Proverbs 3:11 “my son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline or be weary of his reproof”
This is a short excerpt from my memoirs and contains a record of domestic family violence – please do not read on if you may be triggered by this.
I think I was about four or maybe five years old, sitting on the sink draining board, feet in the sink as my dad washed me. He asked me a strange question, “is it sore”? I’m fairly certain I did not know what he was meaning, but my eyes followed his gaze and onto my own legs and lower back.
As I stretched to look I was a little amazed I think, that so many shades of green, blue, purple and even pink were mottled over my lower back and down to the back of my knees. There was worrying darkness about the colours, but strangely an absence of any noticeable pain. “No” I answered simply, but uncertainty could be heard occupying the tones of my voice. “Hmm”, was the response, then silence for a moment before, “I think I will use something harder in future then, maybe a shoe or a cane”. Said with such a straight face and calm manner that at my young age (and even now) uncertainty passed through me imparting a short shudder as it settled down to visit. I remember so clearly that I just did not know what to say. I think I probably cried a little.
Just to be clear, I love my dad. My dad was raised on a farm in the early 1900s in a poor family and his dad laboured on the farm. Brutality was common, and all farm children were working as soon as they could hold a lamp in the fields at night.
My dad led his Black Watch battalion as CSM onto the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. I have his medals up on my office wall at home. But this discipline that he experienced and handed out, is not what God has in mind. God’s discipline has our best at heart and will take us towards a deeper love for Him and his ways, as an essential ingredient. We recognise our wellbeing at the heart of God’s discipline.
KNOWLEDGE
At the start of this chapter, we have “my son do not forget my teaching”, and here in verse 11 we have the second “my son” moment. It’s a place of intimacy, a moment when the writer turns towards us, to connect, to remind us of the relationship, the reason, and the rhythm of his writing. There is a tenderness, and gentleness to this verse that helps us catch the tone of the writer and the narrator. He is whispering the love of God, setting a backdrop against which to sense the heart of the message. God loves us so much, he is being so deliberate in establishing the deep familial relationship as the foundation for the attitude he is reaching out to us to have.
Be ready to be challenged by love – love wants the best for us, can’t let go of fighting for the best for us and will take whatever action is required to see us move forwards. When the discipline comes, check your heart, understand your attitude, and be willing to be confronted. Don’t turn away, run away, or fade away. Discipline, retraining, correction……they have a task to work at in your life. To make you more like Jesus, so that none would be lost [2 Peter 3:9 …..not wishing that any should perish….}
UNDERSTANDING
Let’s pick one word from this verse to look closer at and see if that can help us gain a deeper insight into how God would love us to live?
I think “reproof” is an old fashioned word that hardly gets any airplay these days. The original Hebrew word is pronounced as “tokehah” and this word only makes 28 appearances in the whole of the Old Testament – and is translated as, rebuke; argument; punishments; reproof; and, my complaint. In Proverbs 3:11 we sense that “correction” is at the centre of the meaning.
WISDOM: when did you last experience God’s discipline or correction, and how did you respond?
STRENGTHS THOUGHT: Discipline is an amazing Strength – you enjoy the process of removing clutter and chaos to bring order, don’t be too inflexible because of your own world view though.
Allan’s Unauthorised Version – [my beloved child, do not treat with contempt your promise-keeping God’s correction, teaching, and leading into purity. Please do not dread or even detest his reasoning and rebuke.]
PRAYER: Father, thank you for today. Please help me to hear all you have to say to me, even when you are leading me towards handing over things I have held onto for too long. Thank you.
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When did you last experience God’s discipline or correction, and how did you respond? – great thought! Thank you for the reminder to check our hearts.
Thank you Pastor Allan
No one likes discipline no matter what your age. It’s learning from it. Listening to the reproof and aiming not to do the same things again or learn how to do it a better way. But it really is how I react to the discipline that matters. Hurt and anger becomes resent and worse. Listening and learning with the right frame of mind brings satisfaction, peace and a closer relationship with our Heavenly Father
“ God’s discipline has our best at heart, and will take us towards a deeper love for Him and his ways”. This spoke to my heart this morning. I believe it to whole heartedly be the truth. The more I grow in my relationship with the Father and He lovingly reveals hidden sin in my life in order that I might find greater freedom and intimacy with Him, the more my heart longs to do and be what is right in His eyes. Thank you Pastor Allan. This is powerful.
Oh, the sting of that dreaded cane! This was discipline handed out by a loving parent sixty years ago. All I did was climb to the very top of a mango tree, dragging my little brother up as well, partners in crime, eating juicy mangoes on the way up and hurling the seeds down at unsuspecting passers by! But I have never forgotten it or repeated it.
Our Heavenly Father chastises us out of His love for us. We need to understand his teaching and correction in order to have a closer walk with Him. There is safety and security there.
I think as a loving parent I have learnt the importance of discipline in a greater measure. This gives me some idea of what Father God wants for me at times in correcting me out of His love & always wanting me to take the higher road. It is a battle at times since the flesh doesn’t always want to let go & admit one’s bad attitudes & ways because of our sin nature. However once I realise this is going to affect my relationship with God & others & finally repent then His peace comes to help me to move forwards & I can hopefully submit myself to further correction in the future without so much resistance! God’s nature is never to hurt but to help prevent me bringing harm to myself long term as I have done as a parent in putting in boundaries for my children. They don’t understand at the time as we don’t often see with our heavenly Father who loves us more than anyone else does but when we know God’s character we can trust Him in the process.
God’s correction comes from the love he has for us.
To bring us back on track to the path of blessing he has for us.
He calls to us to leave our selfish ways and follow his teaching and instruction so we may inherit life in abundance that he promises us .
Amen! Thank you Pastor Allan
Discipline Is so important especially from our heavenly father and In our daily walk as Christians.
Discipline is an amazing Strength – you enjoy the process of removing clutter and chaos to bring order. Love This.
I too am the daughter of a veteran Allan. Not for the faint hearted by any stretch but with GOD we can have understanding and mercy through HIS grace.
GOD Bless you.