The Reward of Receiving a Rich Rearing
“My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.” Proverbs 1:8-9 (KJV)
If we are honest, I am sure we all can recall some of the foolish and flabbergasting things that we found ourselves doing as children. Too often a vivid imagination fused with foolishness invited us to eat the bitter dust of reality.
To illustrate, I remember when I discovered that tucking a red towel in my tee shirt to use as a cape would not help me fly like Superman. After leaping off our porch, I immediately ate some Georgia red clay that day. And then there was when I would observe my grandmother inconspicuously place a plug of chewing tobacco between her cheek and gum. As it dissolved, she would clear her mouth by spitting. I was always impressed how she could clear the porch whenever she had to spit. So, I secretly secured what I needed to make my splash in the sport of chewing tobacco-spitting. Then I proceeded to take a big bite from the block of chewing tobacco; what I thought would be necessary to break the spitting distance record. However, more ended in my stomach than what was spewed from my mouth. After my ambitious attempt, the agony of dizziness and nausea arrived, and the tobacco plus the remainder of my stomach contents vacated my body. For many of us, it is plausible that if we collected all the data from our exercises of foolishness, we could fill up every library that the eye could see. In the context of today’s technical vernacular, we would need several terabytes for storage.
The Word of God declares that foolishness is stored in every child’s heart. All children are born with the disposition of foolishness and rebellion.
“Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.” Proverbs 22:15 (KJV)
In addition, the Word of God declares that children are born with sin and with that sin came foolishness. Your child will protest and push back against what is right and ruin many things which are for his or her advantage and pleasure, not because he or she is bad but because he or she is a sinful and foolish child.
“The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.” Psalm 58:3 (KJV)
Therefore, immediate, and intentional intervention is required to release them from the incarceration of their natural bent (sin nature). Their sin nature will bring about foolish children, foolish teenagers, and foolish adults, to their detriment and demise, if left unaddressed.
Our opening passage expresses an essential exhortation from godly parents with the authority given to them by God. Parents need to be in a position biblically and spiritually to help and instruct their children to observe and obey the Word of God. Instruction in the truth is an essential element to build citizens for the Kingdom of God as well as good citizens for society.
When children are left to their naturally sinful disposition, they will continually choose what is wrong and consequently gather a good degree of harm and consequences to the detriment of their ethical and spiritual welfare. Left to themselves they are doomed, both to physical and spiritual destruction.
“The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.” Proverbs 29:15 (KJV)
“Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.” Proverbs 23:13-14 (KJV, emphasis added)
Closing thought: Raising children correctly calls for God-fearing parents that are obedient in instructing via discipline and teaching the law of God. When we appropriate the Word of God in our application and admonition of the Scriptures, we will accessorize them with a good life.
For the Glory of God,
PBKSR