The Rebuke of the Almighty

Read Job 4:1-5:27

This is a long reading section for today and I will not try to focus on the entire 46 verses that you have just read. Instead I would like to focus only on verse 17 of chapter 5.

Now, we know that Eliphaz and his friends end up being quite in the wrong in their understanding of Job’s plightn (we read the end of the book, right?). Nevertheless they do have, at times, important and valuable insights into the nature of suffering. The end of chapter 5 is a great example of such crystalline wisdom. Verse 17 says, “Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.”

There is a radical theology in Christianity that teaches God does not punish people when they sin. After all, we are Christians and when we sin it is already taken care of through the redemptive work of Jesus. It is a mistake to say, so the theory goes, that suffering is ever caused by sin. I hasten to disagree. I believe that the Scripture clearly teaches that there are consequences for our sin that sometimes go beyond even ourselves. Consider the story of David in 2 Samuel 24 where we are told that he counted his fighting men in direct contradiction of God’s command. Punishment was not for David alone but for all of Israel. A plague came upon the land for 3 days and we are told that 70,000 people died as a result.

In the New Testament we see much of the same thing. Hebrews 12 for example says, “‘My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.’ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father.” (vs. 5b-7) And what of Annanias and Sapphira who 'lied to the Holy Spirit' and were pronounced dead on the scene? Clearly, sin had something to do with their suffering.

But, this is not to say that every form of suffering is from God. This is not to say that every form of suffering is discipline. This is not to say that every disciplinary action of God is because of sin. It is to say that God does correct those he loves which is what Eliphaz is saying. “Blessed is the man whom God corrects, so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.”

What it does mean is that not all suffering is bad, if any of it is bad. Blessed is a powerful word much like the word used in the Beatitudes in Matthew 5. It means that God is looking upon us with an approving eye. Correction is not meant to destroy, but to correct. We should be thankful that God loves us enough to correct us even when it hurts. I cannot think of a scenario when my children have been disciplined and it did not hurt me as much as it hurt them or more. Nevertheless, my children, in order to learn and grow, must at times endure my discipline. Suffering produces perseverance but it does not end there. In the end suffering produces a hope that does not disappoint because it is God himself who inhabits the hope and brings it to fruition.

Prayer thoughts

What areas in your life are in turmoil? Has God ever disciplined you? Think about what you have learned from your experience and thank God for it. You are blessed for having been loved so much. Pray for those enduring discipline today. (Don't get me wrong, our sin has been paid for on the cross. As we shall see later, it is precisely that God does not give us what we deserve that makes Christianity so viable. We call it grace, and it is wonderful. Correction and discipline are God's tools used for making us like Christ.I am not talking about eternal discipline, but temporal discipline meant to teach, rebuke, correct and train in righteousness. Sin has consequences--even for the saved. "Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered..." Hebrews 5:8.)