LifeLink Devotions for Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Do you understand the difference between discipline and punishment? There’s an important distinction between them that must be considered in the context of parenting, of a government judicial system, and in God’s working with mankind.
Discipline is teaching someone to take responsibility for their actions and helping them learn and grow. Punishment is the enforcement of a consequence with no thought for how it might help someone in the future. Prison is punishment. Rehabilitation is discipline.
Today we come to the next usage of the phrase “on that day.” It’s at the beginning of a section of God’s Word that describes various days that are coming when God will do three things. One, He will discipline His people for their sin. Two, He will punish all the nations who reject Him. And three, He will restore His people to their intended glory in faithful relationship with their Savior.
God is still doing these three things, both in the political realm with the nation of Israel, and in the spiritual realm with each of us.
In Isaiah’s day the Israelites have rebelled against God by associating with and adopting the customs and religious beliefs of evil nations that do not trust the Lord. The Lord describes the situation in Isaiah chapter 5. It would be good for you to take the time to read it. One of the Lord’s descriptions goes like this:
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight! Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink, who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right!”
Sounds eerily similar to our country today. So God is going to discipline His people. I use the term discipline because it is not final punishment on the nation. His covenant with them will not be broken, and they will be restored. But for time they will have to suffer the consequences of their sin.
Isiah describes a worldwide call that goes out from God to the nations of the world to come and conquer Israel. And when they come, Isaiah describes it this way: “Their roaring is like a lion, like young lions they roar; they growl and seize their prey; they carry it off, and none can rescue. They will growl over it on that day, like the growling of the sea. And if one looks to the land, behold, darkness and distress; and the light is darkened by its clouds.”
On that day they will be like lions growling over their prey and no one can rescue them. What a sad day. God’s people suffering at the hands of evil nations because they chose to be faithless and selfish.
Some may say that God is being unfair and acting harshly. But Isaiah reminds us that God is revealing His justice to everyone. Chapter 5 verses 15 and 16 say, “Man is humbled, and each one is brought low, and the eyes of the haughty are brought low. But the Lord of hosts is exalted in justice, and the Holy God shows himself holy in righteousness.”
Discipline is an expression of God’s grace towards us. He reveals His justice against sin while giving us every opportunity to repent and return to intimacy with Him. So instead of rebelling even more when the consequences of sin are enforced, embrace the grace that God is showing you to turn from your sin and receive His blessings of growth and renewed relationship. God is working in righteousness to do what is best for you.
Pastor John
