What is the Difference Between Testing, Discipline, and Punishment?

     Shalom everyone!  Question for those who have the privilege to enjoy warm weather....  Isn't it fantastic!  Spring is my most favorite of all time in the history of ever season, so I'm very much enjoying the weather... :)  I'm simply praying that it doesn't randomly hard-freeze and we loose all of our peaches and cherries!  Mm....  Who doesn't love 'em?

     So, main reason I'm writing this post.  Yesterday we had a Bible study with some friends of ours.  The person who was supposed to lead the study called us (its over the phone) feeling very discouraged and said she was having a rough day.  She said that since she didn't put anything together (it had slipped her mind), we probably wouldn't have the study, but we were still open to suggestions.  Yet, even in our hour of trouble Yahweh directed our study and revealed to us something amazing!

     One of us brought up Job.  The story of Job is one of my absolute favorites!  Its a story of how a man who lost EVERYTHING, remained faithful to Yahweh, and even when he struggled with pride, he repented, was redeemed, and received double of what he lost.  Talk about amazing!

     Our discussion started off on this topic, and then all of the sudden somebody popped the question: "What is the difference between testing and discipline?  Is there a difference?  Defend your answer."  We kind of stopped in our tracks...  "Uh...  I don't know!"  We suggested a few things, buy they were easily disproved.  How do we answer that question?

     Then Yahweh revealed something to three different people in the study...  At nearly the SAME TIME!  Allow me to explain.

     Let's say we put testing, discipline, and punishment in three different steps.

        1.  Testing.  Think spiritual pop quiz.  It's put into place so that you can see where you've failed so that your teacher can show you how to fix it.  Just like Job.  Yahweh tested Job so that he could see where he was struggling: with pride.  I know from past experiences that if your teacher doesn't give you that random pop quiz, when the REAL test comes, you'll discover (a little too late) where you were struggling...  After you get your grade.  If you don't know where you're struggling, then you can't fix it.  It's called ignorance.
     But hey, sometimes you pass those tests, and if you did, thank God for it!  You will not have to enter into discipline (for the time being.  Everyone is disciplined at some point!).  However, if you did fail (which has no shame in it!), discipline is next up! 

        2.  Discipline.  This is the process of being disciplined in studying the Word, listening to your Teacher (Yeshua), and accepting His words so that you can learn to fix your mistakes.  This is the stage of repentance.  Listen to the Father, and you will learn so much!  Now that you know where you're struggling, you need to fix it.
     Think of it this way.  Say Bob, out of the blue snaps at his brother Joe for no apparent reason.  Joe is being tested.  He can either respond in love and pray for Bob's attitude to change, or he can snap back at him.  Let's say he fails the test, and snaps back at Bob.   
     As a result Joe's mom comes in and makes him right out 100 times, "I will not snap at Bob, but I will respond to him with love."  What does this do?  It tells him what he did wrong and it teaches him to fix it.  Discipline.
     Now that Joe has been disciplined, he can either go and repent for what he did wrong, or he can flat out ignore it and first things first he snaps at Bob again.  Let's say Joe takes heed to the discipline of his mother and repents to her and to Bob for snapping at him.  He is truly sorry and makes it his goal to not to snap at people.
     Because he takes heed to his mother's discipline she is pleased with him and rewards him for it.  She's proud of her son.  But wait, what if the tables were turned and Joe doesn't take heed to his mother's discipline, but rather ignores what she tried to teach him and then immediately goes and snaps at Bob?  Punishment.

        3.  Punishment is experiencing God's wrath.  Need I say more?

     We went on discussing how a lot of times, testing and discipline can feel like punishment.  Look at Job.  He wasn't being punished at all!  But it hurt... bad.  Nevertheless, Yahweh WILL NOT let go of His children, resulting in the fact that He will do whatever it takes to turn their hearts back to Him.  Even if it means He takes away everything except your faith.  Loosing your faith is your choice.  Freewill.  Anyway, that's an entirely different subject...  for a different time!

     Anyway, it may just be me, but I was so excited about learning this!  This opens so many doors and helps explain so many things...  So exciting!

     I hope this has been helpful to y'all.  :)  Shalom and blessings!

Sophie
P.S.  What d'ya think?