Now skip down to the second verse, Proverbs 13:24 and circle the word love. Secondly, "Discipline loads our children with love." Now skip down to Proverbs 29:15 and circle the word wisdom. Thirdly, "Discipline wraps children with wisdom." It wraps them in this thing called wisdom. So it removes rebellion, it loads them with love and it wraps them in wisdom. Let's talk about these very quickly. And remember parents, these are just the cliffnotes, the ABCs of discipline. I cannot get into some exhaustive thing on discipline, but I want to hit the high points. Let's jump in, Proverbs 22:15. "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child..." This word foolishness means rebellion, it means a sin nature. Last week we talked about Proverbs 22:6 which mentions the good bents. Children have good bents.
Children also have a case of the bad bents. No one taught you or me how to lie, cheat or steal, it is a natural thing. It is a genetic or, I like to say, sinetic quality we receive from Adam. So, Mom, that little bundle of joy you hold and cradle in your arms is really a miniature sinner who can't wait to display his or her depravity. And a lot of little toddlers sit in their playpens and they check out Mom and they look at Dad and they say, "Heh, heh, heh, I'm going to take over this joint." And they case the house and they'll test you and they'll push you to the limit. And well meaning, laser age parents kind of crawl into the play pen, sit down indian style and reason with their toddler. They wouldn't even think about facing or dealing with discipline. They wouldn't even think about time out, or spanking them on the posterior. No, no, no, I'll just reason with them. The Bible says though, foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child and the rod of discipline will remove it far from him.
Ed Young says that the word rod infers spanking. And the Bible does not say to use the hand, it says to use an instrument. And you are to use the instrument on this padded area that God has given all of us. Some He has given more padding than others. But, I believe in spanking. And let me tell you when and where I believe in spanking. First of all, I believe in spanking when a child harms another child or harms or hurts property or God's creation. And where? I would say do it privately. Lisa and I do spank but we don't spank all the time, we don't spank a lot, but that is back there and we use a little wooden spoon on the, again, buttocks.
