Writings by Barri Cae Mallin

The Oxymoron of Chastening

Tuesday 28 March 2006 - 13:20:54
My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD, neither be weary of His correction;
For whom the LORD loveth He correcteth;
even as a father the son in whom He delighteth. Proverbs 3:11:12 KJV

Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things
which He suffered. Heb. 5:8 NASB

We hear much about how the Father delights in us. He loves us. He sings over us. Yet there is the other side of this mysterious love of God – that is His chastening, His rod. The rod (mah-the in Hebrew) was used for discipline of slaves (Ex. 21:20), it was used for fools (Pro. 10:13), or it was used on a son:

He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him
chasteneth him betimes [diligently]. Pro. 13:24 KJV

The rod is a symbol of authority and rulership. Receiving the rod from God brings life, wisdom and God's favor. We are encouraged to take hold of instruction (Prov. 4:13, 8:33). If we reject the rod of God’s discipline, it can bring poverty or even death (Prov. 5:23; 13:18a).

There are times in our walk as believers when affliction comes upon us. Troubles assail us at every side. We assess our walk as we allow the Spirit to search our being. We know that there is no way out. We must walk through these trials. We have no question that the hand of God, the rod of God brought this upon us. It is the mystery of the rod of God, the oxymoron of chastening.

Webster’s defines an oxymoron as "a combination of contradictory words" (www.m-w.com ). Chastening is contradictory. It is painful yet administered in love. Chastening is personal. Although the Bible speaks of distress in the churches (Revelation 2) and distress of the saints, in truth, chastening is deeply personal. The test has your name on it. The test is yours and yours only to take.

Should we expect anything less than what our Lord Yeshua Jesus experienced?

Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things
which He suffered. Heb. 5:8 NASB

As you are a child of God, expect chastening.

And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children,
My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou
art rebuked of him:
For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Heb. 12:5-6 KJV

God loves you. He wants you to grow up to be like Yeshua Jesus, His Perfect Son. We can’t be conformed to Yeshua Jesus in good times. It has to be through times of trial and testing. The painful times of chastening remind us that we are beloved children in the family of God. God’s chastening is always for our profit.

All sorrow will pass. All infirmed will be healed. Some will receive their healing and blessings on this side. Others shall have healing and blessings on the other side. This rod, this chastening is temporary. For us believers, this is the only hell that we will have to endure, and we even have the LORD to help us through those hellish times. Our problems, sorrows and trials are transient and they work for us an "eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison" (2 Corin. 4:17).

Look at Joseph’s life. He had troubles at home, he had troubles at work in Potiphar’s house, and he had troubles in prison. Yet silently, God was there. In time, God brings forth the peaceful fruit of righteousness. We experience God’s grace in these times of chastening.


The LORD's voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom shall see Thy name:
hear ye the rod, and Who hath appointed it. Micah 6:9 KJV

Don’t be afraid of God’s rod. Go forth and embrace your trials and your sufferings. The blows of the anvil of affliction are given to you in love. Shrink not. The voice of God shall be heard in His rod of chastening. What is He saying to you, dear one of wisdom, in your affliction? Can you sense His embrace of love?

The God of heaven will give us success…Nehemiah 2:20a

Copyright © Barri Cae Mallin.