“Know this day that I am not speaking with your sons who have not known and who have not see the discipline of the Lord your God – His greatness, His mighty hand and His outstretched arm.” Deut 11:2

The Discipline of the Few

Discipline – The joy of discipline is hard to embrace.  We don’t want correction, especially when it is accompanied with punishment.  But a life without discipline is a fool’s view of living.  God addresses His call to those whom He disciplines.

When we experience correction at the hand of the Lord, we have two possible reactions.  We can cry within our spirits, “Lord, why are you doing this to me?  I deserve better treatment.”  Or we can say, “Father, I know that You care so much for me that You would never allow me to proceed without rescuing me from mistakes.  Thank you for this lesson.”  What a difference between these two!  And how difficult it is to embrace the second.

The context of this verse helps us see how we can consistently adopt thanksgiving for correction.  Did you notice that God is not speaking to the sons?  Why?  Because God only disciplines those who have experienced His grace and majesty.  God redeems those who do not claim allegiance to Him, but He disciplines those who know His character and have seen His handiwork.  Discipline is a function of a continuing relationship.  Discipline is not for everyone.  It is for the chosen.

If you read the next ten verses, you will find that God reminds the chosen people of His numerous actions on their behalf.  He is in covenant with them.  Therefore, He will not let them wander away from Him.  He will instruct them through word and deed in order to bring them into closer relationship with Him.  That’s the sense of musar, the Hebrew word found here and in many passages in Proverbs.  Instruction that corrects.

In the end, discipline is a sign of God’s commitment to us.  If we were ignorant of His care, if we were not among his chosen, we would not experience correction.  But when we do find God correcting us, we can be assured that it is proof positive evidence that we are His chosen.  Rejoice!  God corrects those whom He loves.