The first time you see a topic on holy punishment, you might conclude we are out of our minds. Or else you may think we are talking from both sides of our mouths. You think it is impossible to have any punishment that is considered holy. Particularly if you have or had a wicked father. How can punishment be in the same sentence as something as wonderful as holy? Well, stay with us as we delve deeper into our series on positive problems.
First, we assume you are a good parent. When you discipline your child, do you not hurt with the child? That is how it is with God. He does not discipline us because He is angry with us. Not at all. He even condemns parents who punish their children in anger. Rather, we should refrain from provoking our children. So, why does God punish us? The answer is straightforward. His form of punishment is not angry punishment but holy punishment.
God punishes us for our profit. He chastens us so that we may share in His holiness. I love the fact that punishment will cause me to share in God’s holiness. That means you become like Jesus Christ. The more like Jesus you are, the better your chances of going to live with Him in heaven. He will admit those who look and behave like Him into His home. Just like you. If you were a king, you would not allow ruffians into your home, would you? Neither does Jesus.
Ephraim Missed Out On His Holy Punishment
Now, we all know that no punishment is pleasant. The Bible confirms that punishment is painful and we don’t enjoy it. Because God created us with free will, we can accept or reject punishment anytime. However, God advises that we should not reject it. Failing to embrace our holy punishment would make us bastards in His home. And no one wants to be a bastard.
Yet, there are people, both in the bible and in modern times, who have rejected holy punishment. One such is Ephraim. He turned his back on his creator for so long that God said the prophet should leave him alone. God abandoned him. May God not abandon any of us. But it is not enough to pray, we must obey. After all, we all know that obedience is better than sacrifice. Indeed, to help us remember that, there is a popular saying that obedience is the first law in heaven.
What that means for us on this journey is that we should embrace whatever punishment God gives us. Don’t be like those who pray and fast to try and change God’s mind. Prayer cannot change God’s mind because He does not change. Prayer is to help us learn God’s mind. So, whenever punishment comes from God, embrace it. God will use it to help you conform to the image of His dear Son, that is, Jesus.
A Man After God’s Heart
A man who understood this idea is David. As you know, David was far from perfect and none of us can claim to be perfect. That is what makes King David such a good example for us. From our faults, we can become a man after God’s heart like David if we embrace our holy punishment like he did. In case you are not familiar with the story, we do a refresh.
David was an adulterer and lusted after Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife. He got her pregnant and, to hide the evidence, murdered Uriah. God punished him with the death of the child born of that unholy union. That would have made many of us bitter but not David. Many of us would have turned away from God after that but not David.
King David turned to God and acknowledged that he had sinned. He embraced the punishment and God blessed him with Solomon who later became a king. David experienced restoration. But unless you acknowledge the sin and embrace the punishment, you can pray until tomorrow; it will change nothing. That will not bring about the restoration for which God sent the holy punishment
You can choose your example. I choose King David. He sinned, like most of us. David acknowledged his sin and repented, like a few of us. He embraced his punishment as a holy punishment, like very few of us. Finally, King David experienced forgiveness and restoration. I pray you will understand and practice the steps so you too can experience restoration.
Maranatha!