Endure The Chastening

“Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt. For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction.” (Isa 10:24-25 AV)

It is rarely preached or spoken of, but the chastening hand of God is a reality.  It is a necessity!  We are saved and the Bible states we sons of God. If sons, then chastening is part of that relationship.  Oft times, the LORD uses His enemies as the means of the rod that chastens and corrects His children.  In our text, it was the kingdom of Assyria who chastened the ten northern tribes, and it would be Babylon that chastens Judah and Benjamin.  However, as our text encourages us, this chastening will not last forever.  A spanking does have its limits.

For instance, our “out of the box” thinking brethren who are utilizing free market principles to attract new “customers” to salvation are finding out the hard way the LORD does not approve of such methods.  They open coffee shops, bowling allies, ball parks, or other amenities, charging a fee or price for goods offered, and wonder why the state or federal government wants to treat them as a ‘for profit’ company.  There is a movement afoot in one state that will charge property taxes if the simple majority of activities are more emotional or physical rather than spiritual.  In other words, if a church owns a gym or ball field, and the majority of activities offered on said properties are sports, especially if there is a fee associated with it or concessions are available, the state sees this as a ‘for profit’ venture and taxes said ministry.  We cry foul.  No pun intended.  But the fact of the matter is, the church is in the business of teaching and preaching God’s word!  First!  When we are disobedient, we should not be surprised God uses the world to correct us.

For the individual, it might be a lost family member, an unsaved employer, or a police officer pulling us over.  Know this:  God loves you and I so much, that He will not permit us to live in such a way as to fritter away blessings of obedience.  Even if the chastening is long and hard, it has time limits.  Israel submitted to Assyria and Babylon.  Because they did, the chastening lasted only one generation.  God restored them.  When we submit to the chastening hand of God, it too will be much shorter.  Don’t be discouraged.  It is for our own good!