“‘For whom the Lord loves He chastens and scourges every son whom He receives.’ If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:6-11).
This passage states three timeless truths about God and His chastening:
Jehovah chastens because He loves. A holy love for others desires holiness in them. Without holiness no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). A father who fails to chasten his child hates him; a father who loves his child disciplines him promptly (Proverbs 13:24). Chastening is not an indicator of God’s disfavor.
Jehovah makes no exceptions to His chastening. Because He loves every one of His children, there is not one exception to His wise and purposeful chastening. Every beloved child of God is chastened.
Sometimes Jehovah chastens the obedient! Just as a husbandman may purge a vibrant and fruitful vine so it can become even more productive, God has even chastened the obedient so to increase their spiritual development and holiness. Though obedient, Job was chastened. Abraham was also (Genesis 22). The sinless Jesus was chastened so He could be perfectly qualified as the author of eternal salvation (Hebrews 5:7-9).
Though there may be many things about the process of God’s chastening we may never understand, we can be sure it will yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness if we are trained by it. Therefore, divine chastening is not a stone carelessly flung into your life to damage you; it is a seed planted with the intention of harvesting an abundant crop of righteousness and holiness in you.
