Earthly parents sometimes chasten their children according to their own pleasure, but the Lord chastens His children ONLY for their profiting. In addition, earthly parents will sometimes err by disciplining their children for convenience to end the child’s inconvenience brought upon the parent. The end goal turns out to be the satisfaction of the parent rather than the sole good of the child. However, in God’s dealings with His children, He chastens for the benefit of the one receiving the chastening. He uses His chastening to help make His children partakers of His holiness. When they have done wrong, He wants them to repent (Revelation 3:19). When they have gone astray, He wants them to find correction (Job 5:17). God, as a Father, always chooses to do what is best for His children. It is always exclusively for their profit!
The words chastening and punishment are like many Bible words that share an overlapping meaning but also exhibit certain variants. A Bible-believer always trusts that God carefully chose His words to accomplish His expressed purpose in any given passage. On the surface, it would seem like the words punish (Leviticus 26:24) and chastise (Leviticus 26:28) seem completely interchangeable, but a thorough study of the whole counsel of God reveals distinctions. One area in which there appears to be a distinction involves the intended purpose of execution. Punishment is the infliction of judgment for the sake of justice, while chastening is the application of judgment for the sake of correction.
A cursory read of today’s passage might lead someone to believe that it contains a glaring contradiction. Yet, the passage simply makes a distinction between the two main kinds of fear, the fear of man and the fear of God. God instructs His people not to fear the things of the world so that they might know the fear of the Lord. Each of these fears reflects the level of faith. A fear of the world reflects an absence of faith. It further reveals a lack of trust in God to provide or take care of the believer. The Lord warned His people to overcome the fears of this world based upon His own presence (Genesis 15:1). Yet, the fear of the Lord is founded strictly upon faith. Those who fear the Lord trust in Him (Psalm 115:11).
Fasting, similar to other actions in life, has specific purposes and appointed times. The Bible offers various reasons why people might fast: an immediate need in prayer (2 Samuel 12:16), a need to loosen the bands of wickedness or undo heavy burdens (Isaiah 58:6), during times of elevated conflict or duty in service (Matthew 17:21; Acts 13:3), as a symbol of mourning (2 Samuel 1:12), and as an outward manifestation of true repentance (Jonah 3:5). This list is not exhaustive, but simply demonstrates that God’s people have many good reasons for fasting. Even if none of these circumstances surfaces in our lives, we should fast because we know that the Lord expects us to do so.
