Is God too strict?

David in the Bible has always been a fascinating character to me, and he is regarded as righteous and a man after God's own heart. But, if you read his life story, he faced so many adversities, both from men and from God that it is difficult to put it all together. We all know the stories-- as a boy, he was looked down upon; as an anointed king, he spends his time in exile and in caves running for his life; as a sinner, he is punished harshly; as a father, he is involved in scandals and family turmoil and even gets betrayed and overthrown by his own son. On top of all this, he gets punished for the sins of his predecessor.

Sins of others

In 2nd Samuel chapter 21, we read an interesting story. After David is restored as king in Jerusalem following the coup by Absalom, God strikes them with three years of famine. When David asks God, What for??, he finds out that it was because of a promise that Saul made to another nation but did not keep. Now, all the other issues that David faced in his life perhaps you can blame on him, but this?? In Ezekiel we read "The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father and the father suffer for the iniquity of the son." If God spoke so about sons not even being punished for their father's sins; shouldn't David be all the more innocent as he was not even related to Saul? Perhaps. Or, perhaps there was another motive behind God's actions.

Light of the world

David was punished because Saul went after the Gibeonites, which Joshua made a deal with a long time ago that they would not be harmed. God does not forget our promises, and neither do the people that the promise was made to. Israel was a nation set apart to the Lord; they were the expression of God here on earth. Moses understood this and in his prayer pleaded to God for Him to spare Israel in their time of apostasy, arguing that God needs to spare them so that other nations won't think any lesser of God. It is possible that David had to bear the fault so that He could restore the integrity of Israel, and therefore God, in front of other nations. In the story, David had to make right with the Gibeonites and accept the punishment they requested. The scripture calls us to be the light of the world, but what if we are not always so? Does it tarnish God's image? The most strict punishment I find in the new testament is that for causing someone to stumble, it literally says it is better for that person not to be born. If we carry the name of Jesus, the name of an all mighty God, but our actions are otherwise, could that be a hindrance to someone?

Be the light, don't just talk about it

So, is God too strict? For the most part, no. But, one of the things He is most strict about is standing up for His word, justice, and holiness. David was very outspoken about God and was given much, but because of that, God asked much of him. God does not fool around when it comes to how we portray Him. If we carry His name, let's be mindful what that means. When people see us, they make their assumptions about who God is. Today Christianity is turning into "act how you want, do what you want, but just make sure you are professing His name." With professing His name comes huge responsibility, and we can either gain people for Christ by our actions, or completely turn them away.