An Outpouring on Reproof
Beloved sisters, the LORD has taken me through a journey of understanding something of the nature of Spiritual reproof, that is, reproof that is delivered from the WORD, saints, and authorities, ultimately the very Godhead (Hos 4:4, 2 Tim 4:2, Jam 5:19-20). Surely the pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at His reproof (Job 26:11)! What is reproof? It is the stretching out of His hand to bar our feet from turning aside, to prevent our ways from erring from His path (Prov 1:24) It is the Divine statement from His heavenly throne declaring that we must repent and return, that we must die and be conformed to Christ!
I am writing this chapter to convey to you whatever the LORD has shown me thus far through much trial and chastening concerning reproofs: what the sovereign purpose and design is concerning them, our need for them, the mysteries of iniquity in our flesh that would cause us to stumble upon them and the vessels of delivery (saints)…surely if we would but heed His reproofs faithfully until the end, we would be saved from self, sin, pride, and eternal death!
Reproof as a Mechanism of Light
God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:6). There is a property of Spiritual light which involves the revealing of what lies in darkness, of sin. In Christ was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shined in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not (John 1:4,6). For this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. (John 3:19-20) Thus, light causes deeds to be reproved. Indeed Christ Himself is the very Light that has come into the world! He is the One described to have quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and He shall not judge after the sight of His eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of His ears. But with righteousness shall He judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and He shall smite the earth: with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked. (Is 11:3-4)
Thus, if we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin! (1 John 1:6-7) For He that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be manifest, that they are wrought in God (John 3:21). What then does it mean to walk in the light, to be as one who “cometh to the light”, It means that we lay our souls at His feet, before Him who reproves the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:8). There we do confess our sins, and He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9). To walk in the light does not mean sinless perfection, for if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us, and if we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His WORD is not in us (1 John 1:8,10). Rather, walking in the Light means that we are turning from all sin that the LORD, our Light, does expose in the present moment. We do not refrain from coming to the light, which would cause our deeds to remain hidden, and damnable sin to remain alive, but we humble ourselves before Him, receiving His just indictments, and turning from all that He reveals to be unworthy within us. As we continue to walk in the light we become children of light, for we are ever with open face beholding as in the glass the glory of the LORD, the light, and are thus changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the LORD (2 Cor 2:18, 4:6, John 12:36). Surely the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day (Prov 4:18).
Rejoice, oh precious daughters of light! For we had been as the people that walked in darkness who have see a great light, as those that had dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, and upon us hath the light shined (Is 9:2). If we walk in the day, we stumbleth not, because we see the light of this world (John 11:9). He is the light of the world: if we follow Him we shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12)!
What does it mean to walk in the light, to come to the light? It means to humble ourselves to the Spirit, to the WORD of Christ, to let deeds be manifest, to let ourselves be reproved, to turn at His reproof. For all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light (Eph 5:13). Thus a life of following Christ, the Light, is one of continual reproofs given in proportion to the light that He has shone upon us. To remain in the Light we must hearken to His reproof, to turn and follow and obey Him! The faithful are not those who are not reproved, but rather those who come to be reproved and repent and live! For the righteous have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them (Eph 5:11). Thus, the proverb declares that the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light, and reproofs of instruction are the way of life (Prov 6:23) and Christ Himself is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6)! Christ, the Living WORD, is a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path (Ps 119:105). Thus all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16)!
What do these truths about walking in the light imply for you dear sisters? They convey to us that the very essence of what it means to walk in the light, to follow our living Christ, is to continually be wrought upon by the soul piercing WORD, the light, to allow deeds to be manifest, to be reproved, and to take heed to His reproof! Thus, we must expect our life hereon to be one of continual reproof by His Spirit and WORD, and to remain in the light we must place our souls near the edge of His SWORD near the flame of His candle, and allow ourselves to be purged, to be conformed, to be granted an ever-increasing intensity of light, and ever-increasing sensitivity to sin, and ever-increasing yield of inner righteousness! Surely it cannot be accomplished without reproof! Reproof is the mechanism, that Divine tool, to accomplish His greatest purpose in saving us: to conform us to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brethren (Rom 8:29)!
Reproof as Means of Salvation from Damned Self
Those who understand the saving force of righteous reproof, would cleave to them as to sturdy holds upon a mountain climb, and floating devices upon a stormy sea, for the ancient saints’ cry is “Oh save me from myself lest I perish!” For he that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal (John 12:25). He is in the way of life that keepest instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth (Prov 10:17). Those who are wise understand that that there is a war between the Spirit and the flesh, between the old man and the new man, and that the ultimate destruction of themselves would occur, if flesh and the old man prevail. If the flesh so lusts against the Spirit that the soul is unable to obey Christ, the saint knows he will be damned. The wise saint understands something of the cunning craftiness of the enemy when the devil has been granted a foothold, the mysteries of iniquities of pride and fear that, if he were given over to them, he would fall headlong into destruction. Thus, a fear of God is wrought within his soul, and he is able to view reproof as the saving mechanism from the hand of God against the ultimate destruction of his soul, his second death, the irreversible state of reprobation. For he that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding (Prov 15:32). The wise saint has learned to glory not in any figment of flesh and self-righteousness, but rather in Christ and His righteousness alone. He considers himself all vile and unrighteous, and thus all his self-
righteousness to be as loss, and dung compared to the righteousness that comes by the faith of Christ. And thus when he is reproved, he bypasses the common stumbling block of pride which would cause a foolish saint to stumble at reproof in attempt to preserve his self-righteousness, his standing among the saints, before a particular saint, etc. For the wise saint’s glory is not in himself, but in another! In Christ! And thus reproof is nothing more to him than a means to be saved from his condemned self, his old man, and to remain in the light of Christ, wherein lies glory and grace, and so he declares “let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities” (Ps 141:5). The wise saint has ceased to glory in anything other than Christ! And thus he is in no wise offended by the reproof, because to him, all that is to gain is Christ, and in his holy terror, he desires to be free from sin, and self, and pride! He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth (Prov 10:17). He hears from his LORD, “as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent” (Rev 3:19).
22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? 23 Turn you at My reproof: behold, I will pour out My Spirit unto you, I will make known My Words unto you. 24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; 25 But ye have set at nought all My counsel, and would none of My reproof: 26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; 27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. 28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek Me early, but they shall not find Me: 29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: 30 They would none of My counsel: they despised all My reproof. 31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. 32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. 33 But whoso hearkeneth unto Me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil. (Prov 1:22-33)
The Response to Reproof as a Revealer of the Soul
Within the house of God we may lay hold of a truth that the faithful and wise are those who walk in the light, that is, those who follow and turn at the reproofs of God until the end. Whereas, the rebellious, the faithless, the proud, are those who harden their hearts to reproofs. Truly there are manifold reasons of deception for which the foolish would harden their neck to reproof: fainting in fear and despair, pride and arrogancy, confusion, misunderstanding…yet those who will be the wise who shine as the stars because they have turned many to righteousness are those who continually yielded to the Spirit of God, the reproofs of the living Christ, until the end! Recall chapter 5, and how the means by which the Bride is beautified, perfected, and saved is that she enters the holy washing of her Bridegroom, and yields herself to the rushing currents of His WORD which cleanse her of her defilements! For surely His voice is as the sound of many waters (Rev 1:15)! If she refuses to enter this holy baptism in the WORD of her Bridegroom she will perish. Yet if she desires any hope of beautification unto perfection for eternal salvation she must allow herself to be continually washed until she sees Him face to face! Speaking of the rebellious nation of Israel the LORD says, “In vain have I smitten your children; they received no children: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion” (Jer 2:30)
Dear sisters, if we want to be saved we must expect to be reproved again and again with increasing intensity and based on increased sensitivity to personal sin until we see Him face to face. Oh sisters consider the following comparisons between those who receive reproofs and those who do not, between the foolish and the wise.
Wise
- Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge (Prov 12:1)
- He that regardeth reproof shall be honoured (Prov 13:18)
- He that regardeth reproof is prudent (Prov 15:5)
- The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise (Prov 15:31)
- A reproof entereth into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool (Prov 17:10)
- The rod and reproof give wisdom (Prov 29:15)
- Rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee (Prov 9:8)
- As an earing of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprove upon an obedient ear (Prov 25:12)
- Reprove one that hath understanding, and he will understand knowledge (Prov 19:25)
Foolish
- He that hateth reproof is brutish (Prov 12:1)
- Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction (Prov 13:18)
- A fool despiseth his father’s instruction (Prov 15:5)
- Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way (Prov 15:10)
- He that hateth reproof shall die (Prov 15:10)
- A child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame (Prov 29:15)
- Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee (Prov 9:8)
- A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him: neither will he go unto the wise (Prov 15:12)
7 Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth. 8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house: 9 Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel: 10 Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger; 11 And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed, 12 And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof; 13 And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me! (Prov 5:7-13)
The Enlarging of Reproof within the Soul
There is a common deception of the flesh which would cause us to be hardened against reproof, either through an ability to discern that it is of the LORD or a hardness to receive the reproof with wholehearted zeal and faith, specifically when the reproof is not readily understood, that is, when the recipient experiences confusion concerning the reproof. Yet there is something that the LORD desires to convey to us regarding the dimness with which we are able to understand His reproof at the time that it is delivered. It is that we need not expect to have a perfect understanding of it to receive it. He desires that we would discern that it is the LORD speaking, and to, with submissive faith and holy fear, receive what is spoken.
The reason why we are not always able to clearly understand His reproof is that the very deception of the flesh which caused us to be a just recipient of His reproof has blinded and may yet be blinding our eyes to the truth. Consider what the prophet Daniel prayed as he confessed the sins of the people, “O LORD, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against Thee” (Dan 9:8). Even in the midst of Daniel’s humble cries and intercessions of repentance he speaks in present tense acknowledging that confusion of face belongs to them! He receives the confusion as a legal penalty for the sins of the people! Consider also the experience of Asaph in Psalm 73 in which he is tempted to envy the wicked for their earthly prosperity. When he receives the reproof of the Spirit by fearing to offend against the generation of the righteous, thereafter he says, “so foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before Thee” (Ps 73:22). Similarly as Job repents he says, “I know that Thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from Thee. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? Therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things to wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto Me. I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:2-6) These repentant righteous men are understanding that they have not understood!
Consider that the LORD does not tell us that once His Spirit has been poured out upon us, we must turn at His reproof, but rather He says, “Turn you at My reproof: behold, I will pour out My Spirit unto you, I will make known My WORDS unto you” (Prov 1:23). There is a promise of an outpouring of His Spirit and a making known of His WORDS but it is upon the condition that the soul has turned at His reproof! Thus, even as we turn, there is a dimness to the holy rebuke, a potential for confusion, and clouds of darkness, yet we must turn with all zeal and fervency for it is from the mouth of the living God! Oh would we be subject to Christ and His Spirit in His prophets!?
Yet if we refuse to turn, because we do not understand the reproof clearly, or for any reason at all, the LORD says, “Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out My hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all My counsel, and would none of My reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon Me, but I will not answer; they shall seek Me early, but they shall not find Me: For they that hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of My counsel: they despised all My reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simply shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto Me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.” (Prov 1:24-33
Beloved sisters, to the contrary, for those who turn at His reproof, there is an enlargement of the reproof in the soul thereafter. The Godly sorrow deepens. As Asaph said “Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins” (Ps 73:21). The understanding of the grief in the heart of God grows. The comprehension of the severity of personal transgression increases. The healing waters of the WORD work effectually. Righteousness is wrought within the soul! There is a divine experience of Godly sorrow that worketh repentance that is had when saints humbly turn at the reproofs of the LORD. And it cannot be had until the soul has received the reproof from the LORD. Oh if only we would humbly receive them, He would pour upon us a Spirit of grace and supplication! Confusion would be brought to rest. Forces of wickedness would flee. Deceptions within the soul would fade. Surely grace is given to the humble! Consider the following two passages:
5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? 6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up. (Jam 4:5-10)
When we:
- Submit ourselves to God
- Resist the devil
- Draw nigh to God
- Cleanse our hands
- Purify our hearts
- Are afflicted
- Mourn
- Weep
- Let our laughter be turned to mourning
- Let our joy be turned to heaviness
- Humble ourselves in His sight
Then:
- The devil will flee from us
- God will draw nigh to us
- He will lift us up
7 Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. 8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise;when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. 9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against Him, until He plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: He will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold His righteousness. (Mic 7:7-10)
When we:
- Look unto the LORD
- Wait for the God of our salvation
- Sit in darkness
- Bear the indignation of the LORD
Then:
- God will hear us
- We shall arise
- The LORD shall be a light unto us
- God will plead our cause
- God will execute judgment for us
- God will bring us forth to the light
- We shall behold His righteousness
Turn You at My Reproof
You commanded that I turn at Your reproof
That upon the outpouring of Your Spirit I may not from Your presence be aloof.
The charge was granted thus so plainly for You grant grace to the humble
But in the multitude of thoughts and words proud and resisted men do fumble.
For many snares lay privily in the way.
Innumerable bents from that straight way do seek my soul to sway.
And thus countless souls now damned and sunk in the ocean deep wrath do portray
The manner in which fates are sealed when once bright souls are allured away into oblivion and dismay.
What is this manner oh my soul mark it well
For of the similitude of rebellion and witchcraft, of stubbornness, iniquity, and idolatry the Scriptures do tell.
As with King Saul there were deceptions regarding burnt offerings and sacrifices
Deceptions that these can be thus when the LORD’s voice is not obeyed but the lust of the boast of self the deed of rebellion entice.
Where the broken heart and contrite spirit is disregarded
When noble men turn wroth, prophets are oppressed, and His voice is discarded
When all His counsel is set as naught, correction was hated, for these would none of His reproof do.
This reproof their hearts despise though their souls He does with His rod pursue
Innumerable lusts of the flesh emanating with pride do arise.
Innumerable fears of man and self shame do the fearfulness of His WORD disguise.
The corruption of the deceitful heart do lock this soul into incoherence, and an uproar of denial to turn.
Oh I had forgotten the eternal pleasures that were at Christ’s right hand when I did feel myself a worm.
LORD I cannot draw near in these manifold temptations which do prosper the pride that warrants Your resistance.
What can I do but turn this battle at the gate, Oh King I cannot succeed with my army against Your’s though I come with persistence.
I may not overcome this Angel of the LORD lest I to His will conform
And in Your righteousness You will a holy wrenching of this hip perform.
Oh hide me from the misinterpretation of the prophet that arises within me from the stumbling blocks that accompany Your WORD towards Your prophets.
Let me see their noble intent as this wounded hip pains within its socket.
I know that the living Christ grips me hard for it is Him
Surely the pillars of heavens tremble and are astonished at this very reproof for my sin.
Would that poverty and shame not be mine, that I despise not my own soul, that correction be not grievous.
I entreat that Your reproofs would enter within me, that I may abide among Your wise and get understanding of what was once mysterious.
It is not man whom I seek to please, but the living Christ from whose mouth decreed the reproof of life
So may I not with the prophet come into endless strife.
It is a chance to behold the glory of Calvary yet once more
Reproofs are the stepping stones across this ocean of time until that beautiful shore.
Make me a babe, oh My Father, I only seek to be with You, to hear Your voice as each sheep does
That I may not fall into grief in contemplating the glorious shame of what I once was.
Garner a fire and lamp that I may hold fast to Your WORD.
For I have seen that this is the manner in which You seek to pour out Your Spirit upon me
Making me a recipient of the prophet’s anointing oil
Noble companions who do the works of the devil seek to foil.
Now all is at rest as fears of men and flesh subside and all I see is the Kingdom rising within my heart.
Your WORDs of life, Your peace and love that surpass knowledge Your Spirit does now impart.
Oh You have shown me grace, Your Son! He is alive and this Redeemer will soon arise and come upon the earth.
Righteousness, honor, glory, and immortality, perfect and eternal, if I every reproof turn at, will in perfection come to birth!
Beloved sisters, the LORD has taken me through a journey of understanding something of the nature of Spiritual reproof, that is, reproof that is delivered from the WORD, saints, and authorities, ultimately the very Godhead (Hos 4:4, 2 Tim 4:2, Jam 5:19-20). Surely the pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at His reproof (Job 26:11)! What is reproof? It is the stretching out of His hand to bar our feet from turning aside, to prevent our ways from erring from His path (Prov 1:24) It is the Divine statement from His heavenly throne declaring that we must repent and return, that we must die and be conformed to Christ!
I am writing this chapter to convey to you whatever the LORD has shown me thus far through much trial and chastening concerning reproofs: what the sovereign purpose and design is concerning them, our need for them, the mysteries of iniquity in our flesh that would cause us to stumble upon them and the vessels of delivery (saints)…surely if we would but heed His reproofs faithfully until the end, we would be saved from self, sin, pride, and eternal death!
Reproof as a Mechanism of Light
God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:6). There is a property of Spiritual light which involves the revealing of what lies in darkness, of sin. In Christ was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shined in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not (John 1:4,6). For this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. (John 3:19-20) Thus, light causes deeds to be reproved. Indeed Christ Himself is the very Light that has come into the world! He is the One described to have quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and He shall not judge after the sight of His eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of His ears. But with righteousness shall He judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and He shall smite the earth: with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked. (Is 11:3-4)
Thus, if we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin! (1 John 1:6-7) For He that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be manifest, that they are wrought in God (John 3:21). What then does it mean to walk in the light, to be as one who “cometh to the light”, It means that we lay our souls at His feet, before Him who reproves the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:8). There we do confess our sins, and He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9). To walk in the light does not mean sinless perfection, for if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us, and if we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His WORD is not in us (1 John 1:8,10). Rather, walking in the Light means that we are turning from all sin that the LORD, our Light, does expose in the present moment. We do not refrain from coming to the light, which would cause our deeds to remain hidden, and damnable sin to remain alive, but we humble ourselves before Him, receiving His just indictments, and turning from all that He reveals to be unworthy within us. As we continue to walk in the light we become children of light, for we are ever with open face beholding as in the glass the glory of the LORD, the light, and are thus changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the LORD (2 Cor 2:18, 4:6, John 12:36). Surely the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day (Prov 4:18).
Rejoice, oh precious daughters of light! For we had been as the people that walked in darkness who have see a great light, as those that had dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, and upon us hath the light shined (Is 9:2). If we walk in the day, we stumbleth not, because we see the light of this world (John 11:9). He is the light of the world: if we follow Him we shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12)!
What does it mean to walk in the light, to come to the light? It means to humble ourselves to the Spirit, to the WORD of Christ, to let deeds be manifest, to let ourselves be reproved, to turn at His reproof. For all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light (Eph 5:13). Thus a life of following Christ, the Light, is one of continual reproofs given in proportion to the light that He has shone upon us. To remain in the Light we must hearken to His reproof, to turn and follow and obey Him! The faithful are not those who are not reproved, but rather those who come to be reproved and repent and live! For the righteous have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them (Eph 5:11). Thus, the proverb declares that the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light, and reproofs of instruction are the way of life (Prov 6:23) and Christ Himself is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6)! Christ, the Living WORD, is a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path (Ps 119:105). Thus all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16)!
What do these truths about walking in the light imply for you dear sisters? They convey to us that the very essence of what it means to walk in the light, to follow our living Christ, is to continually be wrought upon by the soul piercing WORD, the light, to allow deeds to be manifest, to be reproved, and to take heed to His reproof! Thus, we must expect our life hereon to be one of continual reproof by His Spirit and WORD, and to remain in the light we must place our souls near the edge of His SWORD near the flame of His candle, and allow ourselves to be purged, to be conformed, to be granted an ever-increasing intensity of light, and ever-increasing sensitivity to sin, and ever-increasing yield of inner righteousness! Surely it cannot be accomplished without reproof! Reproof is the mechanism, that Divine tool, to accomplish His greatest purpose in saving us: to conform us to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brethren (Rom 8:29)!
Reproof as Means of Salvation from Damned Self
Those who understand the saving force of righteous reproof, would cleave to them as to sturdy holds upon a mountain climb, and floating devices upon a stormy sea, for the ancient saints’ cry is “Oh save me from myself lest I perish!” For he that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal (John 12:25). He is in the way of life that keepest instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth (Prov 10:17). Those who are wise understand that that there is a war between the Spirit and the flesh, between the old man and the new man, and that the ultimate destruction of themselves would occur, if flesh and the old man prevail. If the flesh so lusts against the Spirit that the soul is unable to obey Christ, the saint knows he will be damned. The wise saint understands something of the cunning craftiness of the enemy when the devil has been granted a foothold, the mysteries of iniquities of pride and fear that, if he were given over to them, he would fall headlong into destruction. Thus, a fear of God is wrought within his soul, and he is able to view reproof as the saving mechanism from the hand of God against the ultimate destruction of his soul, his second death, the irreversible state of reprobation. For he that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding (Prov 15:32). The wise saint has learned to glory not in any figment of flesh and self-righteousness, but rather in Christ and His righteousness alone. He considers himself all vile and unrighteous, and thus all his self-
righteousness to be as loss, and dung compared to the righteousness that comes by the faith of Christ. And thus when he is reproved, he bypasses the common stumbling block of pride which would cause a foolish saint to stumble at reproof in attempt to preserve his self-righteousness, his standing among the saints, before a particular saint, etc. For the wise saint’s glory is not in himself, but in another! In Christ! And thus reproof is nothing more to him than a means to be saved from his condemned self, his old man, and to remain in the light of Christ, wherein lies glory and grace, and so he declares “let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities” (Ps 141:5). The wise saint has ceased to glory in anything other than Christ! And thus he is in no wise offended by the reproof, because to him, all that is to gain is Christ, and in his holy terror, he desires to be free from sin, and self, and pride! He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth (Prov 10:17). He hears from his LORD, “as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent” (Rev 3:19).
22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? 23 Turn you at My reproof: behold, I will pour out My Spirit unto you, I will make known My Words unto you. 24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; 25 But ye have set at nought all My counsel, and would none of My reproof: 26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; 27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. 28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek Me early, but they shall not find Me: 29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: 30 They would none of My counsel: they despised all My reproof. 31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. 32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. 33 But whoso hearkeneth unto Me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil. (Prov 1:22-33)
The Response to Reproof as a Revealer of the Soul
Within the house of God we may lay hold of a truth that the faithful and wise are those who walk in the light, that is, those who follow and turn at the reproofs of God until the end. Whereas, the rebellious, the faithless, the proud, are those who harden their hearts to reproofs. Truly there are manifold reasons of deception for which the foolish would harden their neck to reproof: fainting in fear and despair, pride and arrogancy, confusion, misunderstanding…yet those who will be the wise who shine as the stars because they have turned many to righteousness are those who continually yielded to the Spirit of God, the reproofs of the living Christ, until the end! Recall chapter 5, and how the means by which the Bride is beautified, perfected, and saved is that she enters the holy washing of her Bridegroom, and yields herself to the rushing currents of His WORD which cleanse her of her defilements! For surely His voice is as the sound of many waters (Rev 1:15)! If she refuses to enter this holy baptism in the WORD of her Bridegroom she will perish. Yet if she desires any hope of beautification unto perfection for eternal salvation she must allow herself to be continually washed until she sees Him face to face! Speaking of the rebellious nation of Israel the LORD says, “In vain have I smitten your children; they received no children: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion” (Jer 2:30)
Dear sisters, if we want to be saved we must expect to be reproved again and again with increasing intensity and based on increased sensitivity to personal sin until we see Him face to face. Oh sisters consider the following comparisons between those who receive reproofs and those who do not, between the foolish and the wise.
Wise
- Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge (Prov 12:1)
- He that regardeth reproof shall be honoured (Prov 13:18)
- He that regardeth reproof is prudent (Prov 15:5)
- The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise (Prov 15:31)
- A reproof entereth into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool (Prov 17:10)
- The rod and reproof give wisdom (Prov 29:15)
- Rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee (Prov 9:8)
- As an earing of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprove upon an obedient ear (Prov 25:12)
- Reprove one that hath understanding, and he will understand knowledge (Prov 19:25)
Foolish
- He that hateth reproof is brutish (Prov 12:1)
- Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction (Prov 13:18)
- A fool despiseth his father’s instruction (Prov 15:5)
- Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way (Prov 15:10)
- He that hateth reproof shall die (Prov 15:10)
- A child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame (Prov 29:15)
- Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee (Prov 9:8)
- A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him: neither will he go unto the wise (Prov 15:12)
7 Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth. 8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house: 9 Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel: 10 Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger; 11 And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed, 12 And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof; 13 And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me! (Prov 5:7-13)
The Enlarging of Reproof within the Soul
There is a common deception of the flesh which would cause us to be hardened against reproof, either through an ability to discern that it is of the LORD or a hardness to receive the reproof with wholehearted zeal and faith, specifically when the reproof is not readily understood, that is, when the recipient experiences confusion concerning the reproof. Yet there is something that the LORD desires to convey to us regarding the dimness with which we are able to understand His reproof at the time that it is delivered. It is that we need not expect to have a perfect understanding of it to receive it. He desires that we would discern that it is the LORD speaking, and to, with submissive faith and holy fear, receive what is spoken.
The reason why we are not always able to clearly understand His reproof is that the very deception of the flesh which caused us to be a just recipient of His reproof has blinded and may yet be blinding our eyes to the truth. Consider what the prophet Daniel prayed as he confessed the sins of the people, “O LORD, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against Thee” (Dan 9:8). Even in the midst of Daniel’s humble cries and intercessions of repentance he speaks in present tense acknowledging that confusion of face belongs to them! He receives the confusion as a legal penalty for the sins of the people! Consider also the experience of Asaph in Psalm 73 in which he is tempted to envy the wicked for their earthly prosperity. When he receives the reproof of the Spirit by fearing to offend against the generation of the righteous, thereafter he says, “so foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before Thee” (Ps 73:22). Similarly as Job repents he says, “I know that Thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from Thee. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? Therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things to wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto Me. I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:2-6) These repentant righteous men are understanding that they have not understood!
Consider that the LORD does not tell us that once His Spirit has been poured out upon us, we must turn at His reproof, but rather He says, “Turn you at My reproof: behold, I will pour out My Spirit unto you, I will make known My WORDS unto you” (Prov 1:23). There is a promise of an outpouring of His Spirit and a making known of His WORDS but it is upon the condition that the soul has turned at His reproof! Thus, even as we turn, there is a dimness to the holy rebuke, a potential for confusion, and clouds of darkness, yet we must turn with all zeal and fervency for it is from the mouth of the living God! Oh would we be subject to Christ and His Spirit in His prophets!?
Yet if we refuse to turn, because we do not understand the reproof clearly, or for any reason at all, the LORD says, “Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out My hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all My counsel, and would none of My reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon Me, but I will not answer; they shall seek Me early, but they shall not find Me: For they that hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of My counsel: they despised all My reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simply shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto Me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.” (Prov 1:24-33
Beloved sisters, to the contrary, for those who turn at His reproof, there is an enlargement of the reproof in the soul thereafter. The Godly sorrow deepens. As Asaph said “Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins” (Ps 73:21). The understanding of the grief in the heart of God grows. The comprehension of the severity of personal transgression increases. The healing waters of the WORD work effectually. Righteousness is wrought within the soul! There is a divine experience of Godly sorrow that worketh repentance that is had when saints humbly turn at the reproofs of the LORD. And it cannot be had until the soul has received the reproof from the LORD. Oh if only we would humbly receive them, He would pour upon us a Spirit of grace and supplication! Confusion would be brought to rest. Forces of wickedness would flee. Deceptions within the soul would fade. Surely grace is given to the humble! Consider the following two passages:
5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? 6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up. (Jam 4:5-10)
When we:
- Submit ourselves to God
- Resist the devil
- Draw nigh to God
- Cleanse our hands
- Purify our hearts
- Are afflicted
- Mourn
- Weep
- Let our laughter be turned to mourning
- Let our joy be turned to heaviness
- Humble ourselves in His sight
Then:
- The devil will flee from us
- God will draw nigh to us
- He will lift us up
7 Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. 8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise;when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. 9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against Him, until He plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: He will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold His righteousness. (Mic 7:7-10)
When we:
- Look unto the LORD
- Wait for the God of our salvation
- Sit in darkness
- Bear the indignation of the LORD
Then:
- God will hear us
- We shall arise
- The LORD shall be a light unto us
- God will plead our cause
- God will execute judgment for us
- God will bring us forth to the light
- We shall behold His righteousness
Turn You at My Reproof
You commanded that I turn at Your reproof
That upon the outpouring of Your Spirit I may not from Your presence be aloof.
The charge was granted thus so plainly for You grant grace to the humble
But in the multitude of thoughts and words proud and resisted men do fumble.
For many snares lay privily in the way.
Innumerable bents from that straight way do seek my soul to sway.
And thus countless souls now damned and sunk in the ocean deep wrath do portray
The manner in which fates are sealed when once bright souls are allured away into oblivion and dismay.
What is this manner oh my soul mark it well
For of the similitude of rebellion and witchcraft, of stubbornness, iniquity, and idolatry the Scriptures do tell.
As with King Saul there were deceptions regarding burnt offerings and sacrifices
Deceptions that these can be thus when the LORD’s voice is not obeyed but the lust of the boast of self the deed of rebellion entice.
Where the broken heart and contrite spirit is disregarded
When noble men turn wroth, prophets are oppressed, and His voice is discarded
When all His counsel is set as naught, correction was hated, for these would none of His reproof do.
This reproof their hearts despise though their souls He does with His rod pursue
Innumerable lusts of the flesh emanating with pride do arise.
Innumerable fears of man and self shame do the fearfulness of His WORD disguise.
The corruption of the deceitful heart do lock this soul into incoherence, and an uproar of denial to turn.
Oh I had forgotten the eternal pleasures that were at Christ’s right hand when I did feel myself a worm.
LORD I cannot draw near in these manifold temptations which do prosper the pride that warrants Your resistance.
What can I do but turn this battle at the gate, Oh King I cannot succeed with my army against Your’s though I come with persistence.
I may not overcome this Angel of the LORD lest I to His will conform
And in Your righteousness You will a holy wrenching of this hip perform.
Oh hide me from the misinterpretation of the prophet that arises within me from the stumbling blocks that accompany Your WORD towards Your prophets.
Let me see their noble intent as this wounded hip pains within its socket.
I know that the living Christ grips me hard for it is Him
Surely the pillars of heavens tremble and are astonished at this very reproof for my sin.
Would that poverty and shame not be mine, that I despise not my own soul, that correction be not grievous.
I entreat that Your reproofs would enter within me, that I may abide among Your wise and get understanding of what was once mysterious.
It is not man whom I seek to please, but the living Christ from whose mouth decreed the reproof of life
So may I not with the prophet come into endless strife.
It is a chance to behold the glory of Calvary yet once more
Reproofs are the stepping stones across this ocean of time until that beautiful shore.
Make me a babe, oh My Father, I only seek to be with You, to hear Your voice as each sheep does
That I may not fall into grief in contemplating the glorious shame of what I once was.
Garner a fire and lamp that I may hold fast to Your WORD.
For I have seen that this is the manner in which You seek to pour out Your Spirit upon me
Making me a recipient of the prophet’s anointing oil
Noble companions who do the works of the devil seek to foil.
Now all is at rest as fears of men and flesh subside and all I see is the Kingdom rising within my heart.
Your WORDs of life, Your peace and love that surpass knowledge Your Spirit does now impart.
Oh You have shown me grace, Your Son! He is alive and this Redeemer will soon arise and come upon the earth.
Righteousness, honor, glory, and immortality, perfect and eternal, if I every reproof turn at, will in perfection come to birth!