Do Not Withhold Godly Instruction and Discipline – (Proverbs 23:13-14)
Daily Proverbs
Do not withhold correction from a child, For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with a rod, And deliver his soul from hell.
Daily Bible Study
This language is used to motivate the overly permissive parents who fail to discipline their children in any fashion. The word used for rod actually means small switch. And just as the Lord disciplines His children, we are to use loving discipline with our children to teach them right from wrong. Learning right from wrong, good from evil is not something which comes naturally to a child. This behavior must be taught and modeled by loving parents. And if the need arises discipline of any type must not be withheld. God tells us in His word that parents who do not teach their children right from wrong, in their hearts hate their children. And parents who do not raise their children with a fear of the Lord, send their children into destruction. These passages use extreme language to drive home the point for the need of structure, discipline and love in the raising of children.
These passages help us to understand, that we as parents must have first established a loving and nurturing relationship with our children in order for discipline to be effective. Why? Because the lack of discipline in the rearing of a child produces an adult who is narcissistic and lacks empathy for others. Here the Bible is contrasting the temporary discomfort of discipline with the premature death of a child. A child who practiced evil because they lacked discipline and grew up not knowing the value and the need for good behavior. When all is said and done, which would the godly parent prefer? A child who was taught and received discipline, who is alive knowing right from wrong or child because of the lack of instruction and discipline is separated from God for all eternity. We as parents should remember the worse trait we can pass on to our children is pride, a lack of humility and an arrogance toward God. We have to remember God, resist the proud and the Lord cannot work with someone who lacks humility. God must first break the pride from such a person before they can become useful for His kingdom work.