Hear ye The Rod

Q: What does the Bible say about God's chastisement?

God's chastisement is a loving correction meant to lead us to righteousness, as seen in Hebrews 12:6-7. The Bible teaches that God's chastisement is not punitive but corrective, intended for the good of His children. Hebrews 12:6-7 reminds us that the Lord chastens those He loves, indicating that such correction arises from His fatherly love and desire for our growth in holiness. God's discipline is meant to guide us back to the peaceable fruit of righteousness, teaching us valuable lessons rather than punishing us for our sins. This understanding highlights that trials and corrections serve a greater purpose in shaping us into the image of Christ.

Q: How do we know Christ is the wisdom of God?

Christ embodies the wisdom of God as stated in 1 Corinthians 1:24, where He is explicitly called the wisdom of God. The Scriptures reveal that Christ is the ultimate personification of God's wisdom. In 1 Corinthians 1:24, Paul emphasizes that Christ is not only the power of God but also the wisdom of God. This wisdom encompasses the truth about our identity, God's character, and the redemptive plan through Jesus. Understanding Christ as God's wisdom assures us that our salvation and sanctification depend solely on Him. The foolishness of the gospel, in the eyes of the world, is actually the wisdom that confounds human understanding, proving that God's ways are higher than our own.

Q: Why is the rod of correction significant for Christians?

The rod of correction signifies God's loving discipline that brings believers back to Him, leading to spiritual growth. For Christians, the rod of correction represents God's loving guidance during the times of our waywardness. As highlighted in Micah 6:9, 'Hear ye the rod,' it serves as a reminder that God's discipline is aimed at restoring our relationship with Him. This correction is not about punishment but about drawing us closer to Him and preserving the joy of our fellowship with the Savior. Understanding the nature of this chastisement leads to a deeper appreciation for God's grace, as we realize that through our challenges, He works for our ultimate good and sanctification in Christ.

Let's open our Bibles to the book of Micah chapter six, Micah six. We sing that song and we know that it's true, the one we just sang, but we don't know the depths of it. We believe that we're sinners because God said so. And we see just a small amount of it. But I'm so very thankful for the hope that we have that the Lord Jesus has put away our sin and that we stand before God without spot, as we just sang. Last Wednesday night, we looked at verse 8. Tonight, I want us to give our attention to verse 9. And I've titled this message, Hear Ye the Rod. Seems a little odd that the Lord would say, hear ye the rod. We usually think of feeling the rod.

But when God corrects his children with a rod of correction, It's always for the purpose of leading them to the peaceable fruit of righteousness. It's always for the purpose of teaching them. It's never punitive, it's always corrective. The punishment of sin has been placed on Christ and the justice of God is fully satisfied with the sacrifice that Christ made to put away our sin. But our loving Heavenly Father, continues to teach us. And often the teaching is by the means of the rod. And at the conclusion of this hour, of this message, we're going to ask the question, what exactly is the nature of chastisement?

And I hope that that point will be a great encouragement to you, because I believe it's a lot different than most people think. Look at verse 9. The Lord's voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom shall see thy name. I hear thy name, see thy name. Hear ye the rod, and who it is that hath appointed it. Who is this rod for?

Well, the Lord tells us that it's for the man of wisdom, the man of wisdom. And as we just read in Proverbs chapter 8, the mystery that which must be revealed, that which is hidden to the natural man of wisdom, is that wisdom is for the foolish. just as strength is for the weak, just as righteousness is for the sinful, just as healing is only for the sick, and just as understanding only belongs to the ignorant. Wisdom belongs to those who, by God's grace, find themselves standing in the presence of a holy God, having nothing, able to do nothing, and knowing nothing. To them, the wisdom of God is revealed. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 1, and let's be reminded of what we've seen many times from this text. 1 Corinthians 1, and we'll begin reading in verse 24. Well, let's go back up to verse 23. We preach Christ.

And Christ Jesus, the Lord, is the power of God, and he is the wisdom of God. What we read in Proverbs chapter 8 is the personification of wisdom. Christ is the personification of wisdom. And James tells us, if any man lack wisdom, let him ask it of God, who giveth all men liberally, and upbraideth it not. God has made him to be our wisdom. The wisdom of God, the truth. What is wisdom?

It's the truth about who we are. It's the truth about who God is. It's the truth concerning how it is that God is pleased to redeem us and to reconcile us to himself. It's the gospel. It's the revelation of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the wisdom of God. And we preach Christ crucified. The accomplished work of the Lord Jesus on Calvary's cross. We're not just preaching the historical event of a crucifixion, we're preaching Christ crucified. He actually accomplished, he was actually successful by his death in reconciling us to God, Christ crucified.

Unto the Jews Unto the religious, that's the Jews are referenced to those who are the Pharisees, the self-righteous, those who are looking to their own works, their own wisdom, their own will for the hope of their salvation. Unto the Jews, Christ crucified is a stumbling block because it robs them of their righteousness. It robs them of the hope of their salvation.

And unto the Greeks, foolishness. What do we, the Greeks are the ones that are not concerned with the eternal salvation of their souls. They're just, they're not concerned about whether there is a God or what's he even like. They're just indulged in the pleasures of this world. The preaching of the gospel is foolishness. It's a waste of time to them. We don't need it.

But unto them which are called, and God calls his people out of religion, and he calls his people out of the irreligious world. Unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God, and Christ, the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. when, prior to this, when man by wisdom knew not God, God through the foolishness of preaching saved them. For you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh. You see, the wisdom of God is not for those who promote themselves and believe themselves to be wise among men. Not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called.

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. And the base things of the world and the things which are despised hath God chosen, yea, the things which are not, to bring to naught the things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence.

Hear the rod of wisdom. Who hears it? The rod is heard by the wise man. And the wise man is the one who has no wisdom in themselves. All of their wisdom is given to them. They know that the understanding that the revelation of truth, the light that they enjoy, was given to them freely. They did not earn it. They did not deserve it. They did not accomplish it. They did not pursue it. God gave it to them.

For of him, of the Father, are you in Christ Jesus. God put us, put his elect in Christ before the foundation of the world. who of God is made unto us. The Father makes Christ to be unto us. Our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification, our redemption, that according as it is written, he that glorieth. Let him glory in the Lord. Go back with me to our text. The Lord's voice crieth. unto the city.

And the man of wisdom, the man of wisdom shall see thy name." Don't you love the way we're not just hearing his name, we're seeing his name. We see what his name We see the person that his name represents. How many times we've had to give our name to someone that didn't know us, and they were only interested in getting the accurate spelling of our name so that it could be legally documented on whatever it was they were doing. we had to give them the exact spelling of our name. And at that point, they knew our name. But that's all they knew.

If I speak a name of a person that you know and love, you're not thinking about the accurate spelling of their name. If I say to you, Scott McMinn, if I say to you, Tom Toll, if I say to you, Christine, your mind doesn't think about how those people spell their name. You're thinking about the person that that name represents.

And I believe that's what the Lord is telling us here. When the Lord's voice cries in the city and the wise man hears it, he sees the name of God. There is a place for us, especially in the religious world in which we live, and all the blasphemous definitions that men give to God's name, there is a place for us to give an accurate definition. But for the wise man, the name of God is more than just a proper definition of what that name means. It's a work of grace in the heart by the Spirit of God that draws us affectionately to that person that that name represents.

Yes, the religious world throws around the name Jesus as if it was, you know, the neighbor next door. And we know that His name means Jehovah saves and that He was a successful Savior. We know that the world refers to Jesus as Christ, not knowing that Christ means the anointed one. He was anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows. He came in the full power of the Holy Spirit to actually succeed in saving all of Israel, all of his people.

We make a point of properly defining what our Lord's name really means. We know that he is the Alpha and the Omega. He's the beginning and the end. He's the first and the last. And we are persuaded that the good work that he began in election, he will perform to the coming of Christ. He will finish what he started. He is the Alpha and the Omega. Many will make the Lord Jesus the alpha.

I'm thinking of those who would refer to themselves as being reformed and those who would refer to sanctification as if it was progressive, and they will stand firm on the fact that salvation is of the Lord in its inception. in its conception, in its inception, in its application, in redemption, and in regeneration. But then they make, they rob Christ of his being the Omega by depending upon them for the furtherance of their sanctification. No, God has made him to be our wisdom, am I right? And then there are those who would say, once saved, always saved. Once you take the first step and they deny Christ as the Alpha, then He becomes the Omega and He carries you all the way to the end.

And we understand the error of both of those. And we believe and ought to often define what Alpha and Omega really means. We see His name for what it is. And it's important for us. to believe that when the Lord Jesus said, I am, he was declaring himself to be the eternal, self-existent, omnipotent, immutable creator and sustainer of all things. He has no beginning and has no end. He's dependent upon nothing. He's learned nothing. He doesn't change. He's I Am.

It's important for us to understand what these names mean. The Lord Jesus is the rose of Sharon. Oh, how beautiful and how fragrant is His grace and His mercy in our hearts. They shall see His name. He is the bright and morning star, the night is almost over. The day is dawning and we wait with anticipation for the sun to rise and for the Lord Jesus to come and to take us home. These names are names that we see. They are names that we see.

When Abraham met the Lord Jesus as the king of Salem and the priest of righteousness, Melchizedek. He paid to Melchizedek tithes and Melchizedek gave the blessing from the greater to the lesser. And we understand that to be Christ. And when God speaks from, this is how we know that God has taken us who are by nature foolish and have no understanding and he's revealed himself because we see, we see his name. But we're not concerned with just accurately defining the truth about who the Lord Jesus is. Turn with me to Revelation chapter 2. Revelation chapter 2. Beginning at verse 1. This is what I'm trying to say.

Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write. And you know what the Lord said in all of these seven churches, he said, let him who has ears to hear, hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Only by the Spirit of God can we have some understanding of what the Lord's saying here. And my point is that as important as it is for us, particularly in this blasphemous world in which we live that would pervert the name of God, we see his name and we ought to declare his name and define his name. But brethren, let us not forget that our hope is not just in an accurate definition of his name. This is what the Lord is saying to us. Let him who has ear hear. Hear what the Lord said unto the churches. And the angel of the church at Ephesus write, these things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks.

I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them that are evil, and hast tried them which say that they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars, and hast borne, and hast been patient. For my name's sake hast thou labored, and hast not fainted. You've been so faithful. to stand for the truth concerning my name. Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

Is that not often our experience? in the coldness and dullness of our own hearts. Do we not often need to be reminded of that? Like the Church of Ephesus, the Lord commends them for having stood for the truth concerning His name, but then rebukes them for having forgotten the person of that name, the person of that name, You hear the name of someone you love, and your countenance lightens, and your heart's filled with joy. And that's, I believe, what Micah is telling us, what the Lord's telling us here in our text. The Lord's voice crieth in the city. When the Lord speaks, he speaks by his name. He's revealing himself. He cries among his people.

And the man of wisdom shall see thy name. He shall see it as for what it means accurately and truthfully, and he shall see it as to who it represents, the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. May God make us wise in being able to see his name, being able to see his name. Now, perhaps you have this in the margin of your Bible.

I have it in mine, and it is another understanding. Notice that in the phrase we're dealing with right now, the man of wisdom shall see thy name. The man of is an italics. The man of is in italics. Wisdom shall see thy name. And in the margin of my Bible, it says, thy name, which is his person, as we've already said, thy name shall see that which is wise. And I believe both are true. According to all of scripture, both are true. The wise man shall see his name. The wise man sees the meaning of it, and the wise man sees the person of it. In the wise man's heart, his understanding is made clear, and his heart is drawn in affection to Christ. But another way to understand this is, thy name, thy person shall See that which is wise. Not only do we see him, but he sees us.

Turn back with me again to Revelation chapter three. Revelation chapter three. Another of the seven churches by the name of Sardis. And in verse four, and the Lord he is rebuking the church at Sardis. because they have a name amongst the churches that they're alive, but the Lord's saying, you're dead, you've lost sight of me. And then he says in verse four, nevertheless, Thou hast a few names, even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments, and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy."

You know, I was thinking about how easily influenced we are by one another. I know we don't like to admit that, but we are. You know, we all like to think that we're individualist. But I've been preparing for a message this coming Sunday from John chapter 12.

And that's the story of Mary breaking open the alabaster jar and anointing the Lord with the very precious ointment worth 300 pence. And Judas, in his hypocrisy, says in John chapter 12, why are we allowing this waste? For this money could have been spent on the poor. And he said this because he wanted to put the money in his own purse. And that's the only thing it says in John chapter 12.

But if you read the same story in Matthew, Matthew tells us that all the other disciples, as soon as they heard what Judah said, agreed with him. They all spoke up and said, yeah. They all joined in in his hypocrisy. The other disciples were influenced by the son of perdition and in his hypocrisy.

I say that in order to put us on guard, because sometimes we can look around the church, and I'm glad I'm making this point here on Wednesday night with you, because it's easy to get discouraged with some who profess to be believers. who don't seem to have a need, don't seem to have an interest, engaged in things that they ought not to be doing. And it's discouraging sometimes. I know it's discouraging for you, it's discouraging for me.

But here the Lord says, thy name, thy person, shall see that which is wise. And in Revelation chapter three, with all that was going on in the church of Sardis, and all the hypocrisy, and all the rebellion, and all the disobedience, God says, yet there are a few, even in Sardis, and I see you. I see you. Now I know we are more concerned about our own hypocrisy and our own sin, but I think that there's a word of encouragement here for us.

That regardless of what anybody else is doing, regardless of what Judah says, Let us know that the eyes of the Lord, the eyes of the Lord, scripture says in 2 Chronicles 16, run to and fro throughout the whole world to show himself strong toward them whose heart is perfect. And the only way to have a perfect heart is to be given a heart for Christ.

Here's what the Lord, the man of wisdom shall see thy name and thy name shall see the man of wisdom. Psalm 33 verse 18, behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him and upon all them who hope in his mercy. Lord, I'm just a mercy beggar. There's my hope. and the eye of the Lord is upon them. Even in Sardis, regardless of what else anybody else is doing and what else might be going on, the eye of the Lord is upon them that seek him, them that desire to know him, them that fear him. Psalm 34, 15, the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his ears are open to their cry. And so we read this verse, thy name, thy name shall see that which is wise, shall see that which is wise. The Lord never loses sight of his people. And he regards highly those who cry out to him and look to him and need him. Now, the Lord's voice crieth unto the city. The problem is not that God hasn't spoken. He has spoken. He's spoken to all men.

In creation, the order of creation declare his glory, and the firmament declares his handiwork, and men see what God has done, and they deny his power and his existence. And when men reject the revelation that God has made, he makes no more. And when we are able to receive the revelation of who he is, then he reveals more. God has revealed himself. He has spoken. Look, turn with me to Psalm 19. Psalm 19. Verse 1, the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge.

The Lord crieth in the city. The city is where the people are. The people know by his created power, created power, that there is a God. There is no speech and there is no language where their voice is not heard. The voice of God is speaking through what men see in his creation. And yet they deny. Their line has gone out through all the earth. and their words to the ends of the world.

In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun. The sun rises every day as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoitheth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of heaven, and his circuit is to the ends of it, and there is nothing hid from it from the heat thereof. Just as all men have seen the ball of fire in the sky that we call the sun, they cannot deny, they cannot deny the creative, the creator, the power of God. God has revealed himself to all men in conscience. He has written his law on men's heart. All men have a moral code. The moral code has been given to them from God. All men know right from wrong, and yet men deny that.

The Lord's voice crieth in the city. There is no lack of God speaking to men. The lack is on man's ability and willingness to hear the voice of God. Lord, I need to hear your voice. You said, let him who has ears to hear, hear. And you also said that the hearing ear and the seeing eye are both from you.

Lord, I'll go the way of Cain. I'll go the way of Balaam. I'll not hear you. I'll give my heart and my attention to everything else but you. Lord, make me to know wisdom. Make me to know wisdom. The Lord's voice crieth unto the city. And the man of wisdom shall see. thy name, and thy name shall see the man of wisdom. Hear ye the rod.

Now we looked in Hebrews chapter 12 this past Sunday about how the Lord chastises his children because he loves them. And if we're not chastised, it is evident that we're not his child. When we chastise our own children, we don't do it without letting them know, I do this because I love you.

I do this in order to correct you. I do this because if I allow you to continue this behavior, it will not go well for you. If I allow you to be rebellious toward me, you will be rebellious toward other forms of authority in your life, and ultimately you rebel against the ultimate authority of your life, God Almighty. If I allow you to be selfish and not share, then You're going to be isolated from all men, and you're going to end up being a taker your whole life, and no one's going to want to be around you. I love you.

I'm doing this to correct you, because I have nothing but good for you. And the pain that you're feeling in this correction is nothing compared to the pain that you will receive if I don't correct you. That's the spirit in which we chastise our own children. And the rod of correction, and I will kill him. Oh. Spare the rod, spoil the child. If man doesn't correct his children, it's because he hates them, doesn't love them. And the Lord is using all of that to say to us, this is why, this is why I don't spare the rod of correction with you, because I love you. I want what's best for you.

Now, I said we would close with some thoughts about the true nature of chastisement, because I think too often we think of chastisement. I was reading a Puritan one time years ago, and I don't remember which one it was, but it doesn't really matter because they're all legalistic and they all would have would have believed the same thing concerning this. He said, when something bad happens in my life, the first question that comes to mind is, what have I done to bring this on? What have I done to bring this on?

As if that was chastisement. Is that not what the whole story of Job is about? Is that not a legalistic view of God? Sickness and sadness and sorrow and troubles might be, and often is, a great blessing that's sent as a reward for God's choice of servants. We can't look at our circumstances and jump to the conclusion, what have I done to bring this? That's not.

And conversely, prosperity and peace and comfort in this world might be a great curse, and often is, if it leaves us independent and self-sufficient. And secondly, The law of the harvest applies to all men. What is the law of the harvest? You reap what you sow.

There is built into sin consequences for sin. If a man gets pulled over for speeding and gets a ticket, he can't say, well, God chastised me for speeding. No, that's the consequence of sin. If a man goes to prison because he's murdered someone, he can't say, well, God's chastising me. No, that's the consequence of sin. And all men experience that. If a man's unfaithful in his marriage and he ends up in divorce, you can't say, well, that's God's chastisement for me, for sin.

No, that's just part of the long harvest. So I believe it's a great error for us to always think of chastisement as some trouble and some problem that we that we have in our lives. That trouble may be the greatest, and in faith, and for those who are looking to Christ, troubles are always a blessing. Always a blessing.

So, what is exactly the rod of correction? What is it? Well, a father and a child who have a great affection for one another, a loving relationship with one another, who are blessed and happy to be in one another's presence. When the father has to correct that child, What happens to that union? What happens to the sweetness of their fellowship for a period of time? I'll show you what happens. Turn with me to Psalm 51. And I believe this, brethren, is the rod of correction. Psalm 51. David is lamenting, repenting of his sin before God. And in verse eight, he says, make me to hear joy and gladness.

The joy and the gladness that I once had with thee has been broken. My bones are broken within me. The bones that thou hast broken, Lord, I need them to rejoice. I've been bearing the burden of this sin, and you have corrected me with the rod of correction by withdrawing these blessings of your presence from me. I have grieved you. and I'm not able to rejoice. And my gladness and my joy has left me.

Verse nine, hide thy face from my sin and blot out my iniquities. Lord, you've hid your face from me, but I need you to hide your face from my sin. Let your face shine upon me, Lord. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

I've been judgmental, I've been critical, I've been angry, I've been sad, I've lost all the sweetness of your presence. That's the rod of correction. Verse 11, cast me not away from my presence. Take not thy Holy Spirit from me, Lord, I've grieved your spirit, I've lost your joy, your happiness.

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then when I teach transgressors, thy ways and centers shall be converted unto thee. Lord, I can't share anything about you with others if I'm not right with you myself. Deliver me from the blood guiltness, O God, thou God of my salvation. And then my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. Lord, my prayers are defunct. My songs are just repetitious. My Lord, this brethren, what is the Lord saying to us? I can live without good health. I can live without prosperity. I can live without the wealth and the comforts that this world has to offer. I can live without the support of friends and family members. I cannot live without Christ. I must have Him. I believe, brethren, that's the rod of correction, what David experienced there.

And what? What greater incentive is there for the man of wisdom when he hears the voice of God to return than to have experienced broken fellowship? The Lord giving him some freedoms, some room to wander on his own. and for the loss that that wise man feels when he comes back and cries out unto the Lord, Lord save me, Lord save me. Let's just read our text in closing. The Lord's voice crieth unto the city, Micah 6, 9. The man of wisdom shall see thy name, and thy name shall see the man of wisdom. Hear, hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it? Tom? 352. 352? Let's stand together. 352.

Hear ye The Rod

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about God's chastisement?

How do we know Christ is the wisdom of God?

Why is the rod of correction significant for Christians?

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Hear ye The Rod

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about God's chastisement?

How do we know Christ is the wisdom of God?

Why is the rod of correction significant for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

About Greg Elmquist

Comments

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