Sometimes we are struck by the harshness with which God's judgment and human judgment were carried out in the Old Testament. Yet it is worth remembering two things: first, the consciousness of ancient people did not contain at the same time the concepts of "freedom of conscience" and faithfulness to God. And second, what is at issue here is not simply "religious traditions" or culture, but life and death. We, accustomed to living in an atmosphere of religious tolerance and having the commandment not to judge others, often lack an understanding of this contrast between faith and unfaithfulness, though they bring us life and death respectively.

The story with the pagan wives is revealing and can, at first glance, become a good illustration of the widespread idea of God's punishment for sin. The sin is indeed evident, and one of the most terrible: the matter concerns apostasy, betrayal of God, and the Torah values faithfulness to God more than life. That is why the execution or killing of an apostate was not considered a sin; it was thought better for an apostate to die at once than to go on living in the state in which he found himself after apostasy.

It can seem that God too confirms the correctness of such a view: the epidemic that covers the camp because of the sin committed is excellent evidence of this. Meanwhile, already the Old Testament prophets said that God does not want the destruction of sinners; He wants their turning, their repentance, and their salvation. Why, then, do disasters like those described in this chapter occur? The answer to this question must be sought not so much in the religious sphere as in the realm of the spirit.

After all, it is not so important to God, and most often not important at all, whether we follow one or another religious rule. The commandments are another matter; here there are not rules, but God's will, God's intentions addressed to us so that we would know which spiritual and life path God considers best for us. We are free to follow this path or not; the choice here is completely ours. But in a fallen world God can guarantee us full spiritual life and normal relationships with Himself only on the path He Himself has determined.

The fallen world in general is a spiritually dangerous place, and God deliberately marks with His signs the safe path along which we will come to Him and not lose ourselves in emptiness. It is like a trail through a swamp: if you walk strictly following the marks left on the trees, there is a chance of getting out of the swamp, or at least of coming to a place where people will help and tell you what to do next. But if you neglect the marks, the rescue team, led by the Savior, will punish no one, but the chance of drowning in the swamp in that case approaches one hundred percent.

And once a person has ended up in the swamp because of his own disregard for the signs, it makes little sense to accuse the One who placed those signs: He did not want to harm anyone, but He also cannot force anyone to follow the signs by compulsion. The epidemic described in the book is one of the many disasters the people encounter when they leave God's path for a spiritual swamp. There anything at all can really happen, but what does God have to do with it?