Sept 11, 2016 (Proverbs 13:24)

“He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly” (Prov 13:24).  In a sense, this proverb is a close cousin to that of last week saying that a good man leaves an inheritance to his grandchildren, lest his children gain a sense of entitlement let alone treat their early gained inheritance foolishly instead of prudently. This weeks proverb concerns parents helping their children learn that wrong behavior carries with it consequences which may prove extremely serious and lead to unnecessary suffering in the long run. The “rod” in form of spanking is not to be carried out carelessly or without discretion, namely for honest mistakes in contrast to willful disobedience or refusal to receive correction. The purpose of the rod is not to create defiance or rebellion but rather to lovingly eliminate folly and lack of respect for authority which if not instilled early in life can lead to ruin if not death. Godly discipline, administered with love and not out of anger, is essential to good parenting, just as a loving heavenly Father is faithful to discipline those He loves. God’s disciplines is purposed to ensure that we live sanctified lives without which we will never see the Lord (see Hebrews 12:5-14)) and end up being condemned with the world as an eternal consequence. So it is a biblical responsibility of parents to appropriately discipline their children and thereby avoid the all too common plague of permissiveness which characterizes far too much parenting in our present day American culture.