets up and removes kings (Daniel 2:21).

And on what basis does God do all of this? On the basis of covenant faithfulness. It is righteousness that exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to it (Proverbs 14:34). Read Deuteronomy 28 to see how this principle applied to Israel itself. If Israel faithfully obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, then He would set them ‘high above all the nations of the earth‘ (Deuteronomy 28:1). Then the blessings that will overtake them for covenant faithfulness were enumerated. On the other hand, should they forsook the covenant, covenant curses would overtake them. There would be ‘frustration’ in all they undertook to do, and eventual removal from the land.

Does this apply to other nations? Are they under a similar covenant? Yes. While God covenanted in a special way with Israel, we see that God does deal with nations according to their sin. For example, the reason God allowed Israel to wipe out the people of Canaan under Joshua, was because of their sin, which at that point had reached full measure (Genesis 15:16). In Isaiah 24 we read of a judgment on the whole earth (not just Israel) because of their disregard of God’s laws. This is viewed as breaking the ‘everlasting covenant’ (Isaiah 24:5). As David says in 2 Samuel 23:3-4, The God of Israel has spoken; the rock of Israel has said to me: When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth. God does indeed bless nations when they live according to His laws and He punishes them for their evil.

Does this apply today? Why would it not? God is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. He continues to deal with mankind by covenant. And now, Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father and rules from on high. He is the king of Psalm 2. the nations might rage, but God orders all of their leaders to kiss the Son. Jesus commanded his disciples to go into all the world and make disciples, teaching the nations to observe all of His commandments. What happens when nations refuse to kiss the Son? They are the Son’s inheritance. If they do not come to him they will be dashed to pieces. They will perish in their way. He will have the nations. I do not believe we have any reason to somehow imagine God no longer deals with groups of people according to their obedience to his laws now that Christ has come. In fact, I think there is more reason to think that he will do this if Acts 17:31 is anything to go by.