More on that retribution principle (hint: it ain't)

God can strike without cause, but God does not strike without purpose. This was true of Job; it was true of the man born blind; and, as we will see, it was also true of the people of Canaan. Job suffered terribly, but his friends were nonetheless wrong to assume that his suffering was earned through evil. The man born blind also suffered, but Jesus’ disciples were wrong to assume that his suffering was earned through evil. When we see the people of Canaan suffer, therefore, we dare not assume that their suffering must have been earned through evil. Biblical theology does not allow us to automatically suppose that punishment for wrongdoing is the motivation behind God’s actions.— The Lost World of the Israelite Conquest, 37