The place of discipline

One of the most pathetic stories I have read in the Bible is that of Eli, a Prophet of God who heard God directly and was a blessing to his generation.   Eli served God even until his old age, he however ended his life abruptly and not just that, God promised him that all his descendants will die in their prime and there will be no old man in his family. 1 Samuel 2:22-33.  Why?  His sons were very unruly, even though he warned them; God said he failed to restrain them from their evil (1 Samuel 3:13).

This tells me God expects us to do more than talking when it comes to correcting our children, particularly if the child decides not to heed to our initial mild warnings.  Whatever it takes to ‘restrain’ our child from wrong, we must by all means do, else we become guilty before God should our child continue in his wrong.

The gentle man Eli must have had a very soft personality.  There was also no mention of a mother figure, who perhaps would have balanced her husband’s ‘niceness’.  These children would have gotten away with so much, right from childhood so much so that they threw caution to the winds.  After all, daddy Eli was quite busy ministering to the needs of Israel, he heard of his children’s wrong doings (1 Samuel 2:22), he probably had no chance to observe these himself!

This is a lesson for all.  We must not be too busy to observe our children.  We must by all means restrain our children from wrong and of course right from when they are very little.  My 2yr old niece for instance is often asked to face the wall, once she does something wrong and interestingly, that makes her very sober.  Once she starts to feel indifferent by this style of punishment, I can bet a steeper measure will be applied.

It is however important to also discipline a child in love and let the child understand why he is being punished, otherwise we may just over do it and injure the child in the process (particularly if done in anger) or the child may go to the other extreme and become rebellious, particularly if he feels 'mummy or daddy hates me'.

Prayer point: O Lord, help me not to get too busy to notice my child’s wrong doings.  Help me to be able to restrain my child from wrong and to discipline him in love and deliver his soul from hell.

You shall beat him with a rod, and deliver his soul from hell Prov. 23:14

Folly in bound in the heart of a child but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him. Prov. 22:15

The Rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother Prov. 23:15