Judgment and discipline

It was at this time in history that Nebuchadnezzar was really rattling the cages of the nations around.  He had already rattled the cage of Judah, and now he was rattling the cage of Egypt.

In these two passages, we see the judgment God was bringing on two nations, Egypt and the Philistia.  God would use Egypt to crush Philistia, while he would use Babylon to crush Egypt. 

It’s the pattern God has used throughout history.

But sandwiched in between these two proclamations of judgment, God speaks to Judah, saying,

“Do not fear, O Jacob my servant; do not be dismayed, O Israel.  I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile. 

Jacob will again have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid.  

Do not fear, O Jacob my servant, for I am with you,” declares the Lord. 

“Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you.  I will discipline you but only with justice; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.”  (Jeremiah 46:27-28)

It strikes me that God makes a distinction between those who are his and those who are not. 

To those who are not his, to those who have utterly rebelled against him, judgment is coming, and it is certain. 

But to those who are his, while he may discipline us, and that discipline may indeed be harsh, he will not simply dispose of us.  Rather, he is constantly working to restore us. 

And no matter how badly we may fall, he promises that he will always be with us.

You may feel that because of your sin, God is punishing you, and more than that, that he has given up on you. 

But if you have received Jesus as Lord in your life and received his gift of eternal life, you are God’s child.  And as such, he says to you,

I will never leave you; I will never forget you.  (Hebrews 13:5).

So,

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.”…

Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 

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.  (Hebrews 12:5-6; 10-11)