"Indeed, at the time, all discipline seems to us like pain, not joy, but later it is repaid as the peaceful fruit of righteousness for those who have completed its training."
(Heb 12:11 my own translation - see continuation for translational notes)
It's finally dawned on me ... God's been trying to get my undivided attention. Withdrawing the joy of his manifest presence and letting us feel the full effect of our choices is one of God's most effective means of securing our undivided attention, our pure devotion, and our complete submission.
When God turns silent, we usually have to navigate through stormy waters before we exhaust our own willfulness and come to stillness.
How happy we are when the face of God appears again after feeling the silence of his discipline. But here's the key - when God shines his face at last, do we scurry off into our foolishness again, or remain under his hand? If we scurry off to shallower things, we will surely need to go through the whole thing again ...
I'm a painfully slow learner who is quick to forget ... will I ever graduate from this school, Lord? God is gracious, and even his hammer blows will not destroy. I even believe the hammer hurts God too ...
Some translational notes ...
- Discipline = paideia (root of English "padagogy") = child rearing and instruction, implying correction, discipline, rather than simply the narrower "punishment" in some translations. This idea seems to exist in some form in the Greek, Roman and Hebrew cultures of the Bible.
- Repaid to us = apodidomi = to yield, pay back. It is faithful to the sense of the verse and this passage to picture the investment of painful submission to God's discipline being richly repaid to us as the fruit of peace and godliness.
- Completed its training = gumnazo (to train for a gymnastic event, but also figuratively to engage in spiritual training). Perfect passive participle implies the training has been successfully completed and its effects (the peaceful fruit of righteousness) are now being enjoyed.
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Hey, good to see some Greek translation! I sat my elementary exam the week before last... and not sure if I'm prepared to find out the result just yet!
Are you going to New Wine, Shepton Mallet, this summer? We're hoping to go to Week B.
Posted by: Andy S | June 20, 2005 at 07:57 AM
not sure what the connection between new-wine and Greek is - though I too can identify with both
We had a new-wine 4 day 'camp' here 6-10 July and it was blessed, and I too have struggled with Greek. I have finally finished the compulsory courses, and doubt very much if I'll take it as an option.
Learning Swedish at the moment. A prerequisite for ordination. I've had one lesson! Second tomorrow.
Posted by: Lorna | July 13, 2005 at 11:39 AM
some posts you just HAVE to come back to. This is (yet) another one of them
Thank you for writing. What you say hits a chord deep within.
Posted by: Lorna | July 24, 2005 at 02:10 PM
Thanks Lorna ... I need to hear it again too! R
Posted by: Richard L | July 24, 2005 at 03:22 PM