Loading... LORD LOVETH HE CORRECTETH - Proverbs 3:12
Thursday, January 31st, 2008Proverbs 3:12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
When you were a child, your parents probably disciplined you when you did something that was wrong. Your parent may have even said something like this hurts me more than it hurts you or I am doing this because I love you. At the time, these statements made absolutely no sense to you. However, as you have matured, you see the truth in the statements of your parents.
A parent who loves their child does not like correcting them. However, it is because of that love they have for their children that they know they must discipline their child when they do not follow the rules. A good parent understands that they are accountable to God for how they raised the children that God gave to them. A good parent understands that they have the responsibility to train up a child in the way they should go so that when they are old they will not depart from it. A good parent understands that they are responsible to teach their children the good things that God has done in their life and to teach the child the commands of God.
Parents understand that if their child breaks a rule, the child must be punished promptly or else the child might continue to break the rule. Some children like to test the boundaries more than others, but at some time, every child will cross the line and deliberately disobey. A parent who loves their child understands that if they do not discipline their child, that the child will be setting the rules in the house.
When you take the time to add knowledge of the ways of God, you understand that God is our Father. In the same way an earthly father must disciple his son, so your Heavenly Father must disciple you when you disobey HIM. Discipline is never easy to receive, but you must recognize it for what it is, it is the love of God who does not allow you to disobey HIS perfect law.
When David committed adultery with Bath-sheba, God punished him by bringing up evil out of his own house. The son conceived out of adultery died. Later on, David had a daughter, Tamar, that was raped by her own brother Amnon. Because David did not discipline Amnon, Absalom took matters into his own hands and killed Amnon. Furthermore, Absalom later made an attempt for the throne of David, but he ended up losing his life. Even after the death of David, after David had named Solomon as king in his stead, Adonijah another son of David made an attempt at the throne of Solomon and Solomon had Adonijah killed.
David may have repented for his sin with Bath-sheba, but the discipline of God was still strong. God disciplined David so that we all know that there is a consequence when we fail to obey HIM. Just because we ask for forgiveness, it does not mean that God will not continue to allow us to suffer the consequences for our actions. It is because HE loves us that HE must correct us. This may sound harsh to you until you think about your own childhood and the punishments you received or others around you. Your parents may have caught you doing something wrong when you were a teenager, and as a result, you may have been grounded from certain activities or being around certain friends for as long as a year.
Knowledge of the ways of God allows you to see that it is because of the love of God for you that HE must correct you when you go astray. The greater the sin, the greater the consequences. God cannot allow the world to think that sin does not have any consequences.