Proverbs 3:11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:
12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
The son also needs to understand that he will not always listen to wise counsel. He will choose foolishly and will need chastening. Pride interferes with learning. Pride puts itself up as top dog and Truth is an affront to the top dog.
Keep in mind the son is part of the patriarchal plan of God. “How dare God promote a patriarchal system!” Yes, that is what the all wise God determined to be right. The son needs to grow into being a godly leader. When he fails, he should expect that he will be chastened of the LORD. The world ‘chastens’ its own. Peer pressure is a big thing to the world. In fact, every human being is plagued by peer pressure at some point. Some people get so entangled in it that they cannot get over it.
Joshua was God’s chosen leader. He had over a million people to lead into a new land. He was given clear instructions when he became the leader of the nation of Israel.
Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Joshua did well in crossing the Jordan and taking Jericho. He failed at Ai on the first try. He was chastened for not following God’s law. He listened and he learned and the result was that he was successful in his second attempt at Ai. The men of Gibeon took a different approach and again, Joshua did not consult God. This created further trouble for him and for Israel. Joshua learned some important lessons in obedience. A leader is not beyond needing humility and chastening when disobedient.
Joshua is just one example of many. The son needs to receive chastening. He is not always going to be right. He needs to get right. Only through submission to God can he get it right. God says the son should not be weary of His correction. Any true servant of God will admit that he has been chastened more often than he would like to admit. The godly servant of God does not relish in chastening, but is thankful that God loves him enough to interrupt his foolish choices. God cares for His children. He loves all people, but He takes a special interest in His own. His name is at stake.
In the Old Testament the nation of Israel bore God’s name. In the New Testament, Israel is still there, but on the side lines. Jesus Christ established a new thing called a mystery, until revealed by Him. That new thing is the true local church. It is not a replacement for Israel. God is not finished with Israel yet. He will come back to them in the Tribulation and beyond. However, right now it is the true Christians that are supposed to point people to God/Christ. There are thousands of professing Christians that have the name, but not the Spirit. There are a few true Christians in any generation who are not perfect, but they are God’s children. He is working with them to perfect them so they can be a better light for Him.
Verse 12 points this out. Whom the LORD loveth He correcteth. That is a fact. God went further in using the example of an earthly father. A true father loves his son. He wants his son to be a testimony of the father. He wants his son to be better than he was. He sees real value. Real value is not owning a company or being the P.M. If God raises a man to own a company, that would be great. A godly owner of a company would be a blessing to any community. If God would raise up a godly P.M. that would be a blessing to this nation, but we know that will not happen. Canada had an opportunity to be a great nation. Our national anthem included the line: “God keep our land, glorious and free”. We chose to push God out and we, as a nation, do not even believe there is a God. We accept Catholicism, and Islam and Hinduism and native paganism, etc. We are proud of being an accommodating nation that has many gods. We despise anyone who would suggest there is only One True God, unless that should happen to be Muslims. They believe they are superior to all others and they push their religion with might.
The godly father cares enough about his son to correct him if he is going the wrong way. The godly father has God’s Word as his standard for right and wrong. That is not a popular standard. The reason for that is that God is not popular. God is right, but He is not popular.
Unlike earthly fathers, who will fail, God never fails. He demonstrates true love all the time. He does not accept compromise from any of His children. He will correct those whom He loves. The question to ask is: ‘does He love you?’ Do you know the true God as your God and Saviour?
Hebrews 12:5-11 repeats the fact that every true child of God will be chastened of Him. There are many lost people who have lots of trouble. They bring that upon themselves. They choose to walk as fools. Those who are saved, will also bring trouble upon themselves; however, they are not fools. They act like fools sometimes, but because they are not fools, God corrects them so that they will better reflect His image. God is good.
Pastor Bartel