YHWH Disciplines Me, and Here’s How He Does It

Image Source Unknown

Scripture says that because YHWH loves me, He will discipline me. The author of Hebrews writes,

“And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,

‘My son, do not make light of YHWH’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because YHWH disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son’” (Hebrews 12:5-6).

As is typical in the New Testament, which contains a large percentage of quotations of the Old Testament, the writer of Hebrews uses a quote from Proverbs to support his statement.

“My son, do not despise YHWH’s discipline,
and do not resent his rebuke,
because YHWH disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in (Proverbs 3:11-18).

It almost sounds as if I’m supposed to look forward to being disciplined! (This is definitely not how I tend to view discipline.)

But let’s step back for a second. I’m a mom, and I discipline my children, but that doesn’t mean that I spend my days yelling and spanking.

Webster’s dictionary defines “discipline” like this:

Discipline (verb): To instruct or educate; to inform the mind; to prepare by instructing in correct principles and habits; as, to discipline youth for a profession, or for future usefulness.

This doesn’t sound so bad after all. I suppose it could involve an aspect of punishment, but this isn’t where discipline starts. Instead, God cares about me and wants to instruct and educate me, for my good.

The Training Manual

What tool does YHWH use to discipline and teach me? Does He speak aloud to me?

Not at first. Paul wrote this in a letter to Timothy:

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Messiah Yeshua [Jesus]. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:14-17).

In our modern mindset, we might be quick to say, “The Bible is God’s training manual,” but not so fast! This letter to Timothy was written in approximately 67 A.D. (source). The New Testament is a collection of writings, which started to be bundled into sets and circulated to churches by at least the second century but wasn’t formally made into what it is today until the middle of the third century at the earliest (source).

In other words, when young Timothy received the letter from his mentor Paul, he didn’t have the entire Bible to read. He only had the “Scriptures.”

In the first century, the Apostles, who were all Jews, taught their disciples from the Hebrew Scriptures, which we refer to as the “Old Testament.” In Hebrew, the word for the scriptures is Tenakh, which is an acronym:

• Torah (which means “teaching” and refers to the Pentateuch, or Genesis to Deuteronomy)
• Nevi’im (which means “prophets”)
• Ketuvim (which means “writings”)

(You can see a more thorough explanation and listing of books here.)

Placing the word “old” in our title of “Old Testament” is a bit deceptive because, while it is certainly old, it seems to imply that it is obsolete and only useful for general principles or good stories; only the New Testament is for our instruction. However, this isn’t what Paul taught Timothy.

Where did Paul get this idea?

Well, if we move back in time just a little bit to the time of Jesus, whose Hebrew name was Yeshua, and to when the first congregations were being established, we see that the method of training was to read from the Tenakh, especially from the Torah.

“The law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath” (Acts 15:21).

Reading a Torah Scroll – Image courtesy of Irina Opachevsky at 123rf.com

The normal practice was to read a portion from the Torah each week, as well as a portion from the Prophets. They didn’t have individual copies of the Scriptures. Instead, each congregation, if it were rich enough, had its own scrolls. These were heavy books that were stored in the synagogue and carefully brought out and read from to all who had gathered. It was an honor to be called upon to do the week’s reading, and visiting Levites and teachers (often called “prophets”) were usually the first to be invited to read publicly and then share a short teaching on that week’s parsha, or portion.

“Yeshua returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

“He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

“‘The Spirit of YHWH is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of YHWH’s favor’ [reading from Isaiah 61:1-2 in the Septuagint, plus Isaiah 58:6].

“Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing'” (Luke 4:14-21).

When Paul was first beginning to teach about Yeshua the Messiah, he used the same method.

“When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead” (Acts 17:1-3).

In fact, in the city of Berea, the new believers were commended because they spent so much time in the synagogue, carefully studying their scrolls to be sure Paul wasn’t a false teacher.

“As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men” (Acts 17:10-12).

Because copies of the Scriptures were so precious, Jewish boys were taught the Torah, Prophets, and Writings from a young age, usually memorizing vast portions of it.

Historical sources tell us that during that time period, parents taught their children the Torah from birth, beginning on the eighth day when the sons were circumcised and understood to be brought into covenant with the God of Israel. The earliest training emphasized showing honor and respect to a child’s mother and father, in preparation for the respect that he was to show to God.

By age two, a child was taught to recite short prayers throughout the day, especially singing the blessings after meals. By age three, a young boy began to wear tzitzit so that he would remember to obey the commands. By age five, he could recite the Shema and began to learn the aleph bet.

Through the next five to seven years, the children of first-century Israel learned vast amounts of the Torah, if not all of it, completely by heart. Since they did not possess written copies of the Scriptures themselves, memorization of the Torah was held to be the most important occupation of a child. School children chanted Scripture seven days per week, although they would only review previously learned passages on the Shabbat. Although girls usually did not attend formal school, their fathers did their best to teach them informally at home, as women needed to have a strong familiarity with the Torah so that mothers could teach it to their own young children someday.

A popular method of memorization was to walk in a rhythmic step outside, possibly beating a walking stick on the ground in time, while chanting Scripture. To memorize “by heart,” or al peh, literally meant to memorize “by mouth,” and school children were encouraged to loudly chant Scripture throughout the day, as it was believed that whispering might cause one to forget what he had learned.

After a boy reached adolescence, he often began to learn a trade from his father, but he was encouraged to midrash at the synagogue as much as possible during his free time. Young men were encouraged to learn the sayings of their rabbi by heart and could often string long passages from the Tenach together and could explain them using their rabbi’s interpretations. (Source)

The Psalmist of Israel says that those who are educated from the Torah are very blessed indeed.

Does he who disciplines nations not punish?
Does he who teaches mankind lack knowledge?
YHWH knows all human plans;
he knows that they are futile.
Blessed is the one you discipline, YHWH,
    the one you teach from your law;
you grant them relief from days of trouble,
till a pit is dug for the wicked” (Psalm 94:10-13).

The longest Psalm in the entire Bible was written by King David as an acronym on the letters of the Hebrew aleph bet, possibly to teach wisdom to his own son, Solomon. Here is just a sample, although I highly recommend reading the entire Psalm.

“I will praise you with an upright heart
as I learn your righteous laws” (Psalm 119:7).

“How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
By living according to your word.
I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
Praise be to you, YHWH;
teach me your decrees.
With my lips I recount
all the laws that come from your mouth.
I rejoice in following your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches.
I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways.
I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word” (Psalm 119:9-116).

The New Testament books are also Scripture (see 2 Peter 3:15-16), but we must view them as built on the foundation of the original instruction, God’s Torah. All of God’s Word is eternal (Psalm 119:160), the Author never changes His mind (1 Samuel 15:29, Psalm 55:19, Malachi 3:6), and He teaches the same thing throughout all of it (1 John 2:7).

Our Teacher Gently Leads Us

The Hebrew word Torah is usually translated as “law” in our English Old Testaments. (You can check very easily by looking at a verse in a Strong’s concordance or Hebrew lexicon, even using websites like Blue Letter Bible or Bible Hub.) The thing is, it doesn’t mean “law” like we think of it; Torah means instruction or direction.

The word Torah (תּוֹרָה) comes from the root word yarah meaning “to shoot an arrow” or “to hit the mark.” Properly used, the word means “teaching” or “instruction.” (Source)

The Holy Spirit (Ruach haKodesh) is heavily involved in this process, too.

• The Spirit reminds us of what the Word of God teaches us (John 14:26).
• The Spirit teaches the exact same thing that YHWH, our Heavenly Father, teaches (John 15:26).
• The Spirit guides us into truth (John 16:13).

Our job is to first store His Words in our hearts (Psalm 119:11). Our next job is to “hearken,” or shema, which means to diligently pay attention to. We also need to do what we have learned, not just learn about it (James 1:22-25).

But we also need to learn to listen to the voice of the Spirit instructing, reminding, guiding, and leading. He will never speak contrary to the Torah, but He will guide us personally in how to apply it to daily situations. He gives wisdom when we badly need it (James 1:5-8).

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it'” (Isaiah 30:21).

Our Teacher Is Good

So why do we have such a bad connotation of discipline? It’s probably because we tend to dismiss our heavenly Father’s teaching and “miss the mark” instead. Did you know that the word sin means to “miss the mark”? (Source)

“Now then, my children, listen to me;
blessed are those who keep my ways.
Listen to my instruction and be wise;
do not disregard it.
Blessed are those who listen to me,
watching daily at my doors,
waiting at my doorway.
For those who find me find life
and receive favor from YHWH.
But those who fail to find me harm themselves;
all who hate me love death” (Proverbs 20:32-36).

It’s not a small thing to “miss the mark.” When we ignore our Father’s instruction that He gave us in His Torah, sinning out of ignorance or willful disobedience, we bring death on ourselves.

“Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God” (1 John 3:4-9).

YHWH is a kind and good Father, who wants to teach us His Torah. If we won’t listen, He’ll send us some warnings, which are intended to make us uncomfortable enough to wonder why these things are happening and to teshuva, to repent and turn around.

“So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Master in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Master. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Messiah eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Master, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:27-32).

As you can see, discipline doesn’t start with judgment. It’s a last-ditch effort by a loving Father, to catch our attention before we fall prey to death.

So What Should My Attitude Be?

“My son, do not despise YHWH’s discipline,
and do not resent his rebuke,
because YHWH disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in (Proverbs 3:11-18).

My little ones don’t resent my teaching. In fact, they are likely to nag me day and night: “Read me a book, Mommy!” When I spend time with them and teach them, it tells them I love them and delight in them.

My Heavenly Father has given me an instruction manual, His Torah and the Scriptures.

“Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
But whose delight is in the Torah of YHWH,
and who meditates on Torah law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever he does prospers” (Psalm 1:1-3).