Not all of God’s children respond to chastisement properly. Parents know that from their own children—sometimes they submit to chastisement, but often they complain, whine, and are even defiant when their parents discipline them. Sometimes Christians become discouraged through chastisement—then they must lift up the hands, which hang down; and the weakened knees. Sometimes Christians are bitter through chastisement—then they must watch diligently against the root of bitterness. We have looked at these warnings in previous blog posts.
This text describes the worst case—apostasy. Sometimes people turn from the faith altogether because of the hardships of the Christian life. Such people are like Esau—and the root of their apostasy is profanity.
The word “bitterness” expresses the meaning of the sin: it means “harsh,” “sharp,” “cutting,” or “cruel.” In English, bitter is the opposite of sweet. We find the reference to “bitterness” in Deuteronomy 29:18, “Lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood.” The writer to the Hebrews refers to that verse in Hebrews 12:15. It is not a direct quote, but it is a clear allusion to that text. Gall and wormwood are bitter-tasting herbs. The idea here, however, is of a bitter tasting, poisonous fruit. The bitter root bears gall and wormwood, which are its bitter fruit. Read More
Chastisement must be distinguished from punishment. Punishment is vengeance of the judge upon the wicked aimed at their destruction. Chastisement is the correction of a father to his child, aimed at his improvement. In verses 5–6, the writer to the Hebrews reminds his readers of what they had forgotten: “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.” They had forgotten that chastisement is a token of God’s love.Read More
Many Christians view chastisement only as painful consequences for specific sins. But chastisement is wider than that. Chastisement is any suffering inflicted by God in love upon his children to teach and to correct them. Even Jesus, God’s perfect Son, was chastised, although not corrected: “he learned obedience by the things which he suffered” (Heb. 5:8). Many of the circumstances of our personal lives, our ecclesiastical lives, and the events in our nation and in the world are sent upon us as chastisement (and upon the wicked world as judgment), not necessarily because we have sinned in some particular way (although we ought not too quickly rule it out), but in order to teach us.Read More
