The 10 Letter Word

Sometime during my life, "punishment" became a bad ten letter word that was an indicator of a heavy-handed parent, one who might as well admit to abusing their child.  I can understand serious concern how consequences for doing wrong are meted out because parents, teachers and others in positions of authority have committed abuses, but the Bible shows punishment in itself is not sinful or morally wrong.  God punishes evildoers, and what those in authority must understand is they are not God and must answer to Him for their deviation from love, mercy, compassion and justice.  It is the love and fear of God that ought to govern God's people in the administration of discipline.

I have experienced leaders at schools, camps and the workplace who embraced positive affirmation to a degree that made me squirm with discomfort more than harsh censure.  Instead of identifying bad behaviour and enforcing a clear boundary with corrective measures, some feel compelled to tell everyone how wonderful and amazing their conduct has been.  Had those words come from my mouth, I would have been guilty of lying through my teeth based upon my observations and convictions.  Sometimes bad behaviour occurs when a boundary and clear consequences were not adequately spelled out, and once this is done there is no excuse for those in authority not following through with their own stated policies when there is clear, willful disobedience.  When leaders neglect to take appropriate action, a warning is reduced to an idle threatening which leads to habitual and greater transgression.

Webster defined "punishment" with important distinctions:  "Any pain or suffering inflicted on a person for a crime or offense, by the authority to which the offender is subject, either by the constitution of God or of civil society. The punishment of the faults and offenses of children by the parent, is by virtue of the right of government with which the parent is invested by God himself. This species of punishment is chastisement or correction. The punishment of crimes against the laws is inflicted by the supreme power of the state in virtue of the right of government, vested in the prince or legislature. The right of punishment belongs only to persons clothed with authority. Pain, loss or evil willfully inflicted on another for his crimes or offenses by a private unauthorized person, is revenge rather than punishment."  There are different kinds of punishment that are to be done in an appropriate way in the fear of God.  Punishment is not merely inflicting pain as retribution--"You angered me so I will hurt you"--but has the aim of instruction, correction and restoration.  When punishment is abandoned for vengeance, we transgress upon God's sovereign territory.

I remember years ago there was an unruly youth at a centre where I worked.  We had a simple disciplinary approach taken from soccer for the kids who attended:  a yellow card was a warning, and a red card meant ejection.  While we always encouraged the children and praised good behaviour, we also needed an effective way to communicate what behaviour was unacceptable.  After serving more red cards to one youth than all other children combined, I sought the LORD and His wisdom because the red card punishment was not resulting in correction or reformation.  I was led to consider the words of Jesus in Matthew 18:15-17:  "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. ¹⁶ But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.' ¹⁷ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector."

My immediate response was, "That's not going to work."  But I chose to heed God's word and put the principle of Jesus' teaching into practice.  I had a conversation with the youth who claimed to be a Christian.  I explained that if I needed to give a red card again, we would have a chat with all the kids at the centre, that the youth would be prohibited from entry until there was a change of heart and willingness to follow the rules.  It wasn't long before the red card was issued, the conversation was had before all the children, and the youth was not permitted to attend.  A couple months later, we were all blessed by God's answer to prayer when the youth returned willing to apologise and had a different attitude.  There may have been a couple of yellow cards given after that, but never again a red card.  I cannot emphasise this enough:  it was not our system but God who made all the difference.  God was faithful to His word and loved me and the unruly youth enough to teach us all valuable lessons that made a difference for good.

I urge you brother and sister in Christ:  trust God enough to put His word into practice concerning administering punishment and discipline to those God has entrusted to you.  Love is shown by being patient and kind, by being slow to anger and not keeping records of wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).  Abuse of authority is unloving, and it is also unloving to neglect appropriate discipline.  Should the temper flare and the flesh bristle with offence, immediately stop and examine your own heart before the LORD, repent of vengeful desires, and humble ourselves before God.  Then, even when it feels uncomfortable, have a conversation where you specifically identify the boundary and how it was transgressed.  Seek the LORD for what are appropriate consequences should the line be willfully crossed again.  Proverbs 13:24 says, "He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly."  Praise God He is gracious and merciful with His administration of discipline to us when we err, communicating His love without fail.

Faith Pleases God

There was likely no one more surprised than my dad when I embarked on a career in mechanical insulation.  He remembered very well my aversion to the feeling of gyprock (drywall) dust as a youngster, and he likely figured I was simply not cut out for jobsites and able to endure the dust, noise, fumes and physical labour.  After over a decade in the trade there was probably no one more surprised than me when the LORD opened a door to being a youth pastor in full-time ministry.  Working in a trade was by no means wasted time, for it prepared me for the rigours of pastoral work in countless ways.  I did not begin a career in a trade to please my dad, but I switched into a new line of work with the desire to please God.

It's an interesting dynamic that people who are not particularly fond of their dads wish they could please them.  Dads can be hard--at times even impossible--to please.  I was blessed to be assured of my dad's love and support regardless of my job or career choice, yet not everyone experiences this level of acceptance with their father.  It is possible, however, to live in the way that pleases God--our heavenly Father.  If pleasing our earthly father is a pleasant thought, how much more is pleasing our Father in heaven!  Paul prayed in Colossians 1:9-12:  "For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; ¹⁰ that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; ¹² giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light."

There is one key and indispensable element to pleasing God as it is written in Hebrews 11:6:  "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."  Those who do not believe in God's existence will not go to God, for they do not believe He has done anything or would be able to do anything.  Jesus is revealed as God made flesh, and He preached repentance from sin and the kingdom of God.  Those who heard the message of the Gospel, when mixed with faith, profited them when they responded to it in faith, submission and obedience:  they repented of their sin, believed Jesus is the Christ, and walked in obedience to Him.  It is God who provides wisdom, spiritual understanding and fruitfulness, and having been born again by faith in Jesus we are able to fully please Him by continuing to trust in Him and repent of sin.  The way we came to Jesus Christ by faith is the way we walk with Christ.  Sorrow for sin and repentance leads to acceptance and rejoicing by God's grace.

Some might imagine God's expectation of His children is perfection, that once we know the truth we will never transgress.  Those who have been children and raised children realise this is totally unrealistic.  Parents desire their children to be honest with them and admit when they have done wrong, to show genuine remorse for disobedience, and to take steps to do better moving forward.  Sometimes signs of remorse in people are merely for show, yet the LORD knows our hearts.  It is good for people to go to God in their sin, confessing their faults with contrite hearts--at our conversion and whenever we are convicted of our guilt going forward.  God will not crush and condemn the humble soul who in faith willingly comes to Him for forgiveness and pardon:  it is the one who asserts they are without sin who remain in sin.  It is amazing that having sinned we please God by repenting of our sin, and all heaven is moved to rejoice over one sinner who repents, one who was lost but returned to God in humble contrition.

It's Hell Without Jesus

There is good reason to be wary of anyone who claims they will usher in a new world by their policies and ideology.  Like conquerors who built their homes on top of the cities they took and reduced to rubble, it is only a matter of time until the homes atop the tel are knocked down and made a ruin by new occupants.  Victory in battle or the ballot box may be thrilling, yet leadership that heads in a progressive direction--away from God and values that helped establish a country in the first place--precedes a downward spiral.  Those who claim by their leadership can create utopia for all assert the ability to do something only God can do.  God said in Isaiah 65:17 of a glorious future He will usher in:  "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind."

The Bible teaches that when people or nations lose their way and become corrupt and lawless, it is not that they need to head in a new direction:  they need to return to the old good paths God has established and choose to walk in them.  Jeremiah 6:16 reads, "Thus says the LORD: "Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'"  One fault of man passed down from the very beginning by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden was to follow in Satan's footsteps to desire to be God, to be free to do whatever we will, to speak the word and for it to be fulfilled.  The humanistic and atheistic ambitions to establish a utopian society have never been realised and cannot stand because God--who alone is able to create new heavens and earth and transform man from within into a new creature--has been cut out of the picture.  Mankind is incapable of creating or doing anything new; he is incapable of saving a nation or even himself!  Disregard of our spiritual need for a relationship with the living God leads to ruined minds, bodies, souls and societies.

Many have tried to usher in their ideal age with legislation, and when this falls short they resort to force and control.  When they fail, there is an easy excuse that the status quo was not sufficiently demolished or the foul roots of the previous establishment have undermined a most worthy plan.  Inability to reap the rewards of capitalist, communist or socialist agendas are blamed on the lack of sufficient money, political power, resources or commitment of the common man to prove their ideals sound in reality despite incredible human cost.  The blame often falls on people who become expendable.  The starvation under Mao's Great Leap Forward, the killing fields of Cambodia, propaganda that elevates leaders or the government to godlike status, these are not relics of a distant past:  the implementation of deceptive and authoritarian measures defiant of God and His word continue to this day.  Many aspiring leaders follow Absalom's way of promising justice for all by deceitful and unjust means.  Consider Absalom's approach in 2 Samuel 15:4-6:  "Moreover Absalom would say, "Oh, that I were made judge in the land, and everyone who has any suit or cause would come to me; then I would give him justice."  ⁵ And so it was, whenever anyone came near to bow down to him, that he would put out his hand and take him and kiss him. ⁶ In this manner Absalom acted toward all Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel."  Absalom was a murderer, thief, adulterer, deceiver and liar unworthy of honour or rule.  His rebellion did not last long, but the human toll was terrible.

The desire of people to be God shows our need as those created in God's image to humble ourselves and submit to God; our ambition to rule and for our word to stand shows the importance of heeding God's word and take our stand on it.  There is something in utopia that is attractive because it hints at the peace, prosperity and rest that is found in Jesus Christ alone--God who makes us new creations.  People who do not believe in God hope there is a heaven, and this desire to go to heaven comes from God who will create a new heaven and new earth where righteousness dwells because He sits on the throne.  We are all invited, but people are unwilling to enter in the Door (John 10:7-9) God has swung wide open to us by faith in Christ.  The concept of communal living and all working together for the common benefit hints at the unity people can have by faith in Jesus Christ, united by the Holy Spirit, and loving one another as Jesus loves us.  God's sovereignty, love and grace is conspicuously absent in the ideal world of many people, yet without God man's best efforts result in a hellscape of oppression, control, persecution, poverty, punishment and death.  The world has no idea how the presence of God and the love of Jesus Christ through the church and the wisdom of God's word have worked to protect, preserve and redeem nations to this day:  providing light in darkness, hope for the hopeless and salvation for sinners.

The conception of utopia falls woefully short of the plans God has revealed for all who love and trust Him, eternal life in the presence of our glorious Saviour forever.  Revelation 21:3-5 says, "And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." ⁵ Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."  Jesus has overcome pride, sin and death, and He will make all things new forever--and this includes us.  No society on earth has ever boasted freedom from death, eternal damnation, sorrow, crying or pain, but this is the future God has in store for all people who trust in Him.  You can keep your wistful dreams of future utopia, for I have infinitely better in Jesus Christ today and always.

The New and Living Way

In family Bible reading, we have come to a series of psalms that provide brief overviews that testify of God's wondrous dealings and faithfulness to the children of Israel.  In facing present difficulties, how good it is to fix our eyes on God and consider His awesome and marvellous ways.  In a world that exuberantly shouts out the Fleetwood Mac refrain "You can go your own way!" and is intent on asserting and pleasing self, God has provided the only way to eternal life by faith in Jesus Christ.  This is a life free of bondage to sin, self and death entered into by denying self and following Jesus.

To the children of Israel who faced attacks from Assyria, would ultimately fall to Babylon and be brought into captivity for 70 years, in God there remained hope of a glorious future.  Through the prophet the LORD declared in Isaiah 43:15-19:  "I am the LORD, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King." ¹⁶ Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea and a path through the mighty waters, ¹⁷ who brings forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power (they shall lie down together, they shall not rise; they are extinguished, they are quenched like a wick): ¹⁸ "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. ¹⁹ Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."

God's word hearkened back to His mighty power displayed during the exodus from Egypt when He made a way through the Red Sea to deliver His people from the Egyptian army that pursued them.  The "way" God made was much more than just a way out of trouble but the way of salvation by faith in God.  For the Hebrews, the God's way was entered into by faith and literally was a path to life, leading to fellowship and worship of God, and the destruction of their enemies.  To people who would be brought into captivity in Babylon, God would do a new thing, making a road back from captivity to Jerusalem and the land of promise.  As God miraculously caused water to flow from the rock in the wilderness, God would provide safe passage and supply all their needs in the desert.

Another way God fulfilled this word was heralded by John the Baptist who in the wilderness prepared the way for the revelation of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.  In a spiritually dry and barren world, Jesus identified Himself as the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6).  Jesus said whoever believes on Him will out of his belly flow rivers of Living Water, speaking of the Holy Spirit the Father would send.  Going our own way brought us to ruin, yet God has provided a new and living way to God through faith in Jesus--the One who bid all who are thirsty to come to Him and drink (John 7:37-38).  The Hebrews drank water from the rock in the wilderness and thirsted again, yet those who come to Jesus by faith--the living Way God has provided--will ask and receive the Holy Spirit who is a fountain that springs up within us into everlasting life (John 4:10-14).