One of the great paradoxes of my early family life was when my father would correct or punish some behavior he thought would be detrimental to my character or contrary to our family values. Inevitably he would say, “this will hurt me more than it will hurt you” — a statement I certainly didn’t understand and almost never believed at the time!
What I do understand is that in our lives discipline is rarely welcomed when it first arrives. Correction can feel uncomfortable, even painful, particularly when it exposes areas of our lives we would prefer to keep hidden. Our natural response is often to resist, justify ourselves, or question why such measures are necessary. Yet throughout Scripture, divine discipline is consistently portrayed as one of God’s most effective means of strengthening faith. Far from being a sign of rejection, discipline is evidence of God’s love and His commitment to forming His people into lives of holiness and trust.
The Old Testament repeatedly illustrates this truth through God’s dealings with Israel. Time and again, the nation wandered from covenant faithfulness, placing confidence in personalities, idols, political alliances, or their own strength. God responded not only with warnings but also with corrective discipline. While the Old Testament is replete with examples of Israel resisting correction, the book of Hosea records a rare and hopeful response. Instead of denial or rebellion, the people are urged to listen and return.
Hosea makes a sobering yet hopeful call: “Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces; now he will heal us. He has injured us; now he will bandage our wounds” (Hosea 6:1, NLT). He acknowledges the severity of Israel’s suffering, which came as a result of breaking covenant and experiencing the judgments warned of in Deuteronomy 27–28. Yet the discipline is not described as senseless cruelty. It is purposeful and redemptive, meant to bring the people back to God.
Crucially, Hosea grounds Israel’s hope not in moral improvement but in God’s faithfulness. “In just a short time he will restore us, so that we may live in his presence” (Hosea 6:2, NLT). Discipline becomes the means by which God removes false confidence and restores dependence on Him. Through pain, He redirects faith toward its proper foundation.
Other Old Testament figures experienced similar refining discipline. King David’s sin with Bathsheba led to severe consequences, yet it ultimately produced repentance and deeper humility. David later testified, “It was good for me to be afflicted, so that I might learn your decrees” (Psalm 119:71, NLT). Discipline taught him obedience and reshaped his understanding of God’s mercy. Rather than destroying David’s faith, correction purified it.
Likewise, the prophet Jonah experienced discipline when he fled from God’s calling. Swallowed by a great fish, Jonah was forced into reflection and repentance. In his distress, he cried out to the Lord, and God delivered him (Jonah 2:1–10). The discipline redirected Jonah’s faith and obedience, reminding him that God’s purposes cannot be escaped, only delayed.
The New Testament continues this theme, particularly in its teaching on spiritual growth. Hebrews explicitly links discipline with divine love: “For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child” (Hebrews 12:6, NLT). Believers are reminded that discipline affirms their identity as God’s children, not their exclusion from His care.
The apostle Peter provides a living example of corrective discipline through failure. His public denial of Jesus was devastating, yet Christ did not abandon him. Instead, Peter was restored and later strengthened others, even writing, “These trials will show that your faith is genuine” (1 Peter 1:7, NLT). Correction transformed Peter’s impulsive confidence into resilient faith.
Scripture is honest about the discomfort of discipline. “No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful!” (Hebrews 12:11, NLT). Yet it also assures believers of the outcome: “A peaceful harvest of right living” awaits those who submit to it. Faith that has never been corrected remains fragile; faith refined through discipline becomes enduring.
Hosea ultimately invites God’s people to respond: “Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know him” (Hosea 6:3, NLT). Discipline is not the end of the story but a doorway to deeper relationship. God’s faithfulness is certain: “He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn.”
When God disciplines us, He is not pushing us away but drawing us closer. Correction strips away self-reliance, exposes hidden sin, and strengthens genuine faith. In learning to accept discipline, we discover that God’s refining process, even though painful, leads to restoration, maturity, and lasting trust in Him.
While it would be wonderful to live a life where discipline is not necessary, it is comforting to know that when it is necessary it is yet another manifestation of God’s enduring love for us.
Blessings on you and yours, Jim Black
P.S. if you’d like to read previous ruminations of mine they can be found at https://blog.salvationarmyconcordca.org