(Nehemiah 9:32-37) The Justness of God's Faithful Discipline

From the despairing cries of the wilderness, to the devastation of the exile where the entire nation of Israel was forced into slavery and sent across the Middle East.

Oh what agony.

Suffering is difficult and painful reality;

and what can be even more difficult is that we know God allowed it according to Scripture.

and what is right and wrong.

Philippians 1:29 ESV

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,

Phil 1:29

And especially to fear the Lord.

So God allows suffering. And we struggle with that!

And we struggle with that!

David in is

Psalm 13:1 ESV

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?

When we sufferer,

we wonder why God would allow that to happen.

- We have little respect for the dead beat mom or dad who abandon’s their children.

- We have little respect for the mon and dad - who ignore their children and neglect their training.

- We sympathize with the parent who wants give their child everything , but lacks the wisdom and love to do what is best for their child.

Yet a parent who faithfully, without selfish gain, unconditionally loves their children by training them for the life God has called them to

>>>>That is someone we admire.

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Deuteronomy 6:4–7 ESV

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

Deuteronomy 6:4–5 ESV

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Deuteronomy 6:6–8 ESV

And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

Deuteronomy 6:6–7 ESV

Titus 2:4 ESV

and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,

A very important passage that teaches us how we to wisely train up our children.

Deut 6:

But does a child always respond to that unconditional discipline with deep appreciation?

ILLUSTRATION:

Dad - thanks for telling me the 100th time to be an encourage rather than the accuser. ()

Mom - thanks for making me put my head in the corner for the 8th time today so I can practice getting self-control. ()

Dad - thanks for taking away my candy so I can learn not to steal food from the pantry.

Years latter, many of us are thankful the teaching hand of our parents.

But so often in the moment - we are angry, we feel it is unfair.

I am reminded that folly is in the heart of a child.

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Proverbs 22:15 ESV

Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.

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I am reminded that children sometimes refuse instruction and wisdom.

Proverbs 1:7 ESV

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

But the amazing reality of parenting,

(a humbling reality)

>>>>is that the faithful love of human parenting is an imperfect example of God’s perfect example.

is that the faithful love of human parenting is an imperfect example of God’s perfect example.

>slide

Proverbs 3:11–12 ESV

My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.

Prov

I am mindful that most often of the confession of Job - who suffered greatly and yet confessed that:

Yet,

I am mindful that most oftenof the confession of Job - who suffered greatly and yet confessed that:

Job 5:17 ESV

“Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty.

Our text this morning challenges Israel to respond to the discipline of the Lord,

>>>>not with anger and hate

Our text this morning is not a New Testament text,

But with appreciation that God loves them like father loves his children.

but it is a text that describes God allowing Israel suffer.

Nehemiah 9:32–37 ESV

“Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day. Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly. Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law or paid attention to your commandments and your warnings that you gave them. Even in their own kingdom, and amid your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and rich land that you set before them, they did not serve you or turn from their wicked works. Behold, we are slaves this day; in the land that you gave to our fathers to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, behold, we are slaves. And its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please, and we are in great distress.

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I challenge us this morning -

PROP: God’s Discipline Should Point us Back to God.

PROP: Judgment and Chastisement Should Point us Back to God.

Trans: and our passage gives us 2 aspects of God’s discipline that should point us to God.

Parallel Theological Truths to Guide us:

As we begin here, I would like to take a second and put some theological guides to our understanding of .

One truth we should keep in mind is that

(a) God’s discipline is not limited to just believers, but to all people .

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While teaches Israel was disciplined by God.

Deuteronomy 8:5 ESV

Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you.

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But at the same time - teaches that God disciplines the nations.

Psalm 94:10 ESV

He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke? He who teaches man knowledge—

There is a sense in which God is the father of all nations, and thus disciplines all nations as a father.

May I also suggest that -

(b) God continues to lovingly discipline both believers and unbelievers in the New Testament.

Like Israel, we do have a special relationship with God and his discipline is especially apart of his love for his children.

Yet at the same time - God is working to bring all to him in Jesus Christ.

Romans 2:4 ESV

Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

2 Peter 3:9 ESV

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

John 3:16 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

So what I am saying, is that God is patient storing up his anger and wrath until the day of wrath.

That means, that God's most active role in this period of time is to discipline both Christians and unbelievers so that they will all come back to him.

It's not to say that all people will be saved, but that God is principally working to bring people to belief in Christ right now.

In that way he is disciplining Christians and non-Christians, believers and the nations.

I like to make another assertion,

(c) God's discipline does not happen just when we sin.

Just like we don’t just teach our children when we are sinning,

God doesn’t just teach us when we are sinning.

- We often think of chastisement or discipline would be primarily when I sin.

- In other words, when I do wrong God lovingly corrects me.

Part of it you can understand.

And that is true. ( is focused on correcting sin).

But,

How does that correction come?

- Warnings from Scripture. ()

- Warnings from fellow believers. ()

- And suffering to help us come to him. ()

But,

Those are all the same ways God is transforming us. ()

ILLUSTRATION:

Ephesians 4:20–24 ESV

But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

They are the same tools in the tool box.

So we may get to Heaven and find out God was actively discipling us,

but in Human experience God’s teaching and God’s chastisement is virtually the same.

RESTATEMENT:

There may be at times we can recognize we suffer because of our foolishness,

but others times we suffer not knowing if it is sin or just God transforming us.

So with those three theological truths, let’s consider our passage.

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The first aspect -God’s Discipline Should Point us to God Because -

Judgment should point us to God because

1. God is good even in Judgment. ()

CAVEAT/PARALLEL TRUTHS:

As we begin here, may I suggest that God’s discipline is not limited to just believers, but to all people .

>slide

While teaches Israel was disciplined by God.

Deuteronomy 8:5 ESV

Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you.

>slide

But at the same time - teaches that God disciplines the nations.

Psalm 94:10 ESV

He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke? He who teaches man knowledge—

Ps 94:10

There is a sense in which God is the father of all nations, and thus disciplines all nations as a father.

May I also suggest that God continues to lovingly discipline both believers and unbelievers in the New Testament.

Like Israel, we do have a special relationship with God and his discipline is especially apart of his love for his children.

Yet at the same time - God is working to bring all to him in Jesus Christ.

Romans 2:4 ESV

Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

2 Peter 3:9 ESV

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

2 Timothy 2:24–25 ESV

And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,

2 Timothy 2:25 ESV

correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,

So what I am saying, is that God is patient storing up his anger and wrath until the day of wrath.

That means, that God's most active role in this period of time is to discipline both Christians and unbelievers so that they will all come back to him.

It's not to say that all people will be saved, but that God is principally working to bring people to belief in Christ right now.

He is not actively displaying his wrath today.

In that way he is disciplining Christians and non-Christians, believers and the nations.

I like to make another assertion, the God's discipline does not happen just when we sin.

- We often think of chastisement or discipline would be primarily when I sin.

- In other words, when I do wrong God lovingly corrects me.

And that is true.

In other words, when I do wrong God lovingly corrects me the punishment.

But how does that correction come?

Warnings from Scripture.

Warnings from fellow believers.

And suffering to help us come to him. ()

But those are all the same ways God is transforming us.

Ephesians 4:22–24 ESV

to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:20–24 ESV

Eph 4:

Eph 4:2-

So we may get to Heaven and find out God was actively discipling us,

but in Human experience God’s teaching and God’s chastisement is virtually the same.

So often,

the first thing we do when we face suffering is to doubt God's goodness.

>>>>We don't understand why God would allow us to hurt (and hurt in that agonizing way)

and so we question and doubt that he's acting towards us any good in-kind way.

Which means, God is disciplining us when we sin and when he's just trying to shape us into his perfect image.

Even when we can directly I are suffering to our sin,

>>>>> we so often think in pride that God is not good to us

because he didn't take away the consequences of sin.

Israel is no different.

2 Timothy 2:25 ESV

correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,

2:2-

It was common knowledge why God sent them into the exile. They had could clearly connect it to their sin.

- They will knew that abandoning the covenant of God resulted in the curse of the exile.

- The law taught that and the prophets warned them of that.

The law taught that and the prophets warned them of that.

Yet – they still question whether God was good.

can connect the exile to being as a result of their sin – many of them are dallying the goodness of God.

Part of it you can understand.

Having returned to the land and facing enemies and poverty,

it would have been easy to forget why they were in the mess they were in.

So Ezra begins this section by reminding them who God's is.

Nehemiah 9:32 ESV

"Our God"

- He starts out with making an emphasis this is our God.

- He's making a claim here.

He's making a claim here.

ILLUSTRATION:

We do the same thing sometimes with our kids –

>>>That my kid.

That my kid.

He's claiming Yahweh as their God,

which is meant to emphasize the character God as a tremendous blessing to Israel.

"The great"

The idea of this word is that God is above all others.

When we consider the many signs and wonders of God in Israel's history

– we have to conclude that God is unlike any other being in the Universe.

"The mighty"

This is a familiar Old Testament term which always is meant to emphasize God's tremendous power.

From the Exodus with the 12 plagues to God using pagan Kings to accomplish his divine discipline on Israel

– we we understand God as exceedingly powerful.

"Who keeps covenant and steadfast love"

When we consider the complete disregard of Israel for God and yet God's continued mercy and faithfulness

– you have to conclude that God keeps his promises.

He keeps his promises even when we don't deserve them.

Now there are two major reasons that

As we understand the prayer of Ezra, hereject God and his discipline.

First, may I challenge us -

a. Judgement Doesn't Nullify God's Character of Goodness. (32a)

But we also have to say -

a. Judgement Doesn't Nullify God's Character of Goodness. (32a)

ILLUSTRATION:

There's the old joke, that in prison everybody says they didn't do it.

>>>> One of the ironies of prison is that everybody think they got the short end of the stick.

There may be some innocent people in prison,

but most of those are there because they broken the law.

[The case is really at that point closed and shut]

So often, people who are under judgment don't find that judgment good.

>>>But an honest outside opinion looks at the case and says - you broke the law.

What’s true of the court system is also true of God.

And that's true God.

So often we despise judgment, even God's judgment.

But being under the judgment of God doesn't nullify his goodness.

In fact, if anything it demonstrates his goodness.

God cannot be good to us,

if he was not also just in his judgments.

God is only good to us because he has a character that is pure and holy.

It is without sin and wickedness.

And we rejoice in God's goodness because he's good to us,

but we can't get away from the fact that God is also holy in his judgments.

EXHORTATION/APPLICATION:

For example - many people

can't believe that God would actually condemn people to hell.

But the irony of what we just said is that we want to enjoy God's goodness as sinners,

while rejecting his goodness as a judge.

And at that point our God falls apart.

The judgment of God doesn't nullify God's character of goodness.

But further, often we think that -

But we also learn, that

b. Hardship Doesn't Nullify God's Goodness. (32b)

Nehemiah 9:32 ESV

The

- Sometimes we get the idea that if God is not giving us everything we want then there must be something not good about God.

- Sometimes we get the idea that if I sufferer there's something not good about God.

Sometimes we get the idea that if I saw for the somehow there's something not good about God.

We have an abundance of reasons to believe that God is a good, kind, merciful, gracious God.

Though - We sometimes don't always see it in this or that situation,

We sometimes don't always see it in this or that situation, but maybe not think the suffering or condemnation nullifies the goodness of God.

but maybe not think the suffering or condemnation nullifies the goodness of God.

ILLUSTRATION:

I have meet more then one couple who is newly married, and tries have a child.

But after years of trying,

their are hurting and disappointed because they just can’t seem to get pregnant.

Or even worse, they finally do and have miscarriage.

What agony.

And in that situation, it is natural to wonder if God is good.

But if we recount God’s work among people,

we over and over again have to say that God is good.

In the situation, it might be hard to have that perspective.

>>> But that is exactly why God gave us a Bible.

But that is exactly why God gave us a Bible.

{To help us understand that at the end of the day – we will say that God's work in our lives was good and gracious.}

To help us understand that at the end of the day – we will say that God's work in our lives was in good and gracious.

a. Condemnation Doesn't Nullify God's goodness. (32a)

So judgement doesn’t nulify that God is good,

and hardship doesn’t nullify the goodness of God.

- I don't care how you feel about it, the hundred reasons why you think God isn't;

I don't care how you feel about it, the hundred reasons why you think God isn't;

- Ultimately suffering and condemnation never nullifies the goodness of God

Ultimately suffering and condemnation never nullifies the goodness of God

He is the author of history, and the end of that history will show he is Good.

So God’s Discipline should point us back to God because

But further, my second point - Judgment should point us to God because

So Judgement doesn’t

Judgment should point us to God because

2. Sin is the Cause of Suffering.

a. Our Sinful Nature Justifies Judgment. (33-35)

b. Our Sin Has Grave Consequences. (36-37)

I am mindful that most often of the confession of Job - who suffered greatly and yet confessed that:

Job 5:17 ESV

“Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty.

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