“Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chastens his son, so the LORD thy God chastens thee” (Deuteronomy 8:5).

Moses was speaking with the second generation of the children of Israel. The first generation that left the bondage in Egypt had pretty much died in the wilderness. For nearly forty years the Jewish people had settled from place to place in the wilderness until the first generation died. Now it was time for the second generation to move in and possess the good land that the Lord had for them. Moses pled with the people to consider something seriously. He wants them to consider the discipline of the Lord as compared to the way they disciplined their children. Good fathers discipline their children. Think about it! The Lord is a perfect Father; therefore, the Lord disciples His children. This is much more than simply punishing. This involves teaching, training, encouraging, warning, correcting, and sometimes punishing. Aren’t you glad that the Lord is such a wonderful Father? More about this tomorrow.

For today: Make no mistake about it. Good fathers discipline. That is the exact reason that the Lord disciplines His children.