“The outstanding paragraph on corrective suffering is in the twelfth chapter of Hebrews. Speaking of the difficulties that come to believers the Holy Spirit says, “You have forgotten the exhortation which speaks unto you as children” (Hebrews 12:5). Phillips has paraphrased it as follows: “You have perhaps lost sight of that piece of advice which reminds you of your sonship in God: ‘My son, regard not lightly the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art reproved by Him; for who the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth: Bear what you have to bear as ‘chastening’ – as God’s dealings with you as with sons. No true son ever grows up uncorrected by his father. For if you had no experience of the correction which all sons have to bear you might well doubt the legitimacy of your sonship. After all, when we were children we had fathers who corrected us, and we respected them for it. Can we not much more readily submit to a Heavenly Father’s discipline, and learn how to live? For our fathers used to correct us according their own ideas during the brief days of childhood. But God corrects us all our days for our own benefit, to teach us His holiness. Now obviously no ‘chastening’ seems pleasant at the time: it is in fact most unpleasant. Yet when it is all over we can see that it has quietly produced the fruit of real goodness in the character of those who have accepted it in the right spirit. So take a fresh grip on life and brace your trembling limbs. Don’t wander away from the path but forge steadily onward: on the right path the limping foot recovers strength and does not collapse.”
“This comparison between the right path and the meandering way of the one who steps off into uncharted territory reminds us of a beautiful story in the Minor Prophets. Hosea likens Israel to a wayward wife who has left her husband for other men. When we wander from God, we commit spiritual adultery. God must correct us to bring us back into the way in which we should go. God says, “Therefore, behold, I will hedge up your way with thorns and I will build a wall against you, so that you cannot find your paths” (Hosea 2:6). Notice that the thorns are not in the path of God but in the willful path of departure; there is no wall across the path of God, but one is placed across the path of self-will.”
“When a Christian finds himself in a thorn patch, he should at once recognize that he has stepped out of the will of God. Instead of thrashing about to get past the thorns, he should try to be still. One of the important verses for the conduct of the Christian life is, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalms 46:10). If you thrash around in a thorn patch you will only get more scratches. If you stand quiet and allow the Lord to speak to you, you will find Him only too glad to extricate you. The Lord is slow to anger and of great compassion, plenteous in mercy. He takes no delight in chastening His own, but He does delight in the upright walk of the corrected one. It may not be pleasant to go back, but the route to the main highway from the thorn patch is usually back to where you left the road. In God’s dealings with His children, this is the purpose of the thorns.”
“The other part of the illustration is that of the wall across the path. The Lord has no pleasure in blocking our road, and He never does so if we are in the path that He knows is best for us. But sometimes He must block our path because He has become our Father and because He sees ahead and knows the end from the beginning. At almost every point in life there are two ways before us. There are no walls across the path of His will, but we may thank God that he places walls across our own paths. When we find ourselves confronted by a wall, it is best to sit down and survey the situation. In front of a wall is a great place to pray. If we seek the Lord with our whole heart, if we come to Him in our difficulties, He will be found by us. All that He requires is a heart that says in advance that it is willing to go right or left, to turn around and go back, or to confront the wall.”
“When I find a wall in my path, from long experience I have learned to move rapidly. I first say, “Lord, I would be absolutely surrendered to your will. I have no knowledge that could help me, and I dare not trust in human sense. I trust you with all my heart and lean away from my own understanding. I acknowledge you and ask for direction of my paths” (Proverbs 3:5,6). At times this is sufficient; the Lord leads me to the main highway, and with little ado I am back on the road I should have travelled. Then there are other times when, after I have said all this sincerely, as the Lord sees and knows the heart, there is no denying that the wall is still there. Then I confront the wall, because the Devil, who is an imitator, frequently builds imitation walls, like the paper mache’ prop of a stage set. I then say, “Lord, you do love me. You don’t want me to be hurt. But I see no other path than that which lies beyond this wall. Perhaps I have missed a turn. I want to be on the right road and am willing to go in any direction. But, Lord, perhaps the Devil built that wall. I am going to take a run and heave myself against it. If it is truly your wall, keep me from getting too much bruised, for I want to be in your full will. But if it is Satan’s imitation wall, then open the way before me, and give the enemy a mouthful of dust for attempting to block the way of your child.” Then I take a run and jump at the wall. If it is Satan’s imitation, there is a rip and a tear, and I am on the other side, well on the Lord’s path. I know that I have served Him well in the invisible war, and that the enemy has been discomfited by one who was willing to draw all strength from Him who is mighty. But if the rock is unyielding and I fall at its base, and if I find that the wall grows higher as I try to climb it, and if it widens as I attempt to go around it, then I must wait for God to reveal His path to me. At times He does not want movement, but He wants me to sit still; perhaps for a considerable period, and there learn, in silence, lessons that can never be grasped in the heated course of the pilgrimage. Then the wall disappears, and His path is opened once more. Happy the believer who is sensitive to the slightest indication of thorns or wall and seeks to be on the path traced for him by the Lord God, Savior, Redeemer, and Lord of all paths. Thus the believer can glory in tribulations that are for his correction.”
Barnhouse, Donald Grey. God's River Romans 5:1-11 Expositions of Bible Doctrines Epistles to the Romans.Philadelphia: The Evangelical Foundation, inc., 1959. 79-82
