world.
(^) The rod shows God’s authority over Mom and Dad. The parent
who uses the rod as a matter of obedience is being an example of
submission to authority. One of the reasons children have difficulty
with authority is that they do not see it modeled in our culture.
(^) The rod trains a child to be under authority. The fact that there are
certain consequences to disobedience teaches the importance of
obedience. The child learns while still young that God has placed
everyone under authority and that authority structures are a blessing.
(^) The rod demonstrates parental love and commitment. Hebrews 12
makes it clear that the rod is an expression of love. In verse 5,
discipline is a sign of sonship. The parent who disciplines shows he
loves his child. He is not an uninterested party. He is not ambivalent.
He is engaged and involved. His commitment runs deep—deep
enough to invest himself in careful discipline.
(^) The rod yields a harvest of peace and righteousness. In Hebrews
12:11 we read, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.
Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace
for those who have been trained by it.” Timely, careful discipline,
while unpleasant and painful at the time, yields happy, successful
children.
(^) The rod bears wonderful fruit. As a father of adult children, I am
continually thankful for God’s mercy to our family. Our first
exposure to the ideas that are set out in this chapter came when we
had only one child. He was an unruly 18-month-old who was on his
way to the terrible two’s! These principles gave us a way to deal with
our son. They enabled us to give him the security of discipline. They
enabled him to gain self-control. They helped him to respect and love
his mom and dad.
(^) The rod returns the child to the place of blessing. Left to himself,
he would continue to live a lust-driven life. He would continue to seek
comfort in being a slave to his desires and fears. The rod of correction