The Chastening of the Lord

People often have a misconception about God. They cannot imagine that God would ever bring upon us trials and tribulations, punish us for our sins, or do anything in this life but bring us good--good as we see it. God is love, God is grace, and the very idea that God would ever send upon us anything but that which is most pleasant is abhorrent to our way of thinking.

There is no doubt that when one looks at the big picture that God only does what is best for us for our eternal welfare. Loving parents are like that with their children. All that they do in regard to their children is for the child’s welfare if they are the kind of parents they ought to be. Does that mean, however, that all they do is pleasant from the child’s point of view?

Are we not God’s children? How is it that we would think that God would not send us some unpleasantness in our lives for our own good to correct us and make for us a pleasant and happy future? Sometimes our fleshly children need to be disciplined so they can learn how to conduct themselves and not become involved in self-destructive behaviors. We all come into this world knowing nothing but that which is instinctual. We all need to learn how to live to succeed and if this is true in the physical material world how much more is it true in the spiritual realm?

Hebrews 12:5-11 can be a bit difficult.  What is the chastening of the Lord? How does God do that? How can I recognize it when it is occurring? Questions naturally come to mind.

To refresh your memory of this passage I quote it here:

“(5) And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: ‘My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; (6) For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.’(7) If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? (8) But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. (9) Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? (10) For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. (11) Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but grievous; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (NKJV)

There are some points that are readily apparent when one reads the passage, despite the questions one might have.

(1) Verse 5 makes it clear that this chastening is a rebuking from God, for we are not to be “discouraged when you are rebuked by Him.”

(2) It is something to be endured, “If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons.” (verse 7) When one “endures” a thing it generally means the thing being endured is unpleasant.

(3) It is a correction, “we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?” (verse 9)

(4) It is for our profit, “he for our profit” chastens us. (verse 10)

(5) It is painful, “no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful.” (verse 11)

(6) "It yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness." (verse 11)

The question remains as to how God chastens us and why in a more specific sense. I do not claim to have all the answers, but the book of Amos sheds some light on the subject.

All students of the Old Testament are aware of how time after time God’s people would become unfaithful to him and how he would punish them. However, was it just always a matter of punishment for punishment’s sake? No, not always.

“Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt.” (Amos 3:1 NKJV) God speaking, obviously, but then note what he says in chapter 4:6, "'Also I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, And lack of bread in all your places; Yet you have not returned to Me,' Says the LORD." (Amos 4:6 NKJV)

Take a look at another passage, verses 7-8 (same chapter): "'I also withheld rain from you, When there were still three months to the harvest. … Yet you have not returned to Me,' Says the LORD." (Amos 4:7-8 NKJV)

Or how about verse 9: “'I blasted you with blight and mildew. When your gardens increased, Your vineyards, Your fig trees, And your olive trees, The locust devoured them; Yet you have not returned to Me,’ Says the LORD.” (Amos 4:9 NKJV)

I think the reader will get the idea, but if you wish to read more of the same go ahead and read verses 10 and 11.

It becomes clear that the purpose of these troubles, trials, and tribulations was to get the children of Israel (God’s children) to repent and return to him. Why would we think it strange if God was found to still be working today in the same manner to get people to repent--that is, through trials, tribulations, and troubles?

One could say that was on a national scale in Amos' time and did not involve individual action. There is truth to that, but I doubt the man who lacked bread in his house (verse 6), suffered from drought (verses 7-8), suffered from blight and mildew and locusts (verse 9), was thinking much on a national level. His problems were personal: no food, no water.

And, besides, how does a nation repent unless the people who comprise that nation repent on an individual basis? There can be no national repentance without individuals repenting.

There will be in life trials and troubles. No one can say when such occurs that it is a specific instance of God chastening, but it may be. Hebrews 12 teaches beyond doubt that if you are a child of God you will be chastened. God’s desire is that we are always repenting of sin in our lives and that we are always drawing nearer to him and becoming more and more what he would have us be.

I think Albert Barnes, the commentator, put it best when he made the following comments on the Hebrews 12:6 passage: “And as there is in the life of every child of God something that deserves correction, it happens that it is universally true that ‘whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth.’” Would any of us disagree with that? I think not.

He further says: “It should be a matter of deep concern when we are afflicted in any manner, not to treat the matter lightly, but to derive from our trials all the lessons which they are adapted to produce on the mind.” (comments on Heb. 12:5, Barnes Commentary on Hebrews)

Whether it is illness, financial setback, or whatever negative thing it may be that comes into our life, we ought to be brought closer to God by it, repent if need be of sin, live more spiritually, and live for eternity. It may or may not be God’s chastening, but we need to learn our dependence upon him. We are not going to get out of this life alive. What is left if not God? He knows that. He thus chastens us as needed. Why? The answer is for our good and because he loves us, desiring only the eternal best for us. Let us then, “despise not thou the chastening of the Lord.” (Heb. 12:5 KJV)

[For further study on this topic see the book of Haggai, the TEV version, chapter 1 and 2:17. See also, same version, Amos 4:6-12.]

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