"Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul."
Proverbs 29:17
“Correct thy son,”
Our children need “correction.” This Hebrew word means “to chasten, discipline, instruct, admonish…to let oneself be chastened or corrected or admonished …chastise …to teach” (BDB). The implication here seems apparent, our children need help, and God says this help needs to come from us, his/her parents. As we were, so are they, born sinners. Sinners are selfish and finite, and in their hearts, they worship their own wants. These “young sinners” need our help to see God’s side of life. Simply, they need “correction,” including both “discipline” and “teaching” (See Ephesians 6:4).
For we who are parents, this calling of ours involves a ton of work, long hours on call 24/7, and the patience of Job! Parenting is not for the faint of heart, for it requires an intense love for our children, and an even greater love and devotion to our God. We must have the conviction that God said our child is a sinner and needs help, and He has appointed us to do the work.
“And he shall give thee rest;”
For the parents of young children, there seems to be no rest. It is often a constant tug-of-war of the wills and repetitive teaching and discipline. In this spiritual battle for the souls of our children, don’t give up hope!
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9).
In our verse for today, Solomon seems to be encouraging parents that the effort is worth it when we begin to see these life lessons are beginning to take hold in our children’s lives.
Parents, have you ever let your child go play with the children in another family, and when you see the family next, they say, “you have such a nice boy (or girl), they are welcome to come over anytime.” After you come too, you wonder whose child they were referring to… After all the time you have spent correcting your child, you begin to see glimmers of hope for them.
In time, after years of investing in your child, the rest comes. Not that our children are ever perfect, after all, they are ours! But there should come a time when every waking moment isn’t spent fretting over what your child is going to do next.
An insightful parent will ask, “If I correct my child, am I guaranteed that my child will turn out right, isn’t this what is being promised here?” Come back tomorrow and let’s discuss this idea more fully.
1. “Chasten,” from Brown, Driver, Briggs. Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew Definitions, the electronic version in eSword.