“My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline and do not lose heart when he rebukes you. Because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” If you endure punishment, God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?” (Hebrews, ch. 12, verses 5b-7*, the bold font is ours)
Perhaps you are a parent, or perhaps not. Still, you have likely spent at least a few minutes caring for a relative's child. It really depends on how close you are, but you may have had to point out or tell the child: “Don't do that, it's not good!” On the other hand, if you're at the playground and see someone else's child misbehaving, you're unlikely to go over and scold or punish them. Why? Because you expect the mother or father to be around and observing how their child behaves – you wouldn’t assume someone else's responsibility or take away someone else's right. It is no coincidence that God has instilled in us these unwritten mechanisms and rules on which our relationships are built – so that we can at least vaguely imagine the foundations on which our covenant relationships with Him are built.
What is reproof? Why do we dislike it happening to us, and why every time we come across one of "those" strict verses or passages in the Bible, do we seem to want to read it quickly and move on to something more encouraging? Can we change our beliefs about reproof if we understand it in the light of God's word?
Reproof is painful, but at the same time, it heals and renews each of us in our true form as God's children. Maybe we only get to the point where it hurts, where it’s that frightening and difficult moment when our Father looks at us seriously or with pain in His eyes and says, “You have sinned, this is not right.” “That's it, He is disappointed and doesn’t love me anymore,” we say to ourselves. Since we are accustomed to seeing such a look in the eyes of our own parents or even in the mirror when we are disappointed with ourselves, we often imagine God in the same light. We attribute to Him our own motives for punishment and assume He reproves and punishes out of anger, wounded pride, having a bad day, or not getting enough sleep. What is truly the purpose of God's reproof?
- “You say: ‘Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them; how then can we live?’ Tell them: “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?” (Ezekiel, ch. 33, verses 10b-11*, the bold font is ours)
The Lord declares this to the people of Israel to demonstrate His fatherly heart at a time when they are being reproved for their sins by the prophet Ezekiel. God tells them that He, who is their Father, is alive and longs for all His children to resemble Him – to be spiritually alive. God reproves us to show us that, at a given moment, we differ from Him and do not live in His fullness. To not resemble our Father leads to a lack of peace, joy, and security in our lives, as it will create distance between us and Him – Truth and sin have nothing in common. God says this to all because He wants to reveal Himself to every person. His desire is to grant the fullness of His salvation and presence to every heart, knowing there is no good for us, people, apart from Him.
- When God reproves us, He ensures the achievement of the purpose for our lives: “I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. (...) He who overcomes will be dressed in white, and I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and His angels.” (Revelation, ch. 3, verses 1b-3a, 5*)
Reproof is vital to understand that we are heading in the wrong direction and drifting away from our goal. It is like a mountain marker or GPS. If we choose to hide or deny our sin, if we choose to wallow in self-pity or distance ourselves in pain from God, we are making things worse. The goal remains somewhere back, and we lose valuable resources like time, invested efforts, and favorable opportunities to be useful in God’s kingdom. In the Book of Revelation, chapters two and three, the Lord sends messages through Apostle John to seven churches in different regions. The messages reveal the true spiritual state of each of these communities of believers, bearing encouragement (God sees the efforts of the believers) but also reproof. Why? Why does God not just tell us the positive within us: “so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (Second Timothy, ch. 3, verses 16-17*) The Lord is the victor; He will fulfill His overall plan for the world, and nothing and no one will stop Him. The result is already predetermined. The battle is for you, for us, to be victors with Him: “To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.” (Revelation, ch. 3, verse 21*)
Challenge for the week: It is possible you are encountering the idea for the first time that reproof is a manifestation of God's mercy and love in its fullness. Sometimes He uses people to correct us. Is there anything a friend or relative has noticed that you need to change? Do you think it might be true? Look for verses in the Bible this week that relate to this issue. If until now you have viewed reproof as something painful from which you have tried to hide, allow God’s word to work in your heart and mind during these coming days. Do not be afraid of the strict passages in the Bible; they are exceedingly effective medicine against sin, and the Lord desires us to be spiritually healthy and joyful.
*Bible quotations are according to the text of Bible, new translation from original languages © Bulgarian Bible Society 2013.
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