Proverbs 12:1-4 Discipline
Sometimes taken as a negative word, discipline is vital for the life of the righteous. Without it we wander in darkness with the stupid.
I’m going back to letting my bible helps dictate the breakdown of proverb groups. Discipline was the key they found for these first four verses in chapter twelve. Let’s see where the Spirit takes us today in this theme.
When I looked up the definition for discipline this is what I found:
- the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience.
- a branch of knowledge, typically one studied in higher education.
Discipline is the foundation or roots of the righteous. God gave His Laws to His people as “higher education.” They could get no better ‘education’ than what came from the hand of God. Handing it to them was not enough though. They had to be trained to obey His Laws. This took both reward and correction. The ‘finished product’ is a people dedicated to Him.
Israel’s wandering in the wilderness was a LONG course in discipline/discipleship. It wasn’t for the original people who came out of Egypt but for their children. Their children saw firsthand the benefits of obeying the Lord. They watched as God rained down blessings for obedience and punishment for disobedience. Many of them were born while Israel wandered so God’s discipline is all they knew.
Can you imagine being in that ‘classroom’ where God showed Himself faithful every morning with manna and where your elders fell by His hand when they grumbled? If that didn’t put the fear of God in them nothing would! They learned to trust Him and learned of His plans for their future. When the time came to take the Promised Land they were ready to follow Him wherever He went.
No, they were not without their problems. Some of them were probably still frightened by the tasks that lay ahead but they refused to let that fear get in the way. In the beginning Achan tried to do things just a little bit different than what God had commanded. The whole nation suffered for his disobedience and when he was found out, those who obeyed God HAD to follow His command and kill him and ALL his family. This was discipline not only for Achan but for all of Israel.
I still don’t know why Achan didn’t come forward and confess and fall on God’s mercy. Instead, he kept quiet about his sin until God pointed His finger directly at him. I would have cracked under the pressure of each group being called forward! Did he think he would actually get away with it? Did he think God would be unable to pick him out as the offender from the whole tribe? He certainly fit the last lines of verse one: “he who haves reproof is stupid.” He was stupid to think he would get away with his sin. When Israel was defeated he SHOULD have come forward but he chose not to.
Achan’s example fits perfectly for the first three verses. He was condemned by the Lord for his sins. He lost everything, including his heritage as his whole family was killed. Achan was wiped from the rolls of Israel and would only be remembered for this one thing. I have no doubt that a saying developed because of his sin. Whenever anyone started to wander in sin, someone would say, “Remember Achan?” and that would be enough for the person to think twice about their course of action.
We don’t live strictly by the Law God handed down to Moses since Jesus’ work on the cross. We do have to live by the spirit of the Law. Jesus summed it up in the great commandments He gave. THAT discipline is still expected from His children today. Our Teacher now is the Holy Spirit and God’s word that has been preserved for us. These proverbs are an important part of His word. They offer us training and discipline even today. Their words still speak to our hearts today. Remember Achan and be warned.
The last verse included in our section deals with a wife. It is a picture of her life with and without discipline. Not the rod across the back of her husband but the discipline of the Lord within her heart. In bible times and in some countries today, the first kind of discipline was encouraged. It produced ‘obedient’ wives on the outside but the inside rebelled against such treatment. God’s discipline brings about an inward change that is expressed outwardly. This is the only kind of discipline that truly lasts. One that is chosen and treated as special. One that leads to true growth.
Her character reflects back on her husband. This is as true today as it was when Solomon penned it. What we do as wives either shines in his eyes or causes him shame. The same holds true for the husband, even though Solomon didn’t include it here. He focused on the wife’s character because of the times he lived in.
Then and now, individual good character accepts discipline and correction. And it shows in the marriage relationship first and then the family. These are the very building blocks of God’s Kingdom. Right relationship with Him through discipline and correction building a strong family of believers.
Father God, I’m so glad I’m a part of Your family. Thank You for Your discipline AND correction in my life. Past. Present. And Future. I know I have a long way to go before I am perfect but I’m willing to take each ‘next step’ on that journey with You holding my hand. Let me be a crown for my husband and not rottenness to his bones. Help me to always honor You as I honor him. Help me to build him up and not tear him down, even when he comes up with ‘ideas’ that I KNOW his body can’t handle. Help me be a balm to his spirit. More than anything else, help me CRUSH and destroy the impatience I feel when interrupted or repeated summoning happens. I KNOW he is not trying to be a troublesome. NEVER let either of us think of our interactions as a burden!!! No. This isn’t the life I would have chosen for myself as a child but it is the life that I cherish because I see You in it. It’s amazing how many lessons I have been taught through caring for him.
