And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”
7
It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8
If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9
Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10
For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11
For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 12
Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13
and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. 14
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.15
See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16
that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. 17
For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.
God’s discipline is not just punishment, it is also prevention, to help us stay away from sin, and it is education, teaching us to listen to him and to act accordingly.
This is part of our training, our growing up in Christ. Our God tells us in our text, do not forget this. Forgetfulness causes a lot of unnecessary problems and we must not forget that which God has told us about His Fatherly discipline.
This is one of three perils in discipline given to us in the first few verses that we read. We forget the word of God which addresses us as sons, as His children.
And then secondly, we despise the chastening of the Lord. And what this is saying is not that we are taking the situation too lightly that we find ourselves in, but taking our problem so seriously and getting so caught up in the situation and circumstance
that we cannot see what God is doing for us in it.
We despise or treat lightly what God is trying to do because we are so absorbed in ourselves and in what is happening to us. Maybe we have become cold in our hearts
towards God and towards his church, maybe we are callous to his word and He disciplines us to soften us to the sweetness of his voice.
In this case we do not forget God, in fact our attention is even on Him, but in the wrong way. Instead of seeking Him for wisdom and patiently enduring we are griping
and complaining, grumbling and pouting. We do not accuse God of anything wrong, at least not in so many words, but that is exactly what we are doing when we are anything but content and seeking his face in the midst of his loving, disciplining hand.
The text makes the analogy between God’s discipline of us and ours of our children as parents and it is true that we expect submission to discipline that our children
received their discipline, with humble receptive hearts, that is evident in their actions. We went through a brief period where the children were required to thank us for the discipline that they had received in acknowledgment that they had not regarded it
lightly.
Sometimes our children may not agree with the discipline but the parent knows better than the child. And where as we as parents can and do make mistakes, Our Father
in Heaven never errs. His discipline is never too severe and never too passive.
The second peril the author speaks to is in the second part of verse 5, “…nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him.” Some people become so overwhelmed by circumstances
that they end up despondent or depressed. The NASB translates this “faint”, nor faint when you are reproved by him.
Some Christians are not callous, complaining, questioning or careless regarding God’s discipline; they do not despise it, they are rather immobilized by it. They give
up. The psalmist felt this very same way and he cried out to himself, “Why are you in despair O my soul and why have you become disturbed within me?” He also knew the answer and where he should turn, “Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him my Savior and my
God.”
We are back to faith, back to believing what God says and what God says is that his discipline is not to discourage us but to build us up, not to weaken but to give
strength not to tear down but to build up. And it will as we submit to it and not become discouraged by it.
By the way of application let us think of our situation in our beloved church. As we think through what is before us as we fast and pray, we also must ask ourselves
if what we have before us is in fact the discipline of the Lord.
Discipline for individuals both who have left and who have stayed, both who lead and who follow as we as discipline for the church as a whole. We must not regard this
lightly and get so caught up in our own emotions that we fail to ask and to seek what God is doing and why. We must not complain and grumble under God’s hand or become callous to his word or we might miss altogether what our loving Father wants us to see and
to hear.
Prayer: Father, again I am faced with the pain that my sin causes You. I see through Your word what rebellion and continual sin does to Your heart. Give me, I pray,
a holy hatred against all things that displease You and fill me with undaunting resolve to put sin to death and to pursue and secure the virtues of the Christian life, and to receive with thanksgiving Your loving discipline. through Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.
Hymn: Come, Let Us Worship and Bow Down (Psalm 95:6-7)