Psalm 94:12 – Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law;
In today’s Psalm, we see that blessed is he/she who is disciplined by the Lord. This can be very difficult to see, as none of us likes discipline, it is uncomfortable and downright painful sometimes. However, just as a blacksmith must heat metals and pound them into shape to be useful, so must God refine us through trials and times of discipline so we can be useful to Him and His kingdom.
We also see in this verse that God’s discipline gives us rest from trouble. This is especially hard to understand. It’s one thing to begrudgingly endure trials with mourning, but to see God’s discipline as a source of comfort seems unfathomable. But consider the shepherd’s staff. It is used to direct sheep and is a source of comfort to them, as it is used to fight off enemies and predators. However, the staff is also used to discipline sheep who stray too far from safety. When we see God’s discipline as something that is ultimately for our own safety or comfort, we can rest easier during times of trial, knowing our Enemy, the devil will eventually be put into the pit for all eternity.
Two points here are worthy of our most serious regard:
- God gives knowledge to man: gives him understanding and reason.
- He gives him a revelation of Himself
This is God’s system of teaching; and the human intellect is His gift, which enables man to understand this teaching. We perhaps may add a third thing here; that as by sin the understanding is darkened, He gives the Holy Spirit to dispel this darkness from the intellect, in order that His word may be properly apprehended and understood.
