Accept His Instruction

Zephaniah 3:2 - "She heeded no voice, She accepted no instruction. She did not trust in the Lord, She did not draw near to her God."

The second indictment the Lord has against His people in this verse is "She accepted no instruction." When we read the word "instruction" in this verse we shouldn't picture a classroom setting with a teacher giving a lesson and a bunch of pupils listening. Instead the picture is of a child being brought up by their parents. Different situations call for different actions on the part of the parent. Sometimes there is need for a simple instruction that comes alongside and helps the child. Other times there is need for discipline. Sometimes correction is needed and sometimes training, but it's all done out of love for the child.
This word is translated in a variety of ways but the most common are, instruction, correction and discipline. This may seem kind of strange, because we don't really think of instruction and discipline as the same thing, but if you think about it, all proper discipline is for the purpose of instruction. A child isn't disciplined because the parent is angry and needs a way to take out their frustration. No, a child is disciplined in order that they might learn right from wrong. They need to be instructed in what is good and learn that there are consequences for doing wrong. This word is used about 50 times in the Old Testament and over half of these are found in the book of Proverbs. And this shouldn't be surprising, because one of the reasons that the book was written according to Proverbs 1:2 is in order that we might "Know wisdom and Instruction." Much of the book of Proverbs is written as a father teaching his son. We read over and over "my son..." followed by some fatherly instruction. And the writer gives instruction and parental advice on a variety of issues, including the training and discipline of children.
Proverbs 13:24 says - "He who withholds his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently." This is the same word used in Zephaniah 3:2. Parental discipline is an act of love. And Proverbs is clear that there are two responses to discipline. A wise son accepts it, Proverbs 13:1 - "A wise son accepts his father’s discipline." Proverbs 19:20 - "Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days." But a fool rejects it. Proverbs 1:7 - "Fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 15:5 - "A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but he who regards reproof is sensible." Proverbs 15:32 - "He who neglects discipline despises himself, but he who listens to reproof acquires understanding." Wisdom accepts instruction and discipline but folly rejects it. And one of the reasons that it's foolishness to reject discipline is because discipline leads to life. Proverbs 6:23 says -"For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; And reproofs for discipline are the way of life." And Proverbs 10:17 says - "He is on the path of life who heeds instruction, but he who ignores reproof goes astray."

This sounds backwards, doesn't it? At least our culture seems to think so. Spanking is seen by our culture as cruel and heartless, but remember, it's the one who hates his son that withholds the rod. And Proverbs 23:13 says - "Do not hold back discipline from the child, Although you strike him with the rod, he will not die." Discipline leads to knowledge. Proverbs 19:27 says - "Cease listening, my son, to discipline, and you will stray from the words of knowledge." A child needs to learn that there is pain associated with sin. And parents have the responsibility to instruct and discipline their children in what is right. In Proverbs chapter 5 we have a picture of a young man who failed to listen to wise instruction and he is reaping the consequences. In verse 12 he laments - "How I have hated instruction! And my heart spurned reproof!" He regrets the fact that he didn't accept instruction and he is finding out that the foolish path he has taken is leading to death.

Well, these things apply, not only to the relationship between parents and children, but it carries over to Gods relationship with His people, and this is what Zephaniah is speaking about. In various passages the Lord spoke of His relationship with His people as the relationship between a father and his children. In Second Samuel chapter 7 the Lord is speaking to David about Solomon and He says in verse 14 - "I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men." And Solomon would go on to write in Proverbs 3:11-12 - "My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord or loathe His reproof, for whom the Lord loves He reproves, even as a father the son in whom he delights." God disciplines His kids, and we're warned not to reject or loathe His discipline. Gods discipline is an act of His love.In the last few chapters of Hosea the Lord talks about His fatherly love for Israel and talks about how He brought them up as a child. He says in chapter 11 verse 1 - "When Israel was a youth I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son." He continues this picture, saying in verses 3 and 4 - "It is I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them in My arms; But they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of a man, with bonds of love, and I became to them as one who lifts the yoke from their jaws; and I bent down and fed them." This is such a tender picture of Gods fatherly love and care for His people, teaching them how to walk and carrying them in His arms. But He goes on to talk about how Israel kept turning away from Him and following after idols, so He has to discipline them. He talks about how he is going to bring Assyria against them as His rod to discipline them, but even this is done in love. He says - "My heart is turned over within Me, all My compassions are kindled. I will not execute My fierce anger; I will not destroy Ephraim again. For I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath." He disciplines His children out of love and for their own good in order that they might turn back to Him. He's not going to destroy them out of anger, but He is going to discipline them out of love. But the testimony throughout the Old Testament is that Israel didn't accept Gods instruction. Gods testifies of Israel in Psalm 50:17 - "For you hate discipline, and you cast My words behind you." Over and over in the book Jeremiah the Lord states that sad truth that His people did not receive His instruction or accept His discipline. He says in Jeremiah 2:30 - "In vain I have struck your sons; They accepted no chastening." And Jeremiah says in chapter 5 verse 3 - "O Lord, do not Thine eyes look for truth? Thou hast smitten them, but they did not weaken; Thou hast consumed them, but they refused to take correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; They have refused to repent." In chapter 17 the Lord is talking about how He had commanded certain things in the law through Moses to Gods people in the wilderness, and He says in verse 23 - "Yet they did not listen or incline their ears, but stiffened their necks in order not to listen or take correction." And in God says in Zephaniah 3:7 - "I said, ‘Surely you will revere Me, accept instruction.’ So her dwelling will not be cut off according to all that I have appointed concerning her. But they were eager to corrupt all their deeds." He gave them a abundant opportunities to heed His instruction and when they didn't His discipline had to become more severe. He wouldn't destroy them because of His promises to and His love for them. But whom the Lord loves He reproves, even as a father the son in whom he delights.

And this is true, not only in the Old Testament but for us as well. God is our loving heavenly Father, and as such He disciplines His children. God is the only perfect Father and so His discipline is perfect. Hebrews chapter 12 is the classic New Testament passage on the Lords discipline, and there we read in verses 4 through 11 - "You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him; For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.” It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness." Again we see that His discipline is an act of His love. We also see here that God disciplines all His children. This is actually an evidence of our salvation. One of the ways we know that He is truly our Father is because He disciplines us. You don't discipline the neighbors kids, you may want to at times, but discipline is unique between parents and their children. If we don't find ourselves on the receiving end of Gods discipline then we have good reason to question whether or not we are truly His children.

Our parents discipline caused us to respect them. How much more will the Lords discipline compel us to submit ourselves to Him and walk in obedience to Him. Because, as Proverbs said, this is the way of life.

Our parents disciplined us only for a short time, but Gods discipline doesn't stop when we grow up. And like I said, His discipline is perfect. He knows us inside out. He knows the thoughts and intentions of our hearts in every situation. And He disciplines us in order that we might share His holiness. Christ is holy, innocent, undefiled and separate from sinners, and He wants to make us like Himself.

All of this is true, but it doesn't make Gods discipline fun or easy. When we're under Gods discipline it's heavy and painful at times, but we need to have our eyes fixed on the end result. Faith is always casting us in hope on the future, and it is the same in this area of discipline. God is transforming us into His likeness and we need to fix our eyes on that end result. Proverbs 22:6 says - "Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it." Parents are instructed to train their children and encourage them in the right way, but they're not going to see the results of their instruction immediately. Many children rebel against their parents discipline. And it may be several years before the parents begin to see the fruit of all their labor. And it's no different in regard to Gods discipline. It's not fun or easy and the results aren't immediate. But we have need of endurance, knowing that, as Hebrews 12 says, "to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the fruit peaceful fruit of righteousness." 2 Timothy 3:16 says - "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness." We need to heed what He says. Though it stings sometimes and can make us uncomfortable, it's far better to accept the instruction and discipline of His Word than to be chastened by His rod. Accept His instruction.

Proverbs 3:11-12 - "My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord or loathe His reproof, for whom the Lord loves He reproves, even as a father the son in whom he delights."