Letter to the Hebrews Volume 162

 The Discipline of Our Heavenly Father Part 4

Hebrews 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. KJV

The earthly father that has in mind the best intentions for his children is always going about to teach them the difference between what is right and what is wrong, for as we saw from  two commentary/bible studies ago (Volume 160) the Proverbs declared to us that "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him." (Proverbs 22:15) (KJV). Therefore, it is the duty of any earthly father who wants their children to go down the right road or right path to discipline them when they step out of line. So much more is this true for the Father of spirits to chasten his adopted/born again sons and daughters when we step out of the will of His Word and slide back into those sinful ways of ours. Our Heavenly Father does not do this with anything in mind but our benefit, our benevolence, and our betterment. Just like any earthly child feels the sting of the belt or the switch when he or she is being disciplined and it is very unpleasant for the moment, but afterwards as the pain subsides he or she is reminded that what they did was wrong and against the rules of their father, therefore, we now read these words by the writer of Hebrews, "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." (Hebrews 12:11) (KJV). There is nothing joyous or delightful in getting a switch taken from a tree limb and applied to your backside, but it is natural, necessary, and needful punishment when any child disobeys their parents. When we disobey our Father in Heaven, we break his heart with our sin, but we break His heart even more so with the discipline He must naturally, necessarily, and needfully apply to us in order to turn us back to Him and His Truth the Word of God. There is perhaps no better understanding of this than what the Psalmist wrote concerning the Covenant of God the Father with David/with Israel and also the Covenant of our Lord Jesus Christ with all of us who belong to Him by way of the new birth when he wrote, "I have found David my servant; with My holy oil have I anointed him: With whom My Hand shall be established: Mine Arm also shall strengthen him. The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him. And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him. But My Faithfulness and My Mercy shall be with him: and in My Name shall his horn be exalted. I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers. He shall cry unto Me, Thou art my Father, my God, and the Rock of my Salvation. Also I will make him My firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and My Covenant shall stand fast with him. His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven. If his children forsake My Law, and walk not in My Judgments; If they break My Statutes, and keep not My Commandments; Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless My Lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer My Faithfulness to fail. My Covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of My Lips. Once have I sworn by My Holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before Me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah." (Pslam 89:20-37) (KJV). This is what the steadfast love of our Heavenly Father truly is unto us His children.

Here is what Albert Barnes had to say of Hebrews 12:11, "It does not impart pleasure, nor is this its design. All chastisement is intended to produce pain, and the Christian is as sensitive to pain as others. His religion does not blunt his sensibilities and make him a stoic, but it rather increases his susceptibility to suffering. The Lord Jesus, probably, felt pain, reproach, and contempt more keenly than any other human being ever did; and the Christian feels the loss of a child, or physical suffering, as keenly as anyone. But while religion does not render him insensible to suffering, it does two things: (1) It enables him to bear the pain without complaining; and, (2) It turns the affliction into a blessing on his soul. 'Nevertheless afterward.' In future life. The effect is seen in a pure life, and in a more entire devotedness to God. We are not to look for the proper fruits of affliction while we are suffering, but 'afterward.' It is a tree that bears good fruit, and we do not expect the fruit to form and ripen at once. It may be long maturing, but it will be rich and mellow when it is ripe. It frequently requires a long time before all the results of affliction appear - as it requires months to form and ripen fruit. Like fruit it may appear at first sour, crabbed, and unpalatable; but it will be at last like the ruddy peach or the golden orange. When those fruits are ripened, they are: (1) Fruits of 'righteousness.' They make us more holy, more dead to sin and the world, and more alive to God. And they are (2) 'Peaceable.' They produce peace, calmness, submission in the soul. They make the heart more tranquil in its confidence in God, and more disposed to promote the religion of peace. The Apostle speaks of this as if it were a universal truth in regard to Christians who are afflicted. And it is so. There is no Christian who is not ultimately benefited by trials, and who is not able at some period subsequently to say, 'It was good for me that I was afflicted. Before I was afflicted I went astray; but now have I kept thy word.' When a Christian comes to die, he does not feel that he has had one trial too many, or one which he did not deserve. He can then look back and see the effect of some early trial so severe that he once thought he could hardly endure it, spreading a hallowed influence over his future years, and scattering its golden fruit all along the pathway of life. I have never known a Christian who was not benefited by afflictions; I have seen none who was not able to say that his trials produced some happy effect on his religious character, and on his real happiness in life. If this be so, then no matter how severe our trials, we should submit to them without a complaint. The more severe they are, the more we shall yet be blessed - on earth or in heaven."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…