“Correct me, LORD, but only with justice— not in your anger, lest you reduce me to nothing.”
(Jeremiah 10:24, NIV84)
(Jeremiah 10:24, NIV84)
Josh’s bad mood had been growing for days. He noticed too many little projects left undone at home. There were noises from his old car that normally wouldn’t bother him but did that week. It all started when Josh was turned down for a promotion that he felt he deserved. Feeling overlooked and unappreciated, the rejection got to Josh. His mood turned sour. His thoughts were filled with anger and resentment.
On Wednesday, Josh was in a particularly bad mood. He yelled a little too much at the children during breakfast. He became frustrated at work when a project manager did not do things his way. After work, he shouted for five straight minutes at another motorist blocking his way while driving just under the speed limit. Then, during the dinner hour, Josh complained to his wife about the boring meal and soggy meat.
On Wednesday night, Josh went to bed. He skipped his normal prayer time because he was upset. His wife knew better than to even say, “Good night!”, fearing a tirade from his lips. However, that night, Josh had a dream. In it, he was taken back to his wedding day. He was so happy that day. Then, Josh viewed his youngest daughter telling him how much she loved him. After two more visions of good days gone by, Josh heard what he determined was the voice of God while dreaming. God said, “I have blessed you over and over. I have surrounded you with love. I have given you redemption on the cross. And you cuss out your children and push away the wife I gave you?” When Josh woke the next morning, he said to himself, “Well, God sure gave it to me last night. I got spanked good!” He spent the rest of that day spreading good cheer. He brought a smile and a little bit of happiness to every person he encountered. He learned his lesson.
Have you ever been spanked by God? Have you ever felt God hitting back hard for a sin you are committing or a destructive habit that is becoming spiritually harmful?
God’s “spankings” may be imparted during sickness, an accident, a mess, a breakdown, major disruptions to your day, harsh words from a loved one that you needed to hear, or a low point in your life. They often occur when you get in a spiral of sin, where you keep repeating a sin over and over. God’s “spankings” can be light, like the sting in your mind when you realize you were wrong. They can also be very heavy, like a doctor saying that your alcoholism has caused major liver damage and possible liver failure. Some people are too naïve or irreverent to realize when God gives a correction. Wise and faithful people know better. They know to repent and change their ways.
After years of sinning, the people of Judah had fallen away from God. The prophet Jeremiah was told that the time was coming when Judah would suffer for her insolence. God had enough. The people were worshipping idols (Jeremiah 10). Lying, slander and adultery were commonplace (Jeremiah 9). Even the priests were sinning openly against God! It had to stop. Jeremiah knew God’s wrath was coming. In our scripture for today, Jeremiah pleaded with God saying, “Correct me, O Lord, but only in justice – not in your anger…” (Jeremiah 10:24). Jeremiah wanted the people of Judah to respond in the same way… with respect and repentance. Jeremiah knew that he was a sinful man. He just hoped that his country would also recognize their own responsibility in the corruption of the land. Jeremiah desired God to correct his ways, but not overly harshly. Jeremiah knew that God had the ability to correct a person with a light hand or a very heavy hand. Jeremiah prayed and pleaded for leniency from God.
There are dozens of scriptures that speak about God’s correction. Way back in the days of Moses, this “correction” of God was noted. Deuteronomy 8:5 cautions the Israelites that “as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you.” One of the most notable scriptures on the topic comes from the epistle to the Hebrews: “God disciplines those HE loves” (Hebrews 12:6). It is important that you remember that God’s doesn’t enjoy disciplining a person to see their pain and suffering. On the contrary, God disciplines those HE LOVES! God corrects people to keep them close, to spare them harm, and to protect them.
A father and son were taking a trip to see grandma. They were driving in an old Ford pickup that usually sat next to the old barn. Because the “regular” family car was in the shop for repairs, the father chose the old Ford for the short trip twenty miles away to grandma’s house. The son was looking forward to seeing his “Nana”. The boy was very close to his grandmother, often spending summer days playing on her farm.
As the old Ford lumbered along toward grandma’s house, the father slowed to a stop by the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. Sternly, the father reached out his hand and said, “Son, do what I say right now. Take my hand and let me pull you out this side of the truck.” The boy wanted to ask questions. His father’s harsh voice made the young boy feel fear that he had done something wrong. Just as he was about to protest, his father made “an angry face” toward him. The boy closed his mouth, grabbed his father’s hand, and was pulled out of the car. With tears in his eyes, the boy asked, “What did I do, daddy?” The father pointed back into the old Ford. There, peaking out from under the seat was a poisonous snake that had found its way into the truck while it sat next to the old barn.
To save his son’s life, that father had to interrupt their travel to remove his son from danger. For a while, the son couldn’t understand what was happening. Only later, when he saw the snake, did the boy realize the hazard under the seat. Similarly, you will be in spiritual danger at times because of poor choices, moral lapses, or the situation. Then, God needs to step in to protect you. If you dabble in a habitual sin, you may attempt to convince yourself that there are no downsides, when in fact you are treading a morally dangerous path. Then, God has to step in to correct you in order to save you from the peril that awaits down the road should you continue in that wrong direction.
A good parent does not spank a child to cause that child undue pain. The good parent would only spank a child to protect, save, help, or teach that child. I am NOT in any way advocating spanking a child is the first choice. For some children, it may even be a bad choice for discipline. However, as a child of God, you may find God “spanking” or correcting you for your own good (spanking you with justice, i.e. in Jeremiah 10:24). It might be the only corrective measure that saves your soul. Don’t overlook the benefits of a good spanking by God!
On Wednesday, Josh was in a particularly bad mood. He yelled a little too much at the children during breakfast. He became frustrated at work when a project manager did not do things his way. After work, he shouted for five straight minutes at another motorist blocking his way while driving just under the speed limit. Then, during the dinner hour, Josh complained to his wife about the boring meal and soggy meat.
On Wednesday night, Josh went to bed. He skipped his normal prayer time because he was upset. His wife knew better than to even say, “Good night!”, fearing a tirade from his lips. However, that night, Josh had a dream. In it, he was taken back to his wedding day. He was so happy that day. Then, Josh viewed his youngest daughter telling him how much she loved him. After two more visions of good days gone by, Josh heard what he determined was the voice of God while dreaming. God said, “I have blessed you over and over. I have surrounded you with love. I have given you redemption on the cross. And you cuss out your children and push away the wife I gave you?” When Josh woke the next morning, he said to himself, “Well, God sure gave it to me last night. I got spanked good!” He spent the rest of that day spreading good cheer. He brought a smile and a little bit of happiness to every person he encountered. He learned his lesson.
Have you ever been spanked by God? Have you ever felt God hitting back hard for a sin you are committing or a destructive habit that is becoming spiritually harmful?
God’s “spankings” may be imparted during sickness, an accident, a mess, a breakdown, major disruptions to your day, harsh words from a loved one that you needed to hear, or a low point in your life. They often occur when you get in a spiral of sin, where you keep repeating a sin over and over. God’s “spankings” can be light, like the sting in your mind when you realize you were wrong. They can also be very heavy, like a doctor saying that your alcoholism has caused major liver damage and possible liver failure. Some people are too naïve or irreverent to realize when God gives a correction. Wise and faithful people know better. They know to repent and change their ways.
After years of sinning, the people of Judah had fallen away from God. The prophet Jeremiah was told that the time was coming when Judah would suffer for her insolence. God had enough. The people were worshipping idols (Jeremiah 10). Lying, slander and adultery were commonplace (Jeremiah 9). Even the priests were sinning openly against God! It had to stop. Jeremiah knew God’s wrath was coming. In our scripture for today, Jeremiah pleaded with God saying, “Correct me, O Lord, but only in justice – not in your anger…” (Jeremiah 10:24). Jeremiah wanted the people of Judah to respond in the same way… with respect and repentance. Jeremiah knew that he was a sinful man. He just hoped that his country would also recognize their own responsibility in the corruption of the land. Jeremiah desired God to correct his ways, but not overly harshly. Jeremiah knew that God had the ability to correct a person with a light hand or a very heavy hand. Jeremiah prayed and pleaded for leniency from God.
There are dozens of scriptures that speak about God’s correction. Way back in the days of Moses, this “correction” of God was noted. Deuteronomy 8:5 cautions the Israelites that “as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you.” One of the most notable scriptures on the topic comes from the epistle to the Hebrews: “God disciplines those HE loves” (Hebrews 12:6). It is important that you remember that God’s doesn’t enjoy disciplining a person to see their pain and suffering. On the contrary, God disciplines those HE LOVES! God corrects people to keep them close, to spare them harm, and to protect them.
A father and son were taking a trip to see grandma. They were driving in an old Ford pickup that usually sat next to the old barn. Because the “regular” family car was in the shop for repairs, the father chose the old Ford for the short trip twenty miles away to grandma’s house. The son was looking forward to seeing his “Nana”. The boy was very close to his grandmother, often spending summer days playing on her farm.
As the old Ford lumbered along toward grandma’s house, the father slowed to a stop by the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. Sternly, the father reached out his hand and said, “Son, do what I say right now. Take my hand and let me pull you out this side of the truck.” The boy wanted to ask questions. His father’s harsh voice made the young boy feel fear that he had done something wrong. Just as he was about to protest, his father made “an angry face” toward him. The boy closed his mouth, grabbed his father’s hand, and was pulled out of the car. With tears in his eyes, the boy asked, “What did I do, daddy?” The father pointed back into the old Ford. There, peaking out from under the seat was a poisonous snake that had found its way into the truck while it sat next to the old barn.
To save his son’s life, that father had to interrupt their travel to remove his son from danger. For a while, the son couldn’t understand what was happening. Only later, when he saw the snake, did the boy realize the hazard under the seat. Similarly, you will be in spiritual danger at times because of poor choices, moral lapses, or the situation. Then, God needs to step in to protect you. If you dabble in a habitual sin, you may attempt to convince yourself that there are no downsides, when in fact you are treading a morally dangerous path. Then, God has to step in to correct you in order to save you from the peril that awaits down the road should you continue in that wrong direction.
A good parent does not spank a child to cause that child undue pain. The good parent would only spank a child to protect, save, help, or teach that child. I am NOT in any way advocating spanking a child is the first choice. For some children, it may even be a bad choice for discipline. However, as a child of God, you may find God “spanking” or correcting you for your own good (spanking you with justice, i.e. in Jeremiah 10:24). It might be the only corrective measure that saves your soul. Don’t overlook the benefits of a good spanking by God!