Chastise vs Chasten: Chastisement vs Chastenment [Biblically]

       I.            They were said to be used interchangeably till the early 19^th century. But now, ‘chastise’ has the idea of punishing, and ‘chasten’ has the idea of disciplining. And if you are confused about what to use, it is said that “chastise” is the safer word. [according to grammarist.com]

   II.            What does the Bible speak of Chastisement? (22 times by 5 translations)

1.      NKJV: 10 Verses of Chastisement of which 6 verses are actions of sinfulness. Only 2 verses in NT, and are negative actions of Pilate deciding to chastise Christ.

2.      NASB: 8 verses of Chastisement. All of them in OT.

3.      ESV: 4 verses of Chastisement (3 in OT and 1 in NT).

4.      NIV: No reference of Chastisement.

5.      HCSB: No reference of Chastisement.

III.            What does the Bible speak of Chastenment? (39 times by translations)

1.      NKJV: 26 Verses of Chastenment. All actions of Chastenment are positive.

2.      NASB: 11 verses of Chastenment. All of them in OT

3.      ESV: No reference for Chastenment.

4.      NIV: 2 verse of Chastenment. All in OT

5.      HCSB: No reference for Chastenment.

IV.            Are they used interchangeably by different translators? Yes

a.      Hebrews 12:6 – NKJV is “chastens” and ESV is “chastises”

b.      Isaiah 53:5 – NASB is “chastening” and NKJV and ESV is “Chastisement”

c.      Deuteronomy 21:18 – NKJV is “chastened” and NASB is “chastise”

d.     Hosea 10:10 – NKJV IS “chasten” and NASB is “chastise”

    V.            What about in Greek, Septuagint, Hebrew, and Modern Hebrew Bible?

a.      Hebrews 12:6 – (paideuo)

b.      Isaiah 53:5 – (paideia)

c.      Deuteronomy 21:18 – (paideuo)

d.     Hosea 10:10 – (paideuo)

a)     Hebrews 12:6 – (yaw-kach') as in Ps. 94:10, Proverbs 3:12

b)     Isaiah 53:5 – (moo-sawr')

c)     Deuteronomy 21:18 – (yaw-sar')

d)    Hosea 10:10 – (yaw-sar')

VI.            Some Bible Verses:

a.      Revelation 3:19 “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.” [NKJV]

b.     1 Corinthians 11:32 “But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.” [NKJV]

c.      2 Samuel 7:14 “I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. [NKJV]

d.     Psalm 94:12 “Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O LORD, And whom You teach out of Your law” [NASB]

e.      Psalm 38:1 “O LORD, rebuke me not in Your wrath, And chasten me not in Your burning anger.” [NASB]

f.       Deuteronomy 21:18 “If any man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father or his mother, and when they chastise him, he will not even listen to them,” [NASB]

g.      Hebrews 12:6 “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” [ESV]

h.     Isaiah 53:5 “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” [NKJV]

Conclusion: They can be used interchangeably. However, Chastenment seems to convey the idea of correction and disciplining better, which is what the Bible talks about. On the other hand, Chastisement could include the idea of Chastenment and chastisement, whereas Chastenment could exclude the idea of Chastisement (mere punishing).

An Open Mind . . .

        We often hear people say in conversation, “I have an open mind” when they don’t want to agree with us. It has become a convenient excuse to act smart and avoid confrontation. We hear frequently that it begins to look like it’s virtuous and excellent to say like that. What does the Bible say about an open mind, particularly through the lens of Psalm 19: 7, “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.”

Watch this 3-minute video clip what the word “simple” means with a great illustration.

Here is the transcript for the video clip:

So the revelation of God is sure in the sense that it is trustworthy. And what is the effect of that? It makes wise the simple. I love this. The word “simple” is used a lot in Proverbs, and it has a very basic meaning. The Hebrew language is more concrete than Greek. Greek is a little bit more esoteric, a little bit more philosophical. Hebrew’s very concrete, very objective, kind of very down-to-earth. And “simple,” basically the root meaning of it is open door, open door. Sometimes translated “naive.” The Word takes the naive, unexperienced, undiscerning, uninformed person and makes that person wise.

Now what does an open door have to do with being simple? It is a perfect illustration of simplicity or stupidity. It’s having a mind that is always open; everything comes in, everything goes out, because you don’t know when to shut the door. A simple-minded person is an utterly undiscerning person. You have a door on your house, right? You don’t go to bed at night and leave it open, because that door discriminates what you allow to enter into the house.

You hear people say, “I have an open mind.” Shut it, would you, please? There’s nothing more stupid than having an open mind. “Well, I’m an agnostic.” “Oh.” Oh, do you know the Latin word for agnostic? Ignoramus. I haven’t heard anybody say, “I’m an ignoramus.” Shut the door.

But how do you know when to shut the door? How do you know what to keep out, what to let in? How do you know, to fulfill Psalm 1, not to sit in the seat of scoffers, not to go to some school somewhere and sit there with an open mind and let people pour lies and deception into your head, not to go to a church where the same thing is going on? Mastering the art of living is what the word “wise” means. It’s a Hebrew word chakam. It’s not wise sort of in the Greek sense, which again is esoteric and a little bit mystical and sort of intellectual. Wise, chakam, means skilled in living, skilled in living. So here, the Word of God, the revelation of God Himself is trustworthy to take an ignorant, simple-minded person without discernment and make that person skilled in holy living. God is always the source of chakam.

May we be a discerning Christian, a Christian who thinks through everything through the lens of Scripture!

Proud Of

We often hear people say, “I am proud of you.” Is pride good or bad? “Oh no! Come on, that’s the phrase we often use. It doesn’t mean what you think as . . .,” you may protest. Well, let’s look at the meaning of this phrase: the WordWeb dictionary defines, “adjective: proud of – Feeling pleasurable satisfaction over something by which you measure your self-worth.” There you go, it clearly adds ‘by which you measure your self-worth.’ That’s exactly what you mean when you say, “I am proud of you.” End of discussion!

What does the Bible say about pride or ‘proud’? Last night, I opened up theWord Bible Software to see how many verses in the whole Bible talk about pride.  56 Bible verses [NKJV] talk about ‘proud’ and 49 Bible verses [NKJV] talk about pride. So, it is safe to say we have 105 Bible verses regarding pride.

I went through every single verse of these 105 verses and found nothing positive regarding pride. On the other hand, they are all negative, we have verses such as these:

PROUD

Jeremiah 13:15 “Hear and give ear: Do not be proud, For the LORD has spoken.”

James 4:6 “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: ‘God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.’”

Proverbs 15:25 “The LORD will destroy the house of the proud, But He will establish the boundary of the widow.”

PRIDE

Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Daniel 5:20 “But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him.”

1John 2:16 “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.”

Well, what can we be proud of? I don’t think we have anything or are anything or have done anything to be proud of. Are you rich, I mean super-wealthy? Read what the glorious King David says in 1 Chronicle 29:10-15:

1 Chronicle 29:10-15 “Therefore David blessed the LORD before all the assembly; and David said: “Blessed are You, LORD God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, And You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great And to give strength to all. “Now therefore, our God, We thank You And praise Your glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people, That we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, And of Your own we have given You. For we are aliens and pilgrims before You, As were all our fathers; Our days on earth are as a shadow, And without hope.”

Are you mighty, smart, intelligent, powerful, or the best? Think through the observation of King Solomon, which is inspired by the Holy Spirit. He was the wisest man, the wealthiest king, the womanizer (had 1000 wives), the philosopher, the poet, the lyricist, and the scientist. He says in Ecclesiastes 9:11,

Ecclesiastes 9:11 “Again, I observed this on the earth: the race is not always won by the swiftest, the battle is not always won by the strongest; prosperity does not always belong to those who are the wisest, wealth does not always belong to those who are the most discerning, nor does success always come to those with the most knowledge – for time and chance may overcome them all.” [NET version]

Well, the phrase “proud of” is so common that we will continue to hear and maybe even find ourselves using it on and off. But, remember the F-word is also common, but we don’t use that, and for most of us the F-word has never entered our vocabulary.

In the days to come, I shall try to post it on “boasting.” In the Bible, boasting is both positive and negative. The Bible allows us to boast in some instances. How and where to boast is the only limit . . .

31st January: Reading for the Death Anniversary of Charles Haddon Spurgeon

128 years ago today, Spurgeon went Heaven. I'm sure there will be lots of articles and blog posts about him by the end of the day. Here are some of the past/older posts which are still refreshing as we think through the work of God in Spurgeon's life and ministry:

1.     This Day In History: The Death of Charles Spurgeon by Michael Reeves. "When you see my coffin carried to the silent grave, I should like every one of you, whether converted or not, to be constrained to say, ‘He did earnestly urge us, in plain and simple language, not to put off the consideration of eternal things. He did entreat us to look to Christ.’”

2.     Four Reasons Spurgeon Died Poor. Charles Spurgeon could have been one of the richest millionaires in London. Instead, he died poor. Why????

3.     The Secret of Spurgeon's Success by Clint Archer. His success was obvious, but the reason for his success was not as obvious, except to those who knew him well . . . 

4.     Anniversary of the Death of Spurgeon by John Piper. There are 7 characteristics that qualify Spurgeon as a helpful guide to preachers who need strength to preach through adversity

Sure, there will be no another Spurgeon, but let us pray that God will grant us to see Him raising up godly men like him in our lifetime!

The late Mr C H Spurgeon, viewing the Coffin in the Metropolitan Tabernacle, 9 February 1892. Illustration for The Illustrated London News, 13 February 1892.

Image Scripture: Amos 4:7-8; 5:4-6

A Devotional Reflection of Scripture

RAVKALUM LINGH NI KIH KALUM THUYLAK E THEI... (If You Struggle To Pray)

Ravkalummei hei peyna gay e twmei meiguayna rui thay e. Ntay-tazuanghmei, ravmaengc kalummei (idol worshippers) guay rui na sinic, aniu Ravsuay ta kahao chuy pui tuang the. Tikih aniu Ravkalummei hei aliauh pui ganv nai e. Kalum ni kih kalum thuy lak, twmei ganv ni nai e. Kum tina Baibal ruina aniw ta ‘Ravkalum lingh o’ tuna sa katup hak na sa bam e. Heizaeng rui, nang ai Ravkalum linghmaih, heihmaih, gaymaih, thuihmaih khang, mihei hy lou pui tuang e. Ravkalum lingh ni ki kalum thuy lak e thei:

1. Ravkai (Church) ku tat tio. Namphu kalum tou puni the, meicguayna kalum bam timei tho. Rakai khou, nangrana khang ni, meiramc meikhang ni, phwamgling khang ni, kalum raph rap the. Ravguangc tanih thuanh pui ravsuai suaic the.

2. Tingzin key e thei, meic geihtho kai khou bam pui ganv the. “Family Worship nai dikho” tuna karianh tio. Nang aliauh maih bam si, mei guay na kalum nchamc e thei, kalum chuy dat kan tuang e. Family swna lungh mak ge thei, bam ncham mei guay lev na kalum khang kabai tho. Kaigei kaining mei ta sinic karianh ti doc.

3. Nang tuang phone contact list zaocna, Whatsapp khou ny, Message khou ny, Call su tuang ni tuna, "Kumh Kumh mei khang Ravkalum tou lou o to nang khang?" twna than geic tio. Text message rui gay hian the, kazaeng tho, text tha meipu nic, type subam khou rui, kalum nimei ravsuay dam (prayer items) ta kakhanh minc na type sw e. Nang nic meicdyng khou ta pac na kalum lou nuh the. 

4. Church khou, ramh lam peyna khang kalum tow geic the, aniu ning tow zat mak mei khang sinic. Church Intercessory Prayer ganv khou guang namv khang Ravkai guang zaic o, kaengc nei (2nd bell) key mak mei hu khou rui. 

5. Ravkalum lou o twna sasmei nai e thei, WhatsApp khou ny, Message khou ny, nang tuang Ravsuay short summary, text swna tha lou tio. Kumna type swbam khou, nang Ravkalum nu the!

6. Meicram meidaeng tho taray tat na (visiting), kadow cha mei zaocna "Ravkalum khotoh/ni?" tuna sa tio.

7. Nangkhang suangc rianra/nsuan maihmei/ nnaumei/ guay ta pary rac ncham tio. Nzian mei lung ning pat na Ravkalum ni kan tuang e. Kaniu pary nking pu khou, kaniu ni neihlaa (glad), nang ni nang zaeng gay, Ravguangc ruini kwnlou  (pleasing to God) punic.

8. Ravchap tatmei guay thei ni lay tat tio. Kaniu thiak zaocna lungning thao hak pu ni. ‘Nsuan mei guay rih-ngam kho thei (victory), tanhmei (strong) nunc thei liangh khang e’ tu e.

9. Lwm nuhmei (trustworthy) hamhethei nchaan dianghmei (close friends) khat-kanei phuna, prayer partner swna, haptac pum (weekly) (tingmik pum sw ngam mak se), kalum nchamc o. Kabamv baic na bam e thei, khuangh ganv daek pat na (fix the timing), kalum pui dam saa karina, kalum tio.

10. Kalumnimei dam (Prayer routine/schedule) kasiamhna table khou hamhethei, dam-ngaengh (wall) khou nap lou tio. Photo kaap na phone khou ni lou tio.

11. Paapc, thay tangkhaanvna, taanc taanc bam sinih (even after a deliberate sin), ‘Ravguangc khiu nthan lou ngam e’ tw mei thayna Ravguangc mav khou, kuaklou khang khatnic, huaynei khang, nang liw keyna (in humility/penitence) kalum o. Kalingna sa pwkhou, aniw paapc khou bow key lou puy ganv khou the, Ravguangc ta kage nai liang mei.

Kumh-Kumh mei sahaap lou dat nuh bo, meic tangh khou ruina? Kazaeng tho, Ravkalummei (prayer) twmei hei aniw kathiak kathiak swna meicrana meicta nthiam (discipline) ni na e. Comment section khou, sahaap lou niimei nai e thei, salou nuh e. Khat khat thaymei saana katiu kary kho. 🙏

BAIBAL PAC NI KIH PAC THUYLAK E TA (If You Struggle To Read The Bible)

Meicguay Na Ta Karianh Ne...

Tingkwm pum Baibal pacluai lou tanh tan ethei gayhak puni dyng e twna, aniu meicguayna ning bam meita gay changh e. Rongmei Baibal khang suangc tho English Bible ruina pac katum gay tap tap dyng e. Kaluan nic nthuih maih, gianc nic tac gay hian e.

Meicguayna Rongmei Baibal bampu English version bampu, aseikwm nec/mu/namu pacluai khang karamc geic dat dihkho. READING PLAN meickhang khang kasiamh khang, kaganv rii mak he, tingkwm kahouh tuang na dihe. Ainic aseikwm khang mei haptac khourui kahou tuang dihe!

Reading Plan kasiamh khang ningkungc ethei tho, akhou bampu meicramc meikhou bampu thanv tho. Internet khounic naigeic de. Mi blog khou nic blogpost kathumh nai e. Link khou click/tap sw lou nuh e. Reymei article the heic rui. Kaneimei rui heic the, Kathumhmei rui heicnic zauclou nuh e.

Pacluai luai meiguay khang PRIZE/Reward (swan) kumcna Christmas gift ti kari kho December guang pu khou (tingkwm luai pu khou). Pacluai ngam mak mei ruina khap (fine) dih  kho to, kumhbo?

BAIBAL PAC NI KIH PAC THUYLAK LAK E TA:

1. Nang zamh Baibal gay changh timak na khwang e, Baibal gaymei, kamanv kunghmei, kalwn gaymei, machu gaymei, kahiak gaymei how nthan thiak thiak mei Baibal kathanc la dat tho (buy a new Bible). Aniu Baibal cha raph rap mei sin timak pui zaeng rui, Baibal nic pac nliauh tuang e. (Tabui Baibal gaybo twmei thay ni e thei, mi Article khou click/tap swlou nuh e)

2. Nang tuang Reading Plan lamhian maih (impractical) tina khwang e. Ramhbamv khat khou tat khang GPS tracking swna tat thau lana, chaeng tat laacn e ta, reposition swna tat dat kumcna, Reading Plan, reset sw dat tio.

3. Baibal-Kathaimei twmei lev Baibal-Pahmei twmei khak langc thay o. Pahmei tho, gianc tacnih tahmaknih paraph twkhang nade. Matak tak tho, gianc khatse tah makna se kum pac raph bo, discipline khang e!

4. Ting mik pum pah khang kungc e ta, haptac khou pacliang heicju khang twmei tamh mei (plan) nai tio.

5. Baibal kaduan duanc swna pactio. Book by book, chapter by chapter, paragraph by paragraph pac tio. Phaek pat pat mei khou, Asoka kanuk (ludo game) kumcna pac ta rio.

6. Baibal kazaat geicna nai tio. Daih mei, nthyam mei, nsu mei, mpu mei, saengh mei, dui mei, etc. Khatnic phone khou Bible Apps, hamh mecthei, audio Bible nic nai tio. Taanv bam khou (workplace) Baibal dangv puanc si e thei, Bible apps phone khou pac nuh e. Zip phaihna (in recliner) pah khang Baibal nthyam mei sin gay hian punic. Nthyam langv dat re thei, kahiak nthyam punic; kumethei, how pat si hakna pac zih punic. Heiczaeng rui, phurit-pheybaan (dresses) kazaat geidou aniw nai mei kumc, Baibal zaat nic nai geic kho.

7. Social media khou (WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, etc.) khou haptac pum (weekly) Baibal lev mari nai mei, Baibal verse bampuc, reflection bampuc share/upload sw khang karamc tio. Kum ethei, nang khang nic gay, meicramc mei khang nic gay, meic guay ruina nic nang ta how karuh (respect) lou punic.

Kumh Kumhmei  sahap lou dat nuh bo, mei tangv khou ruina? Comment section khou, sahap lou nimei nai e thei, salou nuh e. Khat khat thay mei sana katiu kari kho. 🙏

Odd, odder, or Not

God's Sovereignty

Evening Prayer