#chastens

Devotional for November 21

I will correct you in measure. - Jeremiah 30:11

Sin procures correction, and love sends it. Every child is chastened, because every child sins. But though we are corrected for sin, yet not according to the desert of sin.

Our Father chastens us in measure, not in wrath, but in love; not to destroy, but to save us. There is no wrath in His heart, for He has sworn that He will not be wrath with us; yet He will visit our sins with the rod, and our iniquities with stripes. He is reconciled to our persons, but not to our follies; therefore He says, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous therefore and repent."

Let us not despise His chastening, nor faint when we are rebuked of Him; for it is the common lot of all His children, and if it drives us to Him, and humbles us at His feet, it is evidently sent in love.

It is a painful blessing; a mercy sent to purify and cleanse us. If we sin and are not chastened, our sonship is questionable; for what son is he whom his father chasteneth not? But if we are chastened, God dealeth with us as with sons; and our sufferings are the fulfilment of His promise.

My son, despise not the instruction of Jehovah, neither be weary of his chastisement; for whom Jehovah loveth he chasteneth, even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. - Proverbs 3:11-12 | Darby Translation (DARBY) The Darby Translation of the Holy Bible is in the public domain.

The discipline that god gives those He loves is way different that the discipline we are used to.  For too long have we been under the impression that God disciplines us like a teacher at school does, or a strict parent who punishes His children. This is the image I had in my mind whenever I read this scripture:

5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,  “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,  and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,  and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”[a]  7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? - Heb 12

Reading this verse make it sound pretty hectic to be a child of God. It makes me feel like we can expect to receive the strict discipline of God, like a army drill sergeant. Or even worse, it makes me believe that hardships/pain/suffering comes from God, and it is Him disciplining us.

This to me is a complete misunderstanding of the heart of God. One that I believe to be a heart filled with Love, Compassion and Good only! No bad, no pain, no condemnation, no suffering. Not from God (I am not saying we never experience these things, I am trying to make the clear distinction that these things are not from God).

But, let’s look at this verse in another translation:

And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:  6For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth every son whom he receiveth.  7If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

Here we can see that we are no longer dealing with the word discipline, but the original text mentions chastens. Going back to the original Greek text puts all of this into perfect context, that shows that god is not a mean drill sargent, a teaching walking around with a ruled waiting to punish you:

Chastens originates from the Greek word paideuō or pahee-dyoo'-o:

From G3816; to train up a child, that is, educate, or (by implication) discipline (by punishment): - chasten (-ise), instruct, learn, teach.

Putting this into context by looking at how the passage starts in verse 4 by sayin “look forward to” then makes sense that it cannot be BAD, how can we look forward to something bad? NO! We are to look forward to the chastening, because the chastening which comes from God is good! It is his education, traning up, His instruction, him teaching us as a Father would teach his baby how to walk, speak, eat, etc.

Let us stand on the truth that God does not punish us with pain, suffering ort temptations. No, He has only love for us.