Thoughts on God's Justice

 In my last post, I brought up the idea that holding onto an offense or wrong was an alien concept to God, and that this is something which we project onto Him. Someone brought up to me the idea that God must punish "evil" in order to be "just." But how do we define "evil?" Here, as an answer to this question, I would say, rather than needing to punish evil, God redresses or answers harm caused to another.

     Being who He is and what He is, He is fully aware of how each and every one of us feels. He can literally see things through our eyes, hear them through our ears, tracks every electro-chemical impulse through each of our neurons able to feel what we feel, and knows instantly how we take things and whether or not we've been hurt or harmed by another whether that other is aware of it or not; something which He also knows. He knows the harm we cause to one another intimately, and when we don't take steps to repair that harm, He wants to ensure that the person causing that harm knows exactly what they've done, and how that other person felt because of their (usually selfish) actions. This is the reason for the sections in the Torah that require repayment, and the "eye for an eye, hand for a hand, foot for a foot, wound for a wound, tooth for a tooth, burn for a burn, life for a life." He sees all the pain we cause each other, and when there is no feeling what the other person felt, no empathy for the harm which is caused, He takes appropriate measures to bring this about one way or the other either in this life, or after it, either through natural consequences of the actions which were taken (usually), or through more extraordinary means. He wants us to make it right if at all possible, and repair the harm which we've caused. He wants us to change our hearts and minds about what we've done. His judgment is about turning us around and getting us back on track, not about destroying us. It isn't His will that any of us should be destroyed, but that every single one of us should change our hearts and minds.

     So, on the one hand God doesn't hold onto wrongs or offenses. Such a thing is alien to Him. But on the other, He does want each and every one of us to understand the harm which we do, what it felt like for the other person, and to make it right. It is to this end that He will take appropriate measures to ensure this if at all possible without violating our free choice. And if it isn't possible within that boundary, then yes, He will let our malfunction play out to its logical conclusion of madness, destruction, and death.