Seeing is learning
Ain’t doing that principle: it is better to learn from the punishment demonstrated on others than to go through it yourself.
How many parents know what I am talking about when I say, “You can teach your children some good lessons by laying down the law!”? You don’t even have to be disciplining the ones learning. Just seeing you correct bad behavior - whooping butt - everybody gets it. They all see the result of disobedience and they all realize the same conclusion - “Ain’t doing that.”
This TRUTH is just one of the many ways in which parenting illustrates the grace and mercy of God. The principle of corporate instruction through display of judgment on disobedience did not have its origin with Adam and Eve. You have to go way back, beyond the foundations of the world, to see the origins of this principle. Like the time when God kicked Lucifer out of heaven, along with those angelic beings who aligned themselves with the angel of light. That would have been a real eye opener for the whole of heaven. Certainly there were a lot of “Ain’t doing that” thoughts!
Isaiah actually talks about the Ain’t Doing That principle in his Old Testament book. Chapter 26 and verse 9 states, “My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.” God displays His judgment in full view of heaven and earth. He does not hide or cover up His discipline. He makes it evident so that all might understand - disobedience must and will be dealt with and our actions have consequences.
Somehow, as we live out this life that has been graciously given to us, we forget that God is just and that righteousness is required. Somehow we take our eyes off our holy, omnipotent Lord and put them on the glitz and glamor of this world. When temptation arises we yield to the taste of its flavors, choosing to ignore the obvious fact that there are consequences to our actions. It would be very wise at these times to review the consequence of King David’s disobedience, the death of a father and a child. Or read about the disciplinary actions taken on a whole generation of Israelites who acted against the Almighty God. “Well, those happened in the Old Testament,'' might be a reply. True that. But for all those who think we are in an age of grace different from the time way back before Jesus lived and died and rose again, check out the account of Ananias and Sapphira. That one is in the Books of Acts, after Jesus ascended into heaven.
Of course God is still full of Justice and full of Mercy as He always has been. But there are still consequences to our sin and there will always be - as long as our sin exists. Praise be to our wonderful Father in Heaven! He is faithful to deliver His timely correction, right here in the world, so that we all may see and “learn righteousness” and learn to walk in it.