God Disciplines for Healing

In His message to Egypt, the Lord laid out His judgment in how He would bring about the complete collapse of their infrastructure, socially, economically, and politically. And while His purpose was to warn Israel not to rely upon the Egyptians, it was also to bring about Egypt’s repentance.

“And the Lord will strike Egypt, He will strike and heal it; they will return to the Lord, and He will be entreated by them and heal them” (Isaiah 19:22).

At its core, God’s discipline is about mercy. After He brings His judgment He would bring about their healing. To the children of Israel God said He would wound them in order to heal them.

“Now see that I, even I, am He, and there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; nor is there any who can deliver from My hand” (Deuteronomy 32:39).

In order to heal, God must make sure we understand that we’ve strayed from Him and from His word.

The Bible makes it clear that God brings discipline to those He loves, like a parent to a child.

“For whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights” (Proverbs 3:12).

A parent’s discipline is to be administered with love followed by instruction to correct an area of sin.

In the same way the Lord disciples those in whom He loves, even those we would consider enemies, like the Egyptians, to bring them to salvation.

And while discipline is never look upon as something good, it is because it’s designed to bring about health and growth.

“Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11).

But the greatest wound for our healing was given to Jesus Christ who took upon Himself our sin and thus God’s judgment so that we can be healed from the consequences of sin which leads to death (Romans 6:23).