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Answer: It is true that the Jewish Scriptures show that
there are times when the nation of Israel undergoes
suffering as divine retribution for sin. But, it also
shows that suffering is not always an indication of
sin. Attributing sin to the sufferer is often a glib
generalization by those who do not understand the biblical
message. The centuries of Jewish martyrdom and suffering
alluded to in Isaiah 53 cannot be explained simply as
divine judgment for sin. Certainly there is suffering
because of sins (Deuteronomy 31:17-18), but not all
suffering can be strictly attributed to divine punishment
for sin. In a world where there is much evil, suffering
is very often the fate of the innocent person. There
is suffering that ensues, not from divine judgment,
but from the evil committed by man. "My people went
down at first into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian
oppressed them without cause" (Isaiah 52:4). We see
that the sufferings of the Jewish people are not a reflection
of its failures, but of the failures of humankind. One
may be faithful to God and still suffer persecution.
Of this the psalmist writes:
All this came upon us yet we have not forgotten You,
and we have not been false to Your covenant. Our heart
has not turned back, nor has our footstep strayed from
Your path. Even when You crushed us in the place of
serpents, and covered us with the shadow of death. Have
we forgotten the Name of our God, or spread out our
hands to a strange god? Is it not so that God can examine
this, for He knows the secrets of the heart. Because
for Your sake we are killed all the time, we are considered
as sheep for the slaughter. Awake, why do You sleep,
O my Lord? Arouse Yourself, forsake not forever. Why
do You conceal Your face, do You forget our affliction
and our oppression? (Psalms 44:17-24)
Isaiah 53 provides a model: Israel suffers not only
for its own sins but also as a result of the sins of
those nations among whom they dwell. The fact is that
Jews, because they are elect, suffer. Election carries
responsibilities, some of which are not pleasant, but,
in the end, faithful Israel will be rewarded. |
