-Remember sermon on Sovereignty Theology? (God doesn’t cause everything that happens)
-So how do you explain it when bad things happen
-if god sends sickness how did the disciples know who to heal?
-if god sends natural disasters why do we help fix the damage?
-Does God ever curse?
-In OT there are many curses
-In NT Jesus “cursed” the fig tree
-God’s judgment is poured out in Revelation
-When God curses (judges) He follows some guidelines
-God gives plenty of warning
-God gives opportunity to repent and be spared
-God’s curses are bigger than anything Satan can do
-God only destroys the wicked and saves the righteous
-Let’s look at some of the examples in the Bible of God’s curses
-Noah: God destroys the world but saves Noah
-Warning: Gen 6:3 - God gave them 120 years (plus Enoch, Jd 14)
-Opportunity to repent - Noah preached for 120 years
-Size: The whole world?
-Discriminate: Noah & family were saved, no one else bothered
-Sodom & Gomorrah: a taste of what’s to come
-Warning: nothing recorded, but Lot lived with them for years
-Size: fire from heaven
-Discriminate: Angels saved Lot and family (Gen 18, Moses challenged God)
-Plagues in Egypt: Don’t resist God
-Warning: Moses asked Pharaoh and warned him
-Opportunity: It would stop as soon as Pharaoh repented
-Size: Mocking Egypt’s gods
-Discriminate: Ex 8:22 - God spared Goshen
-Destruction of Canan: beginning with Jericho
-Warning: Josh 2:8 - They knew God was against them
-Opportunity: Gen 15:16 - God gave them time to repent
-Size: destroying a building with noise
-Discriminate: Rahab & family was saved (believed in YHWH)
-Now let’s see the devil’s curse
-Garden of Eden - Satan stole the authority of man & became a prince
-The curse of the “fall” came from God but is executed by the devil (sickness, loss, lack)
-God punishes justly, Satan just attacks (lawless one)
-Satan strikes without warning: Job
-Satan never gives people time to turn back to God
-His are generally limited to natural forces (brokenness of the world)
-He will strike whomever he wants
-Can God curse? Yes! But will He curse you? NO!
-Natural disasters are not God’s curse (never fit His pattern) but are the devils
-Mountains were made during God’s’ curse (something beautiful)
-Greatest curse was on Jesus and it produced a living, loving relationship