. Behold, happy is the man whom
God corrects, therefore do not despise the chastening of the
Almighty. Job 5.17 He is not happy at the
time, at least in the world's way. No affliction for the present
seems to be joyous, but grievous. No one enjoys having troubles,
sufferings, trials, sorrows. Therefore, this statement made
by Eliphaz appears very strange to some people. They cannot understand
it. It is contrary to all their thoughts
of happiness. Of course, the word happy is
not used here in the world sense. The world's happiness is the
pleasure that comes from the things that happen. It depends
on personal comfort, on prosperous circumstances, on kindly and
congenial conditions. When these are taken away, the
world's happiness is destroyed. But the word happy here means
blessed, and the statement is that blessing comes to him who
receives God's correction. To correct is to set right that
which has been wrong. Surely, if a man is going in
the wrong way, and God turns his feet back and sets him in
the right way, a blessing has come to the man. Afflictions
are God's corrections. They come always with a purpose
of love in them. God never afflicts one of His
children without meaning his child's good in some way. So
blessing is always intended by God. It is usually afterward
that people begin to see and to understand the good that God
sent them in their trial. You do not understand what I
am now doing, said Jesus, but you shall understand hereafter.
No chastening seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later
on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for
those who have been trained by it. So when we have troubles
and afflictions, we may know that God wants to do us good
in some way through them. Since this is so, Job was exalted
by Eliphaz. Therefore do not despise the
chastening of the Almighty. God chastens us to bless us,
to do us good. He chastens us because He loves
us. He is not a true parent who sees
his children doing wrong and yet fails to correct them for
fear he may hurt their feelings. He ought to think of their higher
good and chasten them now to profit them afterward. This is
the way our Heavenly Father works. He never loves us better. than
when He is correcting us. Therefore, we ought not to despise
this chastening. We ought not to murmur or complain
when God does not give us our own way, but checks us, lays
His afflictive hand upon us, and sends trouble upon us. We
ought to have such faith in God that we shall submit quietly,
confidentially, and sweetly to His will, even when it brings
a heavy cross into our life. A great many people need to pause
at this line and learn it. They do not treat God's chastening
with reverence. Sometimes they are crushed by
it and refuse to look up into God's face with submission and
love. Sometimes they grow bitter against
God and say hard things of Him. We ought to reverence God's chastening. We ought to listen to the voice
that speaks to us in our grief or pain. The way in which God
brings blessing through chastening is emphasized. for he wounds,
but he also binds up. He strikes, but his hands also
heal. Job 5.18 God never smites with
both hands at once. When one hand is laid upon us
in affliction, the other hand is reached out to help, to uphold,
to heal. Sometimes there is a trouble
in a man's body which requires the surgeon's knife. There must
be amputation, or cutting away, or cutting into. In such a case,
the skillful surgeon does not hesitate. He thinks far more
of his patient's health for the future than of his comfort at
present. So he uses his knife that he
may cure disease or save life. He wounds to heal. He makes sore,
that he may bind up. It is just so in all afflictions
which God sends. He chastens, that he may deliver
from the power of temptation. He hurts the body, that he may
save the soul. He takes away earthly property,
that he may give true heavenly riches. One writer tells of two
birds, and how they acted when caught and put into a cage. One,
a starling, flew violently against the wire walls of its prison
in unavailing efforts to escape, only battering and bruising its
own wings. The other bird, a canary, perched
itself on the bar and began to pour forth bursts of sweet song
from its little throat. We know which bird was the wiser
and happier. Some people are like the starling
when they are in any trouble. They chafe and fret and complain
and give away to wretchedness. The result is they only hurt
themselves, make themselves more miserable, and do not in any
sense lessen their trouble. It is wiser always, as well as
more pleasing to God, for us to bear our trials patiently,
singing songs of faith and love, rather than crying out in rebellion
and discontent. Job wanted to get near to God
in his great trouble. He cried, O that I knew where
I might find him! He felt sure that would be the
best and safest place for him to be. We ought not to lose this
lesson. When trouble is upon us, the
true thing for us to do is to flee to God, Some people in their
affliction and sorrow flee away from God. Thus they lose their
joy and peace, missing the comfort which they would get if only
they kept near to Him. The right way to respond is to
try to find the way to God's very presence. He is the only
safe refuge when the storms of trouble break upon us. The first
thing always, in any time of trouble, is to find God and hide
away in His bosom, as a child runs to the mother in alarm,
or as the little bird flies to its nest. To find God is to be
safe. God is our truest and best friend. He is our Father. We need never
fear to go to Him. He gives heed unto our cries. He loves us. All His omnipotence
is on our side. No mother's heart was ever so
full of love for her child as is the heart of God for us, His
children.