The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.

11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: 12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

God the Corrector

If you had an earthly parent who never took the time to correct, teach, discipline, or tell you what to do, what would you think of that parent? How much love do you think you would believe that parent truly had for you? When people do not care about you they do not waste their time attempting to teach or correct you, for that matter they do not invest much time in you at all.

If you are still being corrected and chastised by God you should count yourself blessed as He is still invested in you, He has not given up on what you can and should be as a person. It is only when we no longer feel the chastisement of God that we are in real trouble.

God’s chastening takes many different forms. Examine the meaning of “not the chastening” and “of his correction” in the Hebrew language to enlighten your understanding of the different ways in which God goes about making us into everything He desires us to be as a person.

“not the chastening” in the Hebrew language is defined as follows:

4148. מוּסָר mûwçâr, moo-sawr’; from 3256; prop. chastisement; fig. reproof, warning or instruction; also restraint:— bond, chastening ([-eth]), chastisement, check, correction, discipline, doctrine, instruction, rebuke.

3256. יָסַר yâçar, yaw-sar’; a prim. root; to chastise, lit. (with blows) or fig. (with words); hence, to instruct:— bind, chasten, chastise, correct, instruct, punish, reform, reprove, sore, teach.

“of his correction” in the Hebrew language is defined as follows:

8433. תּוֹכֵחָה tôwkêchâh, to-kay-khaw’; and

תּוֹכַחַת tôwkachath, to-kakh’-ath; from 3198; chastisement; fig. (by words) correction, refutation, proof

The definitions above truly speak for themselves. Reflected in the definitions is the idea that God does and will increase the level of His chastisement in accordance with your willingness to respond. If we refuse to response quickly or easily God will increase our uncomfortableness to the point of allowing us to go through trials and difficulties that will feel like “blows” we cannot endure. Better to take our “blows” through His Words rather than His trials, struggles, and negative consequences for our lack of response to Him or lack of change in our actions according to His Will.

What is the heart of God when He corrects, disciplines, or chastises His child? Again, the use of a definition, the definition for “he delighteth” will reveal His heart for and to us. .

“he delighteth” in the Hebrew language is defined as follows:

7521. רָצָה râtsâh, raw-tsaw’; a prim. root; to be pleased with; spec. to satisfy a debt:— (be) accept (-able), accomplish, set affection, approve, consent with, delight (self), enjoy, (be, have a) favour (-able), like, observe, pardon, (be, have, take) please (-ure), reconcile self.

The heart of God when He disciplines His children is to bring each and every child of His into the place where they are all that He created them to be. God does it because He see their potential and their worth. God Himself feels as our parent that He has ‘a debt to us, which must be satisfied.’ Out of love for us He is going to do everything necessary to accomplish complete wholeness in us by reconciling us to what He originally intended us to be – restoration – His self-imposed debt to mankind.

God’s love for us is so strong, deep, and everlasting that we can put total and complete trust in that love – therefore, we can feel completely safe obeying His correction at the onset knowing that it is always without doubt in our best interest and for our ability to have the very best life possible, even if we do not realize or know what that “best life” actually fully consist of in its entirety.

Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.