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DIVINE CHASTISEMENT: A Practical Exposition of Hebrews 12
ARTHUR W. PINK
“Despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.” (Hebrews 12:5–8).
Christians have trials and afflictions. This should not be a strange concept. It is an obvious fact of life. But, the idea that Christians are chastened and corrected by their heavenly Father is a concept that is not only foreign but completely contrary to what many present-day Christians are taught and the way they think every day. However, the Bible text given above from the book of Hebrews makes such a concept clearly undeniable, the Lord “chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth” (Hebrews 12:6).
The Bible plainly states that, “Man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7). According to this verse, all men by nature have trouble as surely as all sparks by nature fly upward. Men can no more prevent or avoid trouble, than they can prevent sparks from flying upward into the sky. All men will, sooner or later, face adversity and endure suffering of some kind in this world. Hence, the Bible says, “Man that is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble” (Job 14:1).
Dear reader, have you ever seriously compared yourself with the people of God in the Bible? If so, have you not often observed that there is a great difference between these people and yourself? Beyond the miraculous, are there not some glaring contrasts between today’s professing Christians and the saints of the past? In no aspect of the Christian life is that contrast and difference more apparent than in the way Bible Christians understood and responded to their trials and troubles and the way we understand and respond to ours today.
I would ask the reader, even as you examine this book, are you not dealing with some type of adversity, are you not troubled in some way or another by something? Would you like to learn more about a Christian man’s troubles and how to respond to them? There are many publications currently available that address these issues. Among the more notable we would recommend the following: (1) Thomas Boston – The Crook in the Lot: God’s Sovereignty and Wisdom Displayed in our Afflictions; (2) Thomas Brooks – The Mute Christian Under the Smarting Rod; (3) Jeremy Burroughs – The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment; (4) John Flavel – The Mystery of Divine Providence; (5) Richard Sibbes – The Bruised Reed; and (6) Thomas Watson – All Things For Good. Nevertheless, we believe the following book by Arthur W. Pink is one of the very best on the particular subject of Christian affliction as set forth in the Book of Hebrews Chapter 12. It especially deals with the specific issue of God “chastening” His children. In this book the author’s primary objective is to consider what the Bible says about the nature of Christian afflictions and the manner in which Christians ought to respond to their heavenly Father’s correction. The content of this book was extracted from A. W. Pink’s book – An Exposition of Hebrews and, from our research, we understand that this is the first time this particular material has ever been published by itself in separate book form. We pray the Lord will be pleased to make this book a blessing to all those into whose hands He providentially sends it. Through printing and distributing this book, the publisher hopes to, “comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves have been comforted of God” (2 Corinthians 1:4).
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Publisher’s Foreword
1. The Path of Tribulation
2. A Call to Steadfastness
3. Divine Chastisement – Section One
4. Divine Chastisement – Section Two
5. Divine Chastisement – Section Three
6. Divine Chastisement – Section Four
7. Divine Chastisement – Section Five
8. Divine Chastisement – Section Six
9. Divine Chastisement – Section Seven
10. A Call to Steadfastness
A Biographical Sketch of the Author
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