Heavy Hands Are Hard

“Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.” (Jer 48:10 AV)

 For me, this is perhaps one of the most difficult devotions I have ever had to write.  The LORD is speaking to those tasked to carry on the unfortunate responsibility to be the hand of God’s correction.  You would think after writing this that my children grew up to be undisciplined and rebellious.  The opposite is true.  I was the faithful authority figure in my home and diligently exercised the instrument of discipline.  I didn’t enjoy it and would rather have avoided it.  But to discharge my duties before the LORD and for the benefit of the spiritual well-being of my home, I had no choice.  The same is true when I was a business manager.  The same was true when I was a department head.  The same was true when I was a scout leader.  Being the arm of correction and discipline is not an enjoyable thing to do, nor should it be.  But for the sake of the individual(s) involved, it is necessary.  Woe unto the one who enjoys this ministry a bit too much!  LOL.  What we want to see this morning is the LORD’s attitude towards the one who decides foregoing his biblical responsibility to be that hand of the LORD meted out for correction.  There is a curse placed upon him.  He will not prosper anywhere he goes because discipline is part of his duties.

There are so many times in life I had to correct or discipline another individual for actions they took or failed to take.  I think the hardest is firing someone under your employ.  Other forms of correction keep open the possibility of a continued relationship.  But when you have to fire someone, they are forever severed.  Years ago, when I managed a pizzeria, such a situation arose.  We had an employee at a small outlet who was consistently late.  Not by much.  Just a few minutes.  This small outlet only required two or three employees to run it.  So, the manager got really close to his employees.  Being a small country store, it was slow most of the time.  Minor tardiness was not a huge problem because the pace of the business didn’t really mandate precise punctuality.  My boss called me and told me to fire that employee at the conclusion of our business day.  Personally, I thought my boss wanted him fired for personal reasons.  But I really didn’t have a vote in the matter.  As a manager, it was my responsibility to fire this employee.  I thought it was unfair.  I was worried about how he would make ends meet.  I was concerned we could not be used as a reference and if someone called, we would have to disclose his employment history.  I felt really bad.  But it needed to be done.

As one who has a position of authority, you and I are asked to do some hard things.  Things we would rather not have to do.  Things we wish we could pass off to someone else.  As someone who has helped families, I can tell you of Dad is not the disciplinarian and mom must pick up the slack, children do not turn out right.  Working with military families who must adjust to such a scenario, some military families can adjust and Dad is still the disciplinarian even though he is deployed.  Other families, Mom was the only disciplinarian regardless of Dad being deployed or on leave and at home.  In times like these, it is so important to seek the LORD’s strength in discharging one’s duty.  We need wisdom.  We need love and patience.  We need compassion.  But we also need resolve.  Secondly, we also need to remember our affirmation comes from the LORD and not dependent on how others might react to our authority.  Let’s face it, we don’t like to exercise that hand of correction because we do not like to not be liked.  It is often a lonely job.  We often stand-alone and those under us seldom understand why we had to do what we did.