I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.

The Lord has disciplined me severely, but he has not given me over to death. (Psalm 118:17-18)

The typical heading for Psalm 118 in our English Bibles is His steadfast love endures forever. This is how the psalm begins and ends and the concept is sprinkled throughout. It is a psalm of thanksgiving for God’s constant care over his covenant people, upon whom he showers steadfast love (Heb. hesed. The older translations used the word lovingkindness.) However, that is not the whole story. Buried within a lot of notes of deliverance is verse 18a. The Lord has disciplined me severely.

The writer to the Hebrews gives us at least one explanation of this severe discipline. I am going to share the passage at length. It includes an Old Testament quote from Proverbs 3:11-12.

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

 “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.”

It is for discipline that you have to endure.  God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they 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. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:3-11)

Perhaps, like me, you look back and can now reflect on so many years of what you can now see is God’s discipline. “Hmm,” you may say to yourself (but really I know I am saying it to the Lord) “God loved me that much. Perhaps he might have loved me just a little less.” It takes time to realize how much pruning and refining and sharpening must be done to whip me into the holy shape God desires for me. Sin really stinks.

In the end it is obvious that this is a Messianic psalm. Much of it is ultimately applied to the Lord Jesus and his life and work. Commentators tell us that it is the final psalm he sang with his disciples before they departed for Gethsemane the night he was betrayed. That gives me consolation. Jesus never sinned. Yet he was disciplined, actually punished, for mine in my place.

PRAYER: Father, you know what is best. Help me to receive your discipline as from a loving Father who loves me and disciplines me for my good so that I may share your holiness. And be fit for heaven—clothed in your Son’s robe of righteousness and yielding the peaceful fruit of righteousness as trained by You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.