Good morning disciplined ones

Proverbs 13:24 He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.

This is a scripture that you may have heard before. If you are a child, you might hate it. If you are a parent, you may love it. The reality is this scripture is often misused and the principles are missed. I do not have time to cover all that is contained in this but I’ll touch on few important points.

Remember context and culture is important; this passage is talking about the need for, and the principle of, correction, instruction and discipline and not focused on the method (smacking).

Discipline should be done out of sincere love and not out of anger or frustration; we must be careful how we discipline and even where we discipline. The purpose is not to embarrass the child but to train the child.

The King James Version (KJV) word for discipline is ‘chastisement’ which is far broader than simply discipline. It includes: ‘reproof, warning or instruction; correction, discipline, doctrine, instruction and rebuke.’ Here we see the side of instruction and even teaching doctrine (what God says about what is done) and not just discipline. It takes more effort, time and self-control to instruct and train than just punish but it’s what this scripture says to do.

Lastly the KJV says chastise him ‘quickly’. The literal translation is ‘do it quickly’. Don’t store it up, don’t wait until dad gets home