Whenever Jehovah God expresses his anger toward those who violate his commands, he does so with their best interests in mind. His purpose is to move them to repentance so they can regain an approved relationship with him. The discipline given serves that very purpose. This is called to our attention at Isaiah 28:24-29. There a farmer’s plowing, harrowing, sowing and threshing are compared to God’s purposeful dealings. We read: “Is it all day long that the plower plows in order to sow seed, that he loosens and harrows his ground?

Clearly, a farmer’s operations are orderly and purposeful. Plowing and harrowing are limited, being done to soften the ground and to prepare it to receive seed. Similarly, Jehovah God did not unendingly discipline and punish his disobedient people. He disciplined them for a time and with a view to making them more receptive to counsel and guidance.