25 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came unto my father; and he was truly chastened because of his murmuring against the Lord, insomuch that he was brought down into the depths of sorrow.
I’m sure it’s not a pleasant experience to be chastened by
the Lord Himself. Here Lehi endured it; later on in the Book of Mormon we read
that the brother of Jared was chastened by the Lord for three hours! One other
thing these two accounts have in common is that at the end of the chastening,
both Lehi and the brother of Jared received new instructions. It’s wonderful
evidence that when the Lord forgives, it really does become water under the
bridge, so to speak. He does not hold the sin against the truly repentant
sinner, and their relationship moves forward just the same as it was before, if
not stronger.
Several scriptures point to the fact that this chastening of
the Lord is a good thing. It’s evidence that He loves us, and that He has hope
for us (see Job 5:17; Proverbs 3:11–12; Hebrews 12:5–9 for evidence of this). In
Ether 2:14–15, where the brother of Jared’s experience with this is recorded,
the Lord warned him that he needed to straighten up and sin no more, because
His “Spirit will not always strive with man.” It would be much worse than being
chastened by Him, to get the silent treatment from Him. That implies that you
are so far gone that you are beyond hope, even for the Lord, who stands ready
to forgive.
- Job 5:17
- Proverbs 3:11–12
- Hebrews 12:5–9
- Ether 2:14–15
