What does it mean to be chastened? How does God chasten us?

409 We having this nature, born of God, which has to be manifested (and alas! we find in nature many hindrances - temper, etc.), God sets about to do it for us, when we fail to resist "striving against sin," by chastenings, etc. We are set in the place of children and we must look to what God's thoughts are about us. "Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth." I get the discipline, or chastenings, that God sends to those He loves. There is my will to be broken, perhaps, and tendencies to be found out in myself that I did not know of before, to humble me. I become exercised about good and evil. He hates the evil and loves the good, and is breaking us down, subduing the evil, wearing it out, etc. He is bringing us nearer to Himself. God is educating us as children. Sometimes when we do not see what He is doing, we get the blessing. Will works in us; He comes in to smash the will; and we see afterwards that we have got the blessing through it.

It was stated in the Old Testament and also in the New, that "whom the Lord loveth he correcteth" or "chasteneth," and that we are not to despise His chastening or faint when rebuked of Him (Prov.3:11,12; Heb.12:5,6). He never afflicts willingly, but if His saints continue to remain unresponsive to the entreaties and appeals of His loving heart, He cannot allow them to go on unrebuked and without chastening. So the Lord here warns true believers as to His rod of discipline and the need to be zealous and repent, or His hand would fall in chastening dealings with them and in rebuke.

The purpose of God's chastening of His children is "that we might be partakers of his holiness" (Heb.12:10), and that by trying and difficult circumstances and unpleasant situations of His chastening dealings with us, we might be delivered from our own wills and become yielded to God's "good, and acceptable, and perfect, will" (Rom.12:2). Chastening is not just punishment or chastisement; it is really child training, instruction and discipline, which every child of God must experience from the Father who deals with us as sons (Heb.12:7).

The word chastening has a very broad meaning, that of discipline. There is discipline in an army, but a very small fraction of that discipline is punishment. David was chastened on account of sin; Job, in order that he might learn himself, and Paul that he might be better fitted for God’s service. It is not necessarily for failure we are chastened.

In the light of the New Testament, chastening may be sent for retribution, as we see in 1 Corinthians 11:30. But on the other hand it may not be, as we see in Paul's case — 2 Corinthians 12:7, - where the thorn in the flesh was preventive; lest he should be puffed up and fall. Yet again, it may be neither retributive nor preventive but educational, as Hebrews 12 shows. The Father trains and disciplines His children, and even scourges them; but all is in pursuance of His objective - "that we might be partakers of His holiness."

God chastens us with a view to sanctifying us. His chastening has very much of the tenderness of a father when chastening his children; it is not vindictive, it is tender, gracious, gentle. Of course, when saints go to great lengths the discipline may be more severe, as it was in 1 Corinthians 11; but this never alters the fact that Christ is made to us Sanctification, as well as Righteousness and Redemption.

Here we see chastening is another means God uses for the sanctification of His children—to deliver them from their evil ways and make them to partake more and more of His holiness. When His saints fail to walk in the Spirit, to be occupied with Christ, to meditate upon His Word and give heed unto it, then God must resort to chastening. In the grief and affliction under His chastening hand, they learn to hate their unholy ways and give them up, thus becoming more and more in a practical way partakers of His holiness.

The Apostle speaks of chastening and scourging. The scourging may be more the governmental dealing of God in rebuking and correcting for positive failure. The chastening is not necessarily for any sin, but rather to develop in us that which is according to the nature of God, that we may partake of His holiness.

There is a difference between chastening and scourging. Chastening is a general word (as, for instance, the education of children) and the same word is used for "teaching," and a certain correction and discipline, and even punishing too; but when you come to scourging, it is the positive action and punishment. As a general rule, if we judge ourselves, we shall not be judged of the Lord. All will come out at the judgment-seat of Christ; it will make no difference, whether we have been chastened for it or not. It will all appear. I cannot know as I am known. I cannot give account of myself to God, if I do not give account of everything. And that, I believe, is a great blessing.

“Thou chastenest” is the admission that behind the hand of those who trouble God's people there is the hand of God dealing with His people. “Thou teachest” is the acknowledgment that through chastening God teaches His people, not only what is in their hearts but the grace, the goodness, and the holiness of His own heart, so that distrusting themselves they may rest in God. Thus God's chastening is often God's way of teaching; and divine teaching leads to divine rest — “That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity.”

But other characteristics there are proper to a parent. He trains his child as is needed, chastening him, too, betimes, as wisdom, combined with love, may direct. Such, too, are the dealings of our Father with His children. "If ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons." How the Spirit of God would encourage the saint, when passing through trials and sorrows here for the truth's sake. Would any cry out in bitterness, "Hath God forgotten to be gracious?" The answer comes — "We have had fathers of our flesh, which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but He for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness" (Heb. 12:8-10). Many an earthly parent acts capriciously; our Father does not. Many a trainer of the young deals with them without telling them why; but if God puts His children to school, as He surely does, He graciously intimates the object He has in view — viz., that we should be partakers of His holiness — and He gives a word of encouragement, "My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him: for whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth" (v. 5-6).