May 1, 2014
Don’t withhold discipline from a child…
Categories: Biblical
Blows that wound purge away evil,
yes, beatings [cleanse] one’s inmost being.
— Proverbs 20:30 (CJB)Don’t withhold discipline from a child —
if you beat him with a stick, he won’t die!
If you beat him with a stick,
you will save him from Sh’ol.
— Proverbs 23:13, 14 (CJB)
* * *
About two weeks ago, a video went viral, coming out of Trinidad (Caribbean) where a mother beat her 12-year old daughter, and had the video posted on her daughter’s wall. The cursing by the mother was generally down-cried; posting the video on Facebook was also questioned; but most persons agreed with the mother, and the measure.
Sadly there were some who believed that the mother was treating her child “inhumanely”, and called for her legal charges to be laid against her. There were calls by government ministers to ban corporal punishment in homes.
Trinidad and Tobago has seen an implosion of values, discipline and restraint in their young people; a major factor for this has been the removal of corporal punishment from schools. Government ministers are showing general contempt for solid, biblical ethics, and are opening the gate for secularist, “modern” strategies, which are proving to be a failure the world over.
The two verses above show the biblical (and historical) approach to discipling children. This method has worked, with many ‘witnesses’.
In this note, I’d like to make one thing very clear. Persons who offer ‘advice’ in terms of child-rearing, who contradict good, solid, effective biblical strategies are doing a great injustice to our nation. ‘Discipline’ is the first of the three watchwords of this nation, and any minister who offers up untested, “feel-good” alternatives (especially if they have no children to show as evidence of their theories) is clearly not ‘watching’. (See also 1 Timothy 3:4, 5)
After the minister had given her take, another video surfaced – this time of the 12-year-old’s sister, who explained that the mother had tried other means, and that the beating was a last resort. She even got the 12-year-old to admit that she was wrong! It is truly amazing that the Bible was vindicated, in such a short time! This, to me, left the minister with ‘yolk’ all over her face. The things that the Bible has over these upstart theories are… a few thousand years, and solid proof (even modern proof!).
“Beatings cleanse one’s inmost being.” None of us who experienced this could truly disagree. Some parents have abused this privilege; but if we deal with the parents, and not the method, maybe we would get somewhere.
There are so many biblical texts that show good wisdom on parenting, and I invite you to share below the ones I haven’t quoted. I pray that persons who read this note will be encouraged to continue searching the Bible for wisdom and practical application in this life.
* * *
He who fails to use a stick hates his son,
but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.
— Proverbs 13:24 (CJB)
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