Even though God’s motive and desired outcome of chastening both prove to be a blessing to believers, believers do not always react properly to the chastening hand of the Lord. Some respond to God’s chastening by becoming bitter against the Lord, frustrated that they are reaping what they have sown. Others respond by becoming weary from the pressures of the process of chastening. Yet others might respond by running away from the things of God once they realize that God wants them to grow beyond their present level of Christianity. None of these are the proper reaction to chastening. The only proper response to chastening is given in Revelation 3:19: “be zealous therefore, and repent.”
In the most basic sense, punishment is directed toward those who have done wrong. Though any particular punishment may seem harsh by those receiving the punishment, God intended it to be a calculated response toward wrongdoing. Though there are some passages in the Old Testament that indicate punishment was directed toward the people of God (Ezra 9:13; Hosea 12:2), the vast majority of references demonstrate that it was intended for the enemies of God (Psalm 149:7; Proverbs 11:21; Isaiah 10:12; Isaiah 13:11; Isaiah 24:21; Isaiah 26:21; Isaiah 27:1; Jeremiah 25:12; Jeremiah 46:25). A careful study of the New Testament will strengthen the distinction as there are no references to God punishing His people.
Many people who fail to understand the Bible’s contents foolishly judge the Bible as a closed book except to those academically superior. The problem does not rest with God’s words but with man’s spiritual inabilities. This should be expected as the Bible says, “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). Even the saved at times may have difficulty understanding certain Bible passages, but God has given His Spirit to those who are saved to teach them and guide them in their understanding of His words. This truth is confirmed in John 14:26 when the Bible says, “the Comforter . . . shall teach you all things.”
The Lord laboured to reveal, inspire, and preserve His words for man to read, learn, and study. Did He do so but then insure that no one could possibly understand? No! The Lord gave man His word with the expectation that each believer would read it and heed what it says. In Isaiah 34:16, the Lord commanded His people to “Seek . . . out of the book of the LORD, and read.” In fact, a constant theme of the Lord’s rebukes, during His earthly ministry, pertained to man’s failure to read the scriptures. In Matthew 12:3, the Lord rebuked the Pharisees for their failure to read about the exploits of David. In another place, the Lord rebuked the Sadducees by saying, “Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God” (Matthew 22:29). The Lord obviously expected His people to know and heed His word.
