Pastor Shannon Bond, Cherokee Baptist Church
Proverbs 3:11-12 says, “My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.” One of the effects of the fall is that sinful people bristle against God’s loving discipline. We all want to go our own way and do our own thing. As Father, God loves His people enough to discipline them. Discipline is not a bad word or a negative concept. Think of it as God “parenting” us. There’s no time off as a parent… well, not really anyway. Sometimes we take time off when we shouldn’t. Sometimes we just run up against our weakness and finitude as parents. But not God. He’s on duty 24/7. He never gets tired, distracted, or frustrated with having to tell us the same thing over and over and over and…. With that being the case, unless we are convinced in our hearts and minds that God is always and only for our good, we may get weary of his reproof. We may even start to believe that with all the discipline and reproof he’s doing in our lives, we’re not doing anything right. That’s when we have to understand that he’s not reproving us to make us look bad or feel bad about ourselves. He is disciplining us for our good and for his glory, to point us back to himself.
Verse 12 takes these thoughts a step further. The LORD’s discipline and reproof flows from fatherly love and delight. As a human parent, I hate to say that my discipline and reproof doesn’t always look like God’s. Sometimes discipline and reproof flows from selfish motives. One of my children embarrassed me. Or, I don’t want to take time to really deal with the problem— I’d rather make it go away. Or, I’m not very loving. Maybe I’m not delighting in my children. Whatever the case, the point is that my discipline and reproof, because of my fallenness, can really make my kids despise discipline and reproof in general. They may even think that if their human father acts like this, God must discipline and reprove and the same way. But that’s not true. His ways are higher than our ways, and his thoughts higher than our thoughts. He is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. His discipline and reproof is always and only good, right, and perfect, flowing from a heart of love and delight in his people.
How does God discipline and reprove? Through His sovereignty over circumstances and people. Through His Word. Through the Holy Spirit. We must be careful not to overspiritualize God’s discipline and reproof, thinking that it happens in some numinous, unseen realm that doesn’t intersect our lives. No, in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Everything God does in our lives is for our good.
Do you trust Him? Do you believe that He is good and that He is for you? Then don’t despise His discipline or be weary of His reproof. He’s loving you well.