In Psalm 81:12, God responds to Israel’s disobedience by saying, “So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, to walk in their own devices.” Once again, when a nation abandons God, God eventually abandons them. However, this “handing over” of a society to sin can actually represent both God’s righteous judgment on the wicked and his fatherly discipline toward his covenant children and those he has ordained to save. Remember, the father of the prodigal son did something similar when his beloved son wickedly demanded to receive his share of the inheritance before his father died. Instead of chastising his son, the father chose to give him exactly what he wanted and allowed him squander it all on “loose living” (Luke 15:11-32). Also, in Psalm 106:15, in response to Israel’s demand for meat in the wilderness, the Scripture expressly says, “So [God] gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.” Truly, sin is its own punishment. So does the current rebellion in America represent the righteous judgment of God or the loving discipline of the Heavenly Father? The answer is both.