“I will punish their sin
with the rod, their iniquity with flogging; but I will not take my love from
him, nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.” Psalm 89:32-33
The subtitle
regarding this Psalm is as follows: “A
Psalm for Ethan the Ezrahite to give instruction.” In this writing Ethan speaks of the power, love and
mercy of God and of David, with whom
the Lord made a covenant*. The above two
verses refer to the sons of King David.
Christians can learn something very valuable about the character of God
here. Notice that while God punishes
their sin He only uses a rod rather than an axe or sword. They would receive a flogging and not a
scourging**. Out of His great love and
mercy, Almighty God punished not to break down ones will, but rather to
chastise and instruct. Each of our
actions and/or reactions give birth to consequences. God’s chastisement would
more than likely come in the form of the consequences that our mistake brings
about.
We all make
mistakes in judgment. What we must
understand is that we can come back from such events and thrive once again in
the Lord. The Lord’s love and mercy will never fade, however, our misdeeds must
be dealt with swiftly. Without
chastisement we could become confused regarding that which pleases or
displeases our Lord. If everything always went perfectly well, how would we
learn to deal with adversity?
Our faith
and trust in God must give way to godly actions knowing that His love will
never be taken away from us. “If we are faithless, He remains faithful;
He cannot deny Himself.” [2 Timothy 2:13 (NKJV)] Therefore, God cannot betray His own
faithfulness to His creation. Avoid sin by staying close to the Lord. Until
next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!
Resources: American Heritage Dictionary;
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary.
* You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant, ‘I will establish your line forever and make
your throne firm through all generations.’” [Psalm 89:3-4]
** Flogging – to beat
severely with a rod or a whip; scourging – a many talon whip, which had pieces
of broken, jagged bone or metal; it was a means of inflicting devastating
suffering. Flogging caused bruises,
scourging lacerated ones flesh.
