He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
Sources Of Ruin For Our Lives: Laziness In
Child Rearing: Proverbs 23:12-16
12) Apply thine
heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.
13) Withhold not
correction from the child: for [if] thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not
die.
14) Thou shalt beat
him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.
15) My son, if thine
heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.
16) Yea, my reins
shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.
Solomon
now shares with us teachings on many different sins that can ruin our lives…
EXPOSITION:
Solomon
addresses the sin of laziness in child rearing…
12) Apply thine
heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.
Proper
child discipline is a matter of submitting to the teachings of the Word…
1. Conform your desires to the dictates of God’s
Word (allow the Word to affect your life)
2. Turn your ears towards the teachings of God’s
Word (receive God’s Word into your mind)
By
parents listening to the Word, desiring to keep the Word and then applying the
Word to their actions, they will find themselves rearing their children in a
way that pleases God.
“Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity
of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to
save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only,
deceiving your own selves. For if any be
a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his
natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and
straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso
looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth [therein], he being not
a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his
deed.” (James 1:21-25)
13) Withhold not
correction from the child: for [if] thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not
die. 14) Thou shalt beat him with the
rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.
1. Do not hold back from a child: instruction,
warnings, corrective teachings and chastening (when the child is willfully
rebellious)
2. if the parent properly strikes them with a rod
made for discipline, the child will not die.
3. when the parent properly strikes them with
the rod of discipline, they are only protecting the child from eternal separation
from the Lord.
Here,
the need for proper guidance by the parent is necessary for the future welfare
of the child. By proper guidance the
Lord makes plain the need for a multi-faceted approach that includes:
1.
instruction – teaching the child the truths of God’s Word in a practical way
2.
warnings – teaching God’s warnings against sin and the results of sin in our
lives
3.
corrective teachings – teaching Godly principles on repentance and principles
on how to avoid, overcome and stand against the sins of this world.
4.
corporal punishment – when willful, purposeful, commission of sin is exhibited
in the life of the child.
How
do these help a child concerning their eternal destiny? By doing all of the above the child learns to
submit to higher authorities (especially the Ultimate Authority, God
Almighty). By teaching them to submit to
the authority of God… the quality of their earthly life, their salvation from
sin, and their receipt of an eternal destiny with the Lord will be ensured.
“Foolishness [is] bound in
the heart of a child; [but] the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.” (Proverbs 22:15)
Not
only will these principles be of benefit to the child, but also the parent will
reap much benefit from a child who has been properly reared…
15) My son, if thine
heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine. 16) Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy
lips speak right things.
1. My child, if your desires are pointed toward
the application of the Word to your life,
2. your Godly parent’s desires will be
fulfilled, giving them great reason for exaltation.
3. also your parents will most sincerely feel
great joy when the child’s lips profess their faith in the Lord and the truths
of God’s Word.
The
Godly parent has much to gain by properly raising up their child when they are
young. The parent’s life can be greatly enhanced
as they grow older, knowing their children are following the path that the Lord
has laid for them. In doing so, they can
see the Lord’s hand of blessing on their family, and they will be reaping the
fruits of their faithfulness to the Lord.
One
of the saddest experiences for a parent is to see their children live an ungodly
life, and to feel as if they are failures in child rearing and recognizing their
children are facing spiritual ruin.
One
quick note: although it is possible to properly raise up a child and, yet, see
them go astray in life, when the child matures, many times, they will come back
to the Lord based upon the Godly instruction they have received from their
parents….
“Train up a child in the way he should go:
and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)
SUMMARY:
By raising our children
in a Godly way, we are showing to others our desires to follow the Words of the
Lord; acting on behalf of our children to lead them to live a Godly lifestyle
that will be spiritually, and physically, beneficial to them; we will be working towards giving ourselves a
joyful life, seeing our children are living lives of obedience to the Lord and
recognizing the Lord’s hand of blessing upon our family.
By God’s grace, let us all study these
proverbs diligently, giving them the value that they deserve.
May the
Lord bless us as we receive this sound wisdom and then “Think On These Things”.
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