Why Man And Not A Robot?


Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?’’ says the Lord God, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?” (18: 23)

This verse once again establishes that God is not revengeful but is an eternal spring of mercy and forgiveness. It also makes it abundantly clear that God punishes not because He finds pleasure in man’s distress, and also that He does not have pleasure in the death of a wicked man.(18:32)

How can God ever find pleasure in the death of a man even if he is wicked? Wasn’t man created with great pleasure by God in His own image?

But, can God spare the wicked from punishment. If He does, won’t the world be filled with wickedness soon? Here , we should remember that wherever God warns man of punishment, in the same breath He reminds him to turn from his ways and live. But does anybody turn from his ways and live? Does anyone go unpunished?

A major portion of the Old Testament and the entire books of the prophets speak of God’s punishment. Reading over and over about the transgressions of the Israelites, sometimes we feel angry about them. Why don’t they heed God’s commands? What an unresponsive people they are! Sometimes we feel uneasy thinking why God does not punish them harshly enough to bring them around to mend their ways.

It is a question we ask often,” Why is it that God did not create man in a way, by which he could do good things only, without ever giving him an option to choose between good and evil. If so, God could have avoided His perpetual headache about man.

God did not worry about His possible headache, His sole concern was to create a complete man with free will. If man was to be created, programmed to do good only, then a Robot would have been a better choice for God.

As children of God, endowed with a free will and freedom to choose between good and evil, He beckons us to turn from our ways and live.

George Joseph Trivandrum