God’s discipline is more like God’s teaching/instruction/nurturing
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.
Next question, so where does all the pain, suffering, anger, danger, sadness, loneliness come from then if not from God? I’ll answer this next time.