Nobody Likes A Whipping

“In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found: but a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding” (Proverbs 10:13).
If I misbehaved when I was a boy, I knew the consequences for my actions: a whipping. The same principle occurs with the discipline of God. We know that our sin will find us out, that we cannot hide our transgressions from God and that because of His holiness, He must deal with our rebellion. Like any good father, He cannot look the other way while we bring harm to ourselves. He disciplines us for our own good, and although it hurts Him, He does it because He loves us. While it is true that the rod is for the back of the foolish man, we must be careful not to attribute everything that happens in our lives to the correction of God. Some trials in our lives are attacks from Satan sent for the purpose of stealing, killing, and destroying (his specialties). (Luke 22: 31; John 10:10). Satan desires to tear us down, discourage and condemn. Tribulations that come from God are for the purpose of conforming us to the image of Jesus (Romans 8:28, 29). God tells us to rejoice in temptation, because “the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ” (I Peter 1:7). When we go through a difficult time in our lives, we should seek the face of God to see if what we are experiencing is a test from Him, an attack from Satan or chastisement because of disobedience. Our response will depend on what we are facing: joy for the test, warfare against Satan or repentance for chastisement.