“God’s Discipline”
Isaiah 40:1-3
Introduction:
We all can think about times in our life when we went against God’s will.
Probably the most memorable part of being out of God’s will is the discipline
we encountered as a result of disobeying God. When it comes to being out of God’s will and discipline, I recognize discipline in two senses. The first sense of discipline is the “results” of that sin that we are dwelling in. That is, the hurts and inconveniences that are associated with sin. For instance, if a believer chooses to smoke and he gets cancer, the cancer is a result of the smoking and not necessarily God’s punishment. But then there is God’s punishment. There have been times in my life where I have been out of the will of God and things have happened to me and the Holy Spirit convicts me that they are a result of my sin against God. As we read our text we are going to discover that God’s people have sinned against God, they stepped out of His will therefore as a result of their sin He has allowed the enemy to exile God’s people to a foreign nation. Let us read our text.
(Isa 40:1 KJV) Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. (2) Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. (3) The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Because of Jerusalem’s disobedience, God has administered His discipline by allowing the nation Babylon to take Jerusalem captive to their land. Along with God’s people, they confiscated Jerusalem’s temple treasures. In these times when a nation came and confiscated another nation’s temple treasures it meant that they not only took that nation captive but they also defeated that nation’s God. This was a double insult to God’s people. Not only were they taken into slavery and treated like prisoners, but also day after day they had to listen to the enemy nation taunt them because their God was helpless in their defense. If we are to be honest with ourselves, sometimes we feel the same way. I have many times been going through trials and tribulations and wonder where God is in all of it.
In studying this passage, I asked the question, What lessons could I learn from this text pertaining to God’s discipline? So let us look together and discover these lessons.
[I] The first lesson we can learn is God’s discipline is sorrowful.
I used to get spankings as a child and from time to time my dad would tell me this is going to hurt me more than it is going to hurt you. I would say sure, but not in the same place. When you and I are out of God’s will or dwelling in sin, His purpose for discipline is not to make us hurt, but His purpose is to make us repent. The prophet says “Comfort ye, comfort ye.” That word comfort is found 13 times in the book of Isaiah from chapter 40 to the end of the book. It is found twice here for emphasis. The word in Hebrew means “to ease, to pity, to be sorry, to give some relief. Indeed there is great sorrow involved in being exported to another nation and treated as slaves. I am reminded of God’s people in Egypt as they cried out in sorrow for God to send them a deliverer that would lead them out of bondage. Notice verse 2. The text says “speak ye comfortably to Jersalem, and cry unto her…” The sorrow was so intense that one goes from speaking comfort to crying out for it. Isaiah’s progression from speak to cry gives us a hint of the intensity of Jerusalem’s sorry and their great desire to be given some relief from the sorrows of their disobedience.
Notice that phrase, “cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished…” The word “warfare” in the NESV is supplemented for the words “served her time.” In the NIV it is “hard service.” Again the idea here is that the discipline we encounter, as a result of our disobedience is of great sorry and discomfort. This ought to stand as a warning for us the reader. The warning is this; if we are going to do the crime we are going to do the time. Our God loves us and His discipline is used to keep us from suffering everlasting hurt and irreversible consequences. I like to watch television shows about detective work. In our modern times forensics are almost flawless. I have seen where a criminal has been found and pronounced guilty for his crimes based on a single strand of hair. You would think that with forensics the way they are today many would be less tempted to commit a crime for fear of being caught. Beloved, this text should stand as a warning to us that if we fall to temptation or continue in the sin that we are in there are going to be disciplinary results as seen fit by the Father and the discipline of God bring about great sorrow. There is a second lesson we can learn from our text when we consider God’s discipline.
[II] God’s discipline is timely.
That is God’s discipline is never to late. It is never to early, and it is enough discipline to accomplish His goal. In disciplining my children, I have made the mistake of jumping to a conclusion and disciplining when I should have asked questions and listened. On the other hand , there have also been times when I should have responded with discipline sooner then I actually did. And perhaps from time to time I dish out more discipline then is necessary and at times my discipline is too light. I have not gotten this father thing down to a tee yet. In our text we are assured that when God disciplines He never makes a mistake. Notice that phrase “her iniquity is pardoned…” One commentator said it like this, “the idea is that Jerusalem’s punishment for the crime has been paid, she has served her time.” According to the mosaic Law found in Deut. 28:15-68, God promised to bless His people if they obeyed his commands. Jerusalem was in her condition because she had disobeyed God and therefore they had some time to spend being disciplined. Notice that phrase “she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for her sins…” At first reading one might think that God was unfair for making His people pay twice for her sins. Or He is unjust for putting a double portion of punishment upon those who are disciplined. The truth is we serve a just God and if Jerusalem got what the writer calls a double dose it was because she was deserving of it. Perhaps the meaning of “double” here is referring to then fact that God gave them every effort to repent and because they did not they got more then they would have if indeed they would have repented sooner. God’s discipline is always timely. God, through His Holy Spirit tries to detour us from falling to temptation. Hebrews 2:18 says “For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted. That word “succour” means to render assistance. God will do all He can to turn us from temptation. But if we choose to fall to temptation, He then will pronounce discipline upon us because He loves us. Hebrews 12:6-7a states; “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons…”
Perhaps you are in the midst of struggling with temptation in your life. I mean this tug to go against God’s will is almost unbearable. I want to submit to you that the Holy Spirit in you is working just as hard to keep you from falling. Perhaps this text will aid you in your decision. God’s discipline is sorrowful, God’s discipline is timely, and there is one final lesson we can learn from our text about God’s discipline.
[III] God’s discipline is therapeutic.
There is a divine intention behind God’s discipline. He disciplines us to bring repentance in our lives. Notice that phrase in Verse three, “prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. In our New Testament, this phrase is used in association of John the Baptist. John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus. That is, John went ahead of Jesus in ministry to get the people’s heart ready to accept Jesus and the New Covenant of grace. In preparing the way he proclaimed the same words. Matthew 3:3 says, “For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” Luke 3:4-5 says, “4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ’Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough ways smooth… And John’s Gospel in chapter one says, “23 He said: "I am ’The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the LORD," ’ as the prophet Isaiah said." What was John saying? The phrase “make straight in the desert a highway…” was in reference to workmen going before a dignitary and leveling and smoothing out he road to make his ride smooth as he came and visited a certain place. In the New Testament it is a phrase associated with repenting of one’s sins or of one turning from being out of God’s will. The book of Hebrews chapter 12 verses 11-13 says this, “11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.” Brothers and sister, God’s discipline is not to keep us from enjoying what we consider good things. God’s discipline is not because He enjoys hurting us. God’s discipline is therapeutic in that it is intended to cause us to turn from sin. It is to encourage us to repent and again enjoy life in the will of God.
Conclusion:
Three lessons we can learn about God’s discipline from our text: God’s discipline is sorrowful. God’s discipline is timely. And finally God’s discipline is therapeutic. As a father, I now realize my dad was right. When I discipline my children it does hurt. But I too was right, it did hurt me and not in the same place. Our Lord God is hurting seeing you out of His will because He knows what is best for His children. At the same time if you will be honest with God and with yourself, you too are hurting. How long will you allow this hurt to continue? Right now we have the opportunity to repent and again return to God’s will. As we enter our altar call, will you step out and make straight your ways before God? AMAN
