The Rod

Originally published Sunday, August 23, 2015

“The LORD’s voice crieth unto the city,… Hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it.”

Micah 6:9

It’s hard to be thankful for chastisement- even when it is well deserved. It is possible to be grateful when we understand the blessings that God’s punishment brings.

If the rod were given a voice, it might say: “I saw people at their worst, so I could see them at their best.” If the rod was not there to stop us from going down the path of destruction, we would never walk the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

“The rod and reproof give wisdom” (Prov. 29:15) Once chastised, the rod gives correction to keep us from evil. The rod is the tool we never want God to use, but it’s the one we need the most.

“Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.” (Ps. 23:5) How can you be comforted at the thought of discipline? As you begin to fear God, you lose your fear of the rod. The rod drives you to God, and he who is closest to God needs not fear the rod.

“Feed thy people with thy rod,” (Micah 7:14) God’s use of the rod shows his care for his children. If God didn’t care, why chastise? Why correct? Why comfort? God’s punishment of sin in his children should prove how much he loves and desires to see us free from the chains of evil.

The lesson of the rod carries the very voice of God. We shouldn’t hate the punishment of sin in our lives, we should thank the God that carefully wields the rod to drive sin far from us.

“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,” (Heb. 12:6-7)