Hebrews 12:5 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: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth" ...... 11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
This passage of scripture teaches us that we should not cultivate an attitude that is averse to correction or instruction, but on the contrary we must understand that as fallen beings, we will sometimes stand in need of discipline, for there is no point in the life of a Christian, where we can safely dispense with the chastening of The Lord. The word "Disciple" is derived from the same root as "Discipline" and therefore the entire plan of salvation, as it pertains to us individually, consists of an ongoing, growing experience, from which we can never graduate. This sacred truth is embodied in several passages of scripture which show us that we are never too old to learn from God, and we are never so highly educated, that the knowledge which comes from God to us becomes irrelevant. Let's read:
2nd Peter 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It follows then, that if we are continuously on the learning curve, it means that at various points in our Christian experience, the chastening of The Lord will come due on account of errors, sins, mistakes, and a lack of proper judgment on our part, which may occur from time to time. A striking example of what we're referring to occurred when the children of Israel were wandering in the desert for forty years, during which time they were fed with manna, the bread which God sent them from heaven every day. In commenting on their experience during their sojourn, Moses wrote that The Lord "Humbled" them by providing manna for them to eat so that they would know that their most urgent need was not the temporary bread which melted when the sun came up, but instead was their dire need of a living connection with God. Let's read:
Deuteronomy 8:3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna" ........ "that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. 4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.
Question: What then was the chastening or correction that was given?
Answer: One of the corrections given was the refuting of the notion that having our daily bread, with all of the variety we often clamor for, was the one and only way that we could exist. Prior to Moses writing his commentary on their experience, the children of Israel had murmured that their soul was dried away with the manna only, and that they needed a greater variety of food in order to subsist. Now while it is true that a variety of good wholesome food promotes healthy living, we should also bear in mind that the manna God gave them had all of the essential elements and nutrients needed to live strong and healthy, in one balanced formula.
Furthermore, the results of eating the Manna alone was also recorded for the benefit of future generations, so that when we stand in need of correction on dietary and other issues, we would not murmur against God as the Hebrews often did, but we will be humble enough to be instructed by Him. Let's read:
Psalms 105:37 He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.
There are times in our experience as Christians when we make grievous mistakes, either deliberately or inadvertently, and The Lord may see fit to discipline us, either through His word, or through some difficult experience He may permit to come our way. It is at times like these when our attitude towards correction will play a pivotal role in deciding whether the corrections administered will be a savor of life unto life, or of death unto death, for the choice is ours, to be either submissive or rebellious. The Bible does not say that the correction process will always be easy, but it does say that the end result will be productive of very great good.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to always harbor the right attitude towards correction from The Lord, for in all of his dealings with us, He has our best interest and well-being at heart. Let's read:
Deuteronomy 8:5 Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee. 6 Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.
May God add His blessing to the study of His word. "Good night" and God bless!