Sept 28 - Psalm 23:4c

thy rod and thy staff

they comfort me.

Psalm 23:4c

KJV

Sheep are stupid. Sheep are stubborn. They tend to go their own way.

Therefore, to keep them safe, the shepherd occasionally hooks them, pushes them, and knocks them with his rod and his staff.

Discipline is not mean. No … it’s certainly not much fun. But when done by a shepherd who is good, discipline is ultimately life-giving.

Parents have long been told: “Spare the rod, spoil the child.” It’s basically Biblical advice. Proverbs 13:24 says, “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him” (NIV).

Sadly this Proverb has occasionally been used to justify anger – even abuse. I was always counseled to never discipline in anger.

Have you ever regretted the punishments you made in anger and haste? Have you ever yelled, “You’re grounded until you’re sixty-five!”? I’ve looked back a few times and have realized that I was very angry and very immature. I pray that none of us has to ever look back and discover that we were angry, violent, and not-so-good shepherds.

Years ago, in the midst of a crisis, we stayed at the home of a kindly acquaintance. She’d grown up in dysfunctional family. Her mother had never really disciplined her; she’d always tried to be her friend. After watching Mary Louise alternately cuddle and discipline our three little boys for a week, she said, “I understand it now. My mother never disciplined me. Therefore, I never knew if I was really loved.”

Watching my wife shepherd, guide, nudge, correct, discipline, teach, and protect, she said, “Your boys know they are deeply loved.”

I love the New Living Translation of Proverbs 13:24 – “if you love your children, you will be prompt to discipline them.”

My translation of this verse is very similar: “If you love your children, you will be like the Good Shepherd.”

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who’s blessed

to have married

my three boy’s mom

"He that spareth the rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him correcteth him betimes" (Proverbs 13:24) and "Withhold not correction from a child: for if thou strike him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and deliver his soul from hell" (Proverbs 23:13-14).