And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:  “My son do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; (6)  For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”  (7) If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?  (11) 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.  (12) Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, (13) and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. 

The audience for this letter – author unknown – was Christian Jews who had suffered some serious persecution because of their faith in Christ. The author reminds them that God chastens His children and they must endure just as Jesus endured the cross because He could see what would be accomplished.   If they abandon their Christian faith under trials what would happen if there were bloodshed. Others endured under trials and they can also.  Trials are a fact of life – how we respond to them is our choice.

To understand discipline we must understand how it differs from punishment. Under punishment God is judge but under discipline God acts as father.  There is now no remaining punishment for those who are in Christ because He has borne the punishment for everything. In our verses today, the author addresses the discipline of God using the metaphor of father and son (daughter).  It is about discipline to being about outcome.

We need to operate within parameters in our earthly life to be successful. The same thing applies for our spiritual life. We are subject to spiritual discipline forming stamina and building character which leads to real joy and peace with God.  God’s Grace is sufficient and discipline keeps us plugged into the source of spiritual strength.