If you’re a parent—or if you’ve ever been a child—then you likely know how uncomfortable discipline can be. It’s of course not fun to receive discipline, and, when children have children of their own, they discover that “this is going to hurt me more than you” is actually true. There is no pleasure in sending a kid to timeout or taking away screen time. The good news of discipline, though, is that it means we belong to a family. Hebrews tells us that discipline means “God is treating you as his children” (Heb. 12:7). Today’s passage in Micah continues the covenant court case that God began in 6:1, but here God issues His summary judgment against His people. Since they have failed to keep the covenant—to do what they already knew to do—God would discipline them. However—and this is key for Micah, his audience, and for us today—God makes clear that He is the one bringing the judgment on His people. In verse 9 God says to pay attention to “the rod and the One who ordained it” (emphasis added), and in verse 13 He says, “I have begun to destroy you.” God is not abandoning His people to suffer under the hands of someone or something else. No, God himself is disciplining His people and therefore showing, once again, that He is faithful to the covenant with them. Were they not His children, there would be no reason to do so. But they are His children, and like a good parent, He—and not someone else—must now discipline them. In short, God shows His faithfulness both in giving covenant blessings and in giving covenant curses. In fact, if God did not address their sin, He would not be loving. But God is loving, and so He must treat His children as His children, showing His love through disciplining them. >> The idea of discipline might make you uncomfortable. Consider how and why God’s discipline is important. How might that change your response to Him when you walk through difficult times?