Good morning, friends of God,
Today, let us take a moment to reflect on the heart of love behind God’s discipline:
“Behold, how blessed is the man whom God reproves; So do not reject the discipline of the Almighty.”
Job 5:17
We find this statement from Job’s friend, Eliphaz. He seems to have a simplistic understanding of suffering, believing that the innocent do not suffer. He implies that since humans are not innocent, they should not be surprised when suffering befalls them:
“Can mankind be right before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker?”
Job 4:17
Eliphaz assumes that Job must have done something to provoke God to bring about the suffering he is experiencing.
Despite this mindset, Eliphaz offers insightful advice to Job. He tells Job that those who are corrected or chastened by God are actually blessed. He views this discipline as an act of love, suggesting that God, out of love, reproves His children to save them from the dangers of their current path.
This is the same kind of reproof that Jesus warns about to the church in Laodicea:
“Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.”
Revelation 3:19
In our lives, we sometimes find ourselves enduring suffering. In these moments, it is not uncommon to see ourselves as innocent, like Job, and to shake our fists at God, grumbling and complaining about the suffering He has allowed.
In these times of distress, it’s important to remember that while not all trials in life are a result of our misconduct, some suffering is allowed by God as an act of love to discipline and correct us.
The author of Hebrews compares God to a loving father disciplining his beloved children:
“Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?”
Hebrews 12:9
The author further explains that God’s discipline is meant to help us endure the various temptations and challenges of life:
“It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.”
Hebrews 12:7-8
It’s important to note that not all of God’s discipline comes in the form of a disaster. For example, after David committed adultery with Bathsheba, his discipline came with severe consequences (2 Samuel 12:11-14). However, in a different occasion, Jesus rebuked Peter with, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”— Matthew 16:23
We must understand that discipline in our lives can be as simple as someone calling us out on our error, but it can also be much more severe.
Eliphaz concludes his advice to Job by saying, “So do not reject the discipline of the Almighty.”
Here are some key takeaways:
- Sometimes, suffering is a result of correction from God.
- God disciplines us as a father disciplines his child; it is an act of love.
- Let us not reject the discipline of God; blessed is he who God loves enough to discipline.
I pray this word breathes a fresh understanding of the trials we face in life and that like the text says, we can be zealous and repent whenever we fall into sin (Revelation 3:19).
Your brother, Paul
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