When one of my sons was young, he repeatedly threw his clean laundry on the floor of his closet rather than put it away as I’d instructed him. The first time he disobeyed, I reiterated the instructions and warned him of the consequences if he didn’t comply. Unfortunately, he suffered that consequence several times before he eventually chose to obey. Through discipline, he learned obedience.
Of course, laundry is not a life-or-death situation. But obedience is. When we obey God, we choose the path of life and joy (Proverbs 12:28; Psalm 16:11), but when we disobey God, we wander from that path and pursue our own destruction. God, in His kindness, will continually instruct, warn, and discipline us so we’ll avoid devastation and enjoy the fruit of obedience.
In other words, God relates to His children as a good Father. Proverbs 3:12 (CSB) says, “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.”
God loves, so He disciplines.
In 2 Chronicles 36, God’s loving discipline is on display. We read about the nation of Judah’s rapid decline after Josiah’s righteous reign. In quick succession, his sons plunge the kingdom into evil and chaos, and pagan armies begin to breach their borders. For centuries prior, God had instructed His people through the Law and warned them of the consequences for their disobedience. He also repeatedly sent prophets to call them to repentance and patiently waited for their return to Him. How did His people respond?
“But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy.” (2 Chronicles 36:16)
God would send no further warnings through the prophets. He had provided ample warning to change their ways, to turn toward Him and walk on the path of life. But they didn’t. Now, Judah faced discipline. God allowed and even authored that the invading Babylonian army destroyed Jerusalem and its temple, carrying its inhabitants off to exile for 70 years.
The path of sin leads to total destruction, “for the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
What can we learn about God from Judah’s discipline?
We learn that God is patient in discipline. Like a good Father, He doesn’t discipline out of anger but from love and compassion. He provides clear instructions on what’s expected and a clear outline of the consequences that will follow if we choose to disobey Him. He repeatedly confronts our disobedience through His Word and other people. If we don’t heed those warnings and stubbornly remain in our sin, He allows consequences for His children at the perfect time and in the perfect way.
We also learn that God’s discipline is finite and able to produce good fruit. God promised Judah that their discipline would last 70 years and not a day longer. In the same way, God disciplines us for a “moment” (Hebrews 12:11), long enough that the seed of sorrow and grief over our sin is able to produce the “peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
Despite God’s good aim in our discipline, enduring the crushing weight of His conviction and consequences doesn’t feel good. In our struggle against sin and to find our way back to the path of life, it’s easy to grow weary or fainthearted. It’s also easy to resist God’s leading or misunderstand God’s discipline for His wrath. How, then, must we respond when discipline comes?
Hebrews 12:5–6 reminds us that, even in the midst of firm discipline, we are children of a good Father:
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
We are beloved rather than a disappointment, received rather than rejected. Knowing this, we can endure and even embrace whatever God’s discipline entails, knowing He has our good in mind.
“For [our earthly fathers] disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.” (Hebrews 12:9–10)
God’s discipline of Judah came because of their sin and resulted in their repentance and eventual restoration. After 70 years of exile, God did exactly as He’d promised: He returned Judah to her land and to her proper worship.
But it would not last.
Another King was needed—one with the power to change our hearts. This King, Jesus Christ, was also a Son who was disciplined, not because of His sin, but because of ours. He learned obedience through what He suffered (Hebrews 5:8). His death and resurrection removed God’s wrath from us entirely so that, if we believe in Him by faith, our feet are set on the path of life forever. Only as we consider Him, who endured God’s punishment for our sin, can we endure the discipline of our Father as He molds us into Christ’s image.
Want to dive deeper? Check out our sermon series guide on Kings of Judah, or watch the most recent sermon from our Kings of Judah sermon series.
