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Proverbs of a 39 yr old man
I always remember a friend of mine telling me about spanking his child at an early age. He was scared to hit his child too hard that it would cause more harm that good. I loved his tenderness. He wanted to scold and discipline, but was weary of his own strength. Did not want to spank to the point that he broke blood, but did want to break down the child's pride and ego. And that it hopes that the child would learn right from wrong. It made me think about Christ suffering for our sins to the point of sweating blood. If we stopped there I think a good faithful child would learn to listen you would hope. But as we see later on in the Gospel message, Jesus did more than just sweat blood. He endured physical lashing and an excruciating Cross. He bled and died for our sins so that we would not be judged by them. It would seem cruel and unnecessary to die like that for a good person. But what about an evil man? How much lashes does that person deserve? Oh the full and measured wrath of God was placed on Christ so that the promises of God could be fulfilled in you and me. This life is a disciplined life in itself, and death is an obstacle we all must face one day. Praise God, in the life and death of Christ we have what we need for spiritual growth and maturity. We have what we need to overcome and live in victory. Through relationship with Christ and the discipline of our Heavenly Father we can grow up from being children of faith to mature men and women of God. Able to rightly divide the word of truth, but still with a childlike faith. Jesus is able to save even to the uttermost by the power of His Shed blood. Yes, even the worst of us. Christ bled for us so that we could have the honor to be disciplined by our Heavenly Father being truly made new. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Blows and wounds scrub away evil, and beatings purge the inmost being. And a single rebuke does more for a person of understanding than a hundred lashes on the back of a fool. Hear Jesus on the Cross say it is finished. It is a single rebuke needed so that we can become people of understanding of the Power of the Gospel! Not just about good and evil. But about dead people really starting to live. Jesus personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. No matter the grievous things you have done, by his wounds you are healed. Go, you are free to go live like a son of righteousness and not as a slave to sin. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Study Is. 53:5
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