Introduction
Everyone who has children or have worked with young children (or in fact knows anything about children) understands the importance of good and effective discipline or “training”. We all quickly come to the realisation that we do not need to train our children to be naughty! Efforts are directed to the end that they become well-behaved children and it is surprising how young that training needs to begin! We learn that different types of training are required for different types of personalities – what may have been effective in one child may be less effective or even useless for another and its duration differs according to the character type of each child. Then there is the response looked for in each child. Some children know better and so we tend to expect more from them than we would from another child. With others, other factors such as being the eldest or the most extrovert, may raise other considerations such as how younger siblings or those with more naïve natures may be wrong influenced. However, this discussion is not about child-rearing – any who know me will know why not!
Let’s consider then, that every Spirit-born believer in Lord Yeshua is child of God. Through His atoning sacrificial death on the cross, He has taken the punishment for our sins and through His resurrection has given us who have believed new life in Him as accepted, loved and adopted children of God (see e.g. Ephesians 1:3-6; Romans 8:15-17 and John 1:1-13). In Messiah Yeshua our position with God the Father is eternally secure (see John 10:27-30 – and please carefully consider the meaning of the word ‘In’ at the beginning of this sentence). However, since not one of us has yet been perfected, we may well have to have our part in the chastening of God, perhaps often and to varying degrees. As we consider this through this point raised in this discussion, may we seek God as may be necessary and be sensitive to the only voice which matters – the Holy Spirit.
Overview of Miriam.
Our woman of the moment Miriam, the sister of Moses, was a great woman but had her moment of foolishness. Our main passage concerning her is Numbers chapter 12. Other passages which also specifically relate to her are Exodus Ch. 2:1-10, Ex. 15:20-21, Deuteronomy 24:8-9 and Micah 6:4. From these passages we learn that:
- Miriam, first mentioned at Exodus 2:
- was the older sister of Moses, as commonly believed and had an awareness of the Pharaoh of Egypt’s evil decree that Hebrew male babies were to die and so knew her baby brother’s life was endangered from birth ( 2:4);
- was used by the Lord at a young age to bring about the means through which his Hebrew heritage could be instilled in Moses at an early age. It was likely Miriam who approached the Pharaoh’s daughter on behalf of Moses and their mother so that his true mother was able to nurse him. It also gave time for his parents to teach him something of his heritage that would remain with him, as appears to be suggested by the rest of Chapter 2. Miriam’s involvement was key (Exodus 2:7-10);
- Miriam was a prophetess, (Exodus 15:20) possibly the first prophetess. She also led the women into praise and worship of the Lord with spiritual songs and dancing;
- She was regarded by God as having a role, along with Moses and Aaron in His leading the children of Israel during this time through the wilderness (see Micah 6:4);
- Moses’ marriage to an Ethiopian woman upset her and it seems this acted as a catalyst to her speaking against Moses (Numbers 12:1);
- Along with her brother Aaron who had also spoken against Moses she was summoned before God and rebuked in front of Moses ( 12:1-8)
- Miriam was that one that was made a leper ( 12:10) and had to be excluded outside the camp for 7 days in disgrace, before being restored(Num. 12:14-15);
- She is mentioned by way of a warning to take heed in dealing with leprosy at Deuteronomy 24:8-9.
It is interesting that the judgment of God on Miriam was leprosy. Considering that leprosy in Old Testament times rendered a person unclean (see e.g. Leviticus Ch. 13), it could be said that it was perhaps an outward manifestation of the condition of her heart. Her sin rendered her unclean and defiled her. Consider the words of our Lord Yeshua for example at Matthew 15:17-20:
‘Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”
Chastening!
One of the key passages which highlight the purpose of chastening is Hebrews 12:5-11 and it would be good to take a take a moment to read Hebrews 12:1-13, noting especially verses 5-11 (underlined) below:
‘Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:
“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
For whom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”
If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.
What does it mean?
The Greek word paideuo translated as ‘chasten’ is comes from a root word which refers to the instruction or training of children (according Strong’s Bible Concordance). According to Heartlight’s Greek Lexicon it’s meaning includes to chasten with words to correct, as in “moulding the character of others by reproof and admonition” or “to chasten by the affliction of evils and calamities” the latter particularly with reference to God. Strong’s Online Helps Word Studies’ section gives the following really helpful definitions:
3811 paideúō (from país, “a child under development with strict training”) – properly, to train up a child (país), so they mature and realize their full potential (development). This requires necessary discipline (training), which includes administering chastisement (punishment).
paideúō (“to instruct by training“) is the root of the English terms, “pedagogue, pedagogy.”
[Our English word “chasten” comes from “Latin castus, pure, chaste, and means to purify, cf. Heb 12:6f” (WP, 2, 282). See the root 3816 (pais, “a child under strict instruction”).]
Considering the above in the round, we can see that chastening is a form of training or correction that may range from the gentle to the severe. The range is determined by how stiff-necked we choose to be or how hard our heart is concerning correction – yes, even on this side of the Cross of Yeshua the Messiah.
A point we ought to also note is: As born-again bible-believing believers of God, when God says, “I am the LORD, I do not change” (Malachi 3:6), we believe it, don’t we. We believe He is the unchanging God. We believe that His counsel – His word – does not change (Psalm 119:89; Hebrews 6:17). In the context of God’s dealings with sin and disobedience does this not raise the question of whether God has changed how He feels or regards these? With this in mind – keeping also in view at all times that grace came through Yeshua the Christ – it is still worth considering the warning with God warned Israel at Leviticus 26 as a note of caution for ourselves. This chapter is undoubtedly amongst some of the hard things to read and comprehend in the Holy Scriptures, but we cannot ignore or discount what is there. At I Corinthians 10:1-12 Paul referring to times of chastening in Israel’s history recorded in the Scriptures says at verse 11:
‘Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.’
The Purpose of Chastening.
The Lord’s chastening will always concern the matter of our hearts being brought in line with the work of His Holy Spirit in us, rather than it being allowed to skip about on a “frolic of its own” – and right into sin, or maybe deeper in to it.
If it was merely to change our sinful conduct and behaviours, then there would possibly be a lot less joy around – for we all know that it is not easy or pleasant. It goes deeper than just outward reformation to regeneration of our heart – the renewal and cleansing of our heart through which these behaviours come (consider again Matthew 15:1-20). As believers we all desire to walk in the Spirit all the time and are familiar with the inner wrestling which goes on at times between the flesh and Spirit. We also know or at least recognise that there are areas within us where the flesh seems to be more dominant than we would wish and it may be here that we sense the ‘gentle training’ namely, that small but distinct check in our spirit – chastening at the lower scale of the range. There are also times when we either effectively or blatantly choose to walk in the flesh, where if we do not heed the warnings the Lord does send then we will end up being severely chastened. It is to be remembered that this too is the goodness of the Lord to us in order that we are delivered from much worse. Paul wrote at I Corinthians 11:31-32:
“For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.”
Consider also again Hebrews 12:11 which says:
“Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (underline mine)
Truly, God cares that much about us.
The point to remember is that it is not punishment – though it may feel very much like this at times! – and we are being or to be trained by it. Condemnation with the world is not our portion, rather it is “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). Whenever and wherever we grieve the Holy Spirit, we are not going to be enjoying these precious gifts as we should.
Miriam’s Legacy
In considering Miriam’s time of chastening, the following are just a few brief points noted – I’m sure there will be more of your own.
1. Sin/disobedience will not be allowed to continue
Whether it is inward – as in our thoughts, motives and attitudes etc- or outward actions, if we truly desire to draw nearer to God, no excuses, we simply cannot be in it. Sooner or later, sometimes without warning – perhaps through means we haven’t even considered – where we have chosen to ignore previous conviction that will have come from the Holy Spirit, if we choose to persist, chastening will happen.
As noted above, Miriam was a woman of high rank among the children of Israel and therefore other woman would be guided by her behaviour, her choices and her worship of God. Whether she liked it or not, she would have been watched and as we saw at Exodus 15:20, she was followed by other women. When you consider this, we begin to see that the wrong attitude in her simply could not be allowed to go unchecked.
It is indeed obvious truth that many times when we are being ‘dealt with’ by God it is as though He graciously “covers” us so that no-else may see the degree to which we are being chastened. Let us not forget however that if God has to, He will do it publicly. This seems to be particularly so concerning high profile people – consider David’s sin and how it was dealt with (see 2 Samuel 11-12:3 but especially chapter 12:12). Consider, in a way, every born-again believer is a ‘high profile person’ in the sense that we are all, in some degree ‘ambassadors of Christ’ (see 2 Corinthians 5:20) to those around us. We must take care that we do seek to take care not to misrepresent our Lord to those outside – or to each other for that matter, and when we do, to repent quickly. This may be harder than we think at times, but with God, nothing is impossible.
2. Heart attitude towards God.
Wherever there is disobedience or wrong attitudes and other sin it is going to concern our heart attitude towards God Himself. When the LORD was dealing with Miriam, at the last sentence of Numbers 12:8, He says “Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?” (underline mine). The LORD didn’t say “why then were you not afraid to speak about your brother.” The sin was against Moses, but it was also against Himself. When we sin against others, we do not do so apart from the involvement of our heart attitude towards God and sinning against Him. King David understood this perfectly as expressed at Psalm 51:4. Knowing that our sin is ultimately against God Himself – our loving Heavenly Father – is the most painful part in repentance but God ‘gives grace to the humble’ and He does give grace to help in this time of need.
3. Chastening can be avoided.
If we have sinned, let’s call it as it is and do this quickly!
It is possible, from the reading of the Scripture, that Miriam was silent even after the LORD had stricken her with leprosy, as it was Aaron who cried out to Moses (Num. 12:10-12). Having been summoned to appear before God and personally rebuked by Him and then suddenly struck with leprosy – perhaps she was still in shock! Perhaps though, as is often the case at such times, she was left with no words at the rebuke of God.
We need not – ought not – wait to recognise, acknowledge and admit our sin. No matter how difficult, whether because of the shame and humiliation that may come with it, or any other difficulty, let us call it as it is and begin to deal with it. May the Lord help us with this!
At such times some around us who love and seek to help us may try and cushion the blow and say for example, ‘don’t be so hard on yourself’. I’m afraid there are times we have to be hard on ourselves if we are dealing with sin. Remember the Cross? It is not a question of condemnation but rather this: that we cannot genuinely repent from sin unless we first recognise it and acknowledge it for what it is. No repentance – no cleansing. No cleansing – no restoration of fellowship with God, who is in the light (1 John 1:6). The moment we truly acknowledge our sin and confess (which includes the repentance) we are forgiven and cleansed (1 John 1:8-10). All the time we refuse to acknowledge or accept what the Holy Scriptures says is wrong, we may be in danger of effectively seeking to redefine God’s rules – see e.g. Isaiah 5:20. Through the grace of God and by His Holy Spirit, we can avoid the chastening through early repentance.
4. Chastening is for a reason and only for a season.
Miriam was struck with leprosy and had to endure the humiliation of being shut out of the camp, but God set the duration at seven days before allowing her to be received again (Num. 12:14). It is interesting that both Aaron and Miriam spoke against Moses, yet it was Miriam who was struck with the leprosy. At first it may seem unfair except that we know that God is good and perfectly fair. There is a suggestion that her heart may have been harder than Aaron’s and maybe it was she perhaps who was the instigator as e.g. Exodus Ch. 32 seems to suggest Aaron could be easily influenced by other people to do wrong. As mentioned in the Introduction above, different personality typed children require differing degrees and methods of training – and so it is with us.
To a large extent, the duration in any chastening from the Lord is going to depend on us individually. It will not end a minute before it should do but it could take much longer than it needed to. The latter will be particularly true if we do not make use of three most indispensable gifts freely given to us: the Holy Spirit, the Word of God and all prayer. In these we will find strength to endure the work of God’s grace in dealing with our hearts. The writer of Hebrews has great encouragement for each one of us in the Hebrews 12:5-13 passage, which you may wish to consider again at this point.
How wonderful are the words at Num. 12:14 that say “..and afterwards she may be received again.” If we are trained by it, chastening will only be for a season.
5. We can’t go forward without it.
At Numbers 12:15-16, we see that when Miriam was brought into the camp again, then the people were able to move forward. Until we have been “trained” in the area of concern, we may find ourselves going over the same “lessons” repeatedly until we hit the “pass mark”. Failure is not an option! When we do “pass” as it were, training is over for now and finally we can move forward – and it is impossible not to know when that time has come. The feeling of being inwardly unsettled, spiritually dry, joyless and somewhat adrift from the Lord passes; perhaps the tears that came (and tried to make you their best friend!) finally leaves you alone and fellowship with the Lord and others will be as it really should be. The chastening of the Lord shifts the hardness in our hearts which blocks the way of our walk with God, and the free flow of the working of the Holy Spirit through it.
Conclusion
Have you ever heard that saying “it’s too near Christmas to act like a turkey”? Similarly, we may need to remind ourselves that we cannot afford to resent or resist that work of sanctification and transformation by the Holy Spirit. Lord Yeshua is coming back soon and this will be sudden, without warning (note e.g. Matthew Ch. 24). For any one of us, the Lord may choose to call us Home via death before that time and if so, I am certain we all want to be called Home doing what we ought to have been doing.
In the midst of chastening – or “training” – let’s pray that we may be yielding, that we may come quickly to that place of teachability before the Holy Spirit, holding on to our hope, Yeshua the Messiah who loves us and gave Himself for us. It is He is says:
“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent”
( Rev 3: 6)
We all fall short of His glory in some way. Let’s not be under condemnation or be condemning of one another but rather pray for one another as Aaron did for Miriam when she was chastened by God.
God bless you.
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