Why Does God Seem So Strict in the Bible? Understanding Divine Justice and Love

"Hello, I was reading the weekly Torah portion Beha’alotcha, and it seems as though God’s attributes are very strict. For example, someone sins and immediately becomes a leper, or it says “the anger of God burned,” and then many people died. We are only weak human beings, so I don’t understand this. Also, when Miriam became leprous, it says that God departed in the cloud. Does this mean that He left her alone to suffer? It’s hard for me to accept God’s way of dealing with people, because it feels so true, yet also so sharp and painful."

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Peace and blessings,

The greater the reward, the greater the responsibility. In previous generations, people were on a much higher spiritual level than we are today. They merited open divine revelation, and therefore a stricter standard of judgment was required of them. Miriam was a prophetess at the time of the giving of the Torah, and the leprosy was intended to atone for her sin so that she could return to her previous level of prophecy and holiness. Not only did God not abandon her, but the entire nation of Israel waited for Miriam until she recovered, so she could return to health and holiness, and only then did they continue their journey in the wilderness. God related to Miriam as to a beloved daughter, seeking to help and purify her soul.

Today we live in a time of hester panim (divine concealment). God knows our hearts and the magnitude of the trials we live through. Our sages said that “God does not come with excessive demands upon His creatures,” meaning that He does not require of us what we are not capable of, but takes our situation into account.

In the book of Jeremiah (7:19), the prophet quotes God: “Do they provoke Me to anger? says the Lord. Do they not rather provoke themselves, to their own shame?” The commentary Metzudat David explains: “Do they provoke Me? — meaning, can their actions harm Me? Of course not. Their wrongdoing harms only themselves, bringing them shame and disgrace.”

When a human sins, it doesn’t “injure” God. The damage falls only on the sinner. King Solomon teaches this in one short verse: “For whom the Lord loves, He rebukes, just as a father disciplines the son he delights in” (Proverbs 3:12).

The Torah’s strictness proves how precious the Jewish people is to God, and how much our Father in Heaven cares for us and doesn’t want us to lose our eternal share in the World to Come. The very fact that He rebukes us, shows how much He values and loves us.

In the time of the giving of the Torah and in earlier generations, people were on a far higher spiritual level than we are, and therefore they could handle the attribute of strict justice. They were capable of bearing the truth in its full sharpness, and even benefiting from it.

Our generation however is weaker than the earlier ones, and therefore the methods of teaching and guidance are adapted accordingly. Harsh rebuke today will often not be received well by the younger generation, because it requires maturity and deep spiritual awareness to appreciate rebuke and to recognize how much love lies behind it.

Just as an immature child may think his father hates him when he is strict with him — failing to grasp the depth of the father’s love, so too with us. God’s love has not changed for a moment. He still loves us deeply, but we have difficulty perceiving it. For this reason, books of mussar (Jewish ethical teachings) in our times emphasize this point more and speak in the language of love, so that we will remember the immense love that the Creator has for each and every one of us.