English: Interior photo of a courtroom in Brockville, Ontario (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Four men sat in the court room waiting their turn before the judge.  One of them was obviously scared.  He was wrongly arrested for a crime he knew he didn’t commit.  There was no way for him to know what would happen next.  All his life was being ripped away without his consent.  Though he would admit he was a citizen of a law filled land, he now was at the wrong end of the land he had come to think of as his.

Another was constantly wiping his eyes for fear that the others would see his weakness.  His guilt was obvious.  And he knew prison was waiting for him.  He also knew that his family and friends would never forgive him for what he had done.  One more thing he knew:  He knew he didn’t have the violent attitude necessary to cope with the elements in prison that would come to molest him, take his possessions, and force him to submit all his days as a slave to their depraved minds.

One more prisoner sat there with a slight smile on his face.  This wasn’t his first time here.  What was it to him if he lived a few more years behind bars.  He knew he would be convicted.  He also knew he had friends where he was going.  He was part of those who happily enslave the weak in prison.  And he had his eye on the man sitting next to him.

The last of the four sat there sobbing.  Not able to contain his fear, he had wet himself.  Life was about to change for this fellow.  And he knew he didn’t have what it took to endure the punishment for his foolish crime.  His throat was parched dry and he wasn’t sure he could answer when asked questions.  His mind was numb from fear.  Panic had set in quite severely.  What was to come of him now?  All he could think of was terror.

Punishment cannot bring about a correction of attitude in those who are not repentant.  In fact, punishment to the proud will only bolster their pride.  A man who is violent in his attitude will only grow more wicked over time.  And until his body cannot carry out violence anymore, that man will contrive all kinds of ways to do wicked things.

Punishment, however, extended to a man who wishes to learn will certainly have a positive effect.  We can be sure that the last man will learn his lessons well.  Look at him quivering as he awaits his fate.  You could release this man today and be quite sure you won’t see him here again.  The Lord said it best (go figure)  “. . . he who is forgiven little, loves little.”  (Luke 7:47)

The other two are a bit of a curious matter.  The one who was wrongly arrested might go to prison anyway.  What will come of him is between he and God.  He might not have had an attitude about civil law.  But he is quickly developing one now!

And the one who was constantly wiping his eyes, what about him?  Won’t he also be in the same boat as the first?  It remains up to him as to how punishment will affect his heart.

What will happen to the Christian is largely brought on by his attitude.  God will do for us what the law of free will allows.  Sin has us all by the throat when we first come to the Lord.  And when we learn of the sentence of death against us we all respond a little differently.  We are told to fear God.  The more we fear Him the more we will find ourselves being able to become a student.  Only a student attitude will endure punishment favorably.  Fear is the only motivation that will result in love for the system that arrested our deviant behavior.  We might say this has to do with what the Lord said about Laodicea:  “‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.”  (Revelation 3:16).   A lack of reverent fear will not provide the strength we need to learn to love Him.  Pride and sin will overcome the one who approaches the war of flesh with a lackadaisical attitude

The Lord approaches all of us in the same manner as the judge in that court room.  The difference being that The Lord is able to change the nature of things while we undergo His punishments.  The judge is constrained to the provided prison system.  The Lord has created all things.  And He is quite able to change the material nature of our circumstances.   He also knows how to change the attitude of His people so that their fear of God’s laws is refreshed when their attitude slips a bit.

So we look to what the writer of Hebrews had to say about this, for the conclusion of this post.

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”  7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.  For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!  10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.  11 No discipline 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. 12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.  13 “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.  (Hebrews 12)