Scott D
You asked if . . . .
. . . someone can answer the seeming contradiction in Deuteronomy 28, 63 where it says, "“Just as the Lord once took delight in making you grow and prosper, so will he now take delight in ruining and destroying you,” and Ezekiel 18, 23 where it says “Do I indeed derive any pleasure from the death of the wicked?”
Recall there are two kinds of “life”.
Physical life and spiritual life.
Adam and Eve were told in the day they eat of the forbidden fruit, they will
die.
This is an example of falling out of the grace that they had. They died. They died a spiritual death.
(Yes because of that, they died a physical death later too, but immediately when partaking of the forbidden fruit they underwent a death even before a physical death)
Two Types of Life and Death
- Physical life and death.
- Spiritual life and death.
WHY would God take delight in our physical sufferings?
Only if it helps us. Since God always wills the good, the only explanation that makes sense is in the “ruining and destroying” (in Deuteronomy 28) of the Israelites is that they would be better off in an
eternal and spiritual sense.
God tells us the same thing as Christians today.
JOHN 15:1-2 1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and
every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
In this suffering we are being united to Christ on Calvary through Baptism (see Romans 6:3-6 and Romans 8:17) so we can be united to Him in Resurrection (if we don’t reject this grace).
Our suffering on our own has no positive meaning apart from grace. Yet Jesus’ work provides that grace (Jesus’ work transcends time – see Revelation 13:8 for example. That’s why the Old Testament people had hope).
And this suffering can be used for good. The Apostles knew this as they were beaten by the Sanhedrin “for the name” (of Jesus).
ACTS 5:40-41 40 So they took his advice, and when they had called in the apostles,
they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 Then they left the presence of the council,
rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.
Deuteronomy 28 is earthly in context.
The no “pleasure” concerning the death of the wicked in
Ezekiel 18 has to do with eternal life and death.
If we prosper from physical suffering shouldn’t we think of the end as “good” and delight in it ourselves (read the lives of the Saints. How do they often react to earthly suffering)?
Suffering by itself would not be a good”. But because of grace, physical (or in the case of purgatory spiritual) temporal suffering can be turned into a “good”.
This is the suffering the Apostles delighted in. This is the suffering that the Saints delighted/delight in. This is the suffering that God delights in.
A suffering that prunes and helps us turn to God is a suffering that in the eternal realm, yields good things.
But a falling from grace, eternal death, a willful rejection of God, God does not delight in.
I hope this helps.
God bless.
Cathoholic
More details if interested - on the next post
