The Kindness of Instruction

“Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way. The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.” (Ps 25:8-9 AV)

It is precisely because of God’s love us that we experience that which we need in order to be more like Him.  One thing to note.  The degree of instruction above is gentile and patient.  Notice there is teaching, guiding, and teaching again.  David is not talking about correction for disobedience to the degree it is considered chastisement.  This is a compassionate and gentile correction to guide the sinner in the ways of righteousness so that he might enjoy a life of blessing by conformity to the holiness of God.  Something else to note is David’s reference to himself as a sinner.  That is always a good place to start if we are going to grow unto Christlikeness.  Those hard lessons we must learn from God are a reflection of His goodness and kindness.  Not because He desires to inflict uncomfortable situations on His children.  The Bible tells us that God uses many levels of teaching.  There is reproof, rebuke, and exhortation.  There is an instruction in righteousness.  There is chastening and scourging in Hebrews and John chapter 14 teaches us the LORD prunes and takes out of the way.  Although these actions may seem absent of love and compassion, just the opposite is true. God is a kind and compassionate God who patiently works with us so that we might conform to His image and realize the blessings that come with that conformity.

Remember those cursive writing worksheets you had in first grade?  I do.  I remembered them afresh when my own children had to complete those sheets.  Remember tracing each and every letter of the alphabet billions of times and then combining letters and tracing them a billion more times?  Somewhere, there is a forest with a sign that reads, “Cursive writing forest.  The trees in this million-acre forest are reserved for cursive writing worksheets.  Not permissible for construction or manufacturing.  Violators will be fined or imprisoned up to a life sentence.”  I remember one of two of my children fighting me on such homework.  It was boring.  Many times, they raced through it and didn’t try their best.  I had to make them do it again and again.  I wish I could say they have perfect penmanship, but it might be they need more practice.  Day after day, hour after hour, they traced those letters.  A correction here.  An instruction there.  They had to learn cursive if they were going to succeed in life.  It wasn’t easy.  As their father and teacher, patience was the key.  I could not get on them and rebuke them soundly.  Only if they rushed through it to get it done and didn’t care one iota.  Then I had to rebuke them.  But it was every day for an hour or so for an entire school year.  One sheet after another.  I think we filled a landfill somewhere.  Why?  There was a standard they had to meet.  Not for a grade per se, but that they might be proficient in a life skill they would need.  If they didn’t do well, it wasn’t that they didn’t want to.  Cursive writing is not natural.  There is an art to it.  Printing is far more natural.  Writing takes effort and attention.  Thus, patience is the key to teaching this skill.

God does the same for us.  We are sinners.  It is not in our nature to do the right thing.  When given a choice, we usually do the opposite.  Therefore, the LORD must correct us and instruct us in the way we must go.  This instruction and correction is an extension of His love.  And, we should be eternally grateful for it.  He doesn’t want us to stay what we are.  There are consequences for living contrary to established natural law.  His law does not bend.  We must bend to it.  If we do, then there are blessings untold!  This is what the Creator desires for all souls.  He created a creation that conforms to His holy nature because that is the best that can be.  He gives us the ability to choose to conform to the best or rebel against it.  There are consequences for both.  It is this instruction and guidance that He desires to share with everyone.  It makes no sense to fight against it.  It would be like a fish fighting against the water in which he lives because he does not have the ability to live on land.  How silly!  He is better off in the environment in which he was created to inhabit.  The same is true for us.  God did not create us to live in sin.  We have chosen to do so.  In His kindness, he teaches, guides, and teaches.