“Cease listening, my son, to discipline, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.” Proverbs 19:27
Many men will speak of their readiness to defend their family – especially their children – from harm. “If anyone ever hurt my child…” many of us say, men and women, and then we trail off. It’s the unspoken commitment to their welfare, to defend the precious children under our roof, and the readiness to give all for their safety. If someone tried to hurt my child…if…if…it’s almost elemental. We’d give all. We’d rise up and fight against any odds, any enemy, no matter whom.
Yet, and here’s the thing, not once does the book of Proverbs mention this sort of thing. If there’s a book of parenting in Scripture, this is it, and yet there’s not a single line in all the wisdom where the sage pounds his chest and declares for one and all that he’d fight any foe to the death in order to defend his son. Do you know why?
Simple. Because the greatest enemy is sin and sin can’t be defeated with parental truculence or any weapon of this world. Sin is defeated by God’s word.
Our verse today is a premier example. Solomon implores his son to continually heed the voice of discipline lest he will end up in the ditch along this highway of life. It’s the plainness of the delivery, the consistency of the content, and the strangeness of it to our ears (since we’re so worldly), that leaves us none the wiser. We come seeking parental advice and we find history’s great sage, Solomon, incessantly reminding his son, sweetly, humbly, and with all his heart, to stay focused on the Lord’s word.
That’s the gist of this verse. A lack of discipline will lead to your child losing sight of God’s word. And, here it is, pay attention: there’s nothing worse that can befall you or your children than to lose sight of Scripture.
We worry about everything but what should truly be our focus. Jesus spoke of not fearing the one who could kill the body but after that do nothing. We’re inclined to say, “What? Are you serious? What’s worse than that?” Ah…well, Jesus answers. He says, “I tell you who to fear. Fear Him who after He destroys the body can cast the soul into hell. Yes, fear Him.”
Want to see how advanced one’s sanctification is? Ask them what they really fear. If it isn’t sin, then they aren’t paying attention. If you’re worried about messing up your child’s life – and you should! – then heed Solomon’s counsel and make sure your home is awash in Scripture. What do you talk about around the dinner table? What do you discuss as your children fall asleep? Do you pray mechanically because “it’s the right thing to do” but then leave it at that? If so, then you must develop the discipline mentioned here. Read the word. Talk about the word. Meditate upon the word and follow it. Do this and your home will be transformed.
The late Greg Bahnsen once said that in all his years as a counselor he never had anyone come to see him whose life was a wreck who also loved and treasured the Bible. Never. Not one. This is the discipline that Solomon is speaking of to his son and it’s of vital importance to us too.
Listen, we can all do better on this front. My point isn’t to shame everyone but, instead, to reinforce how crucial is the word of God in our lives. A home that treasures God’s word above the TV, the computer screen, social media, and all the noise of the world, will inevitably be a joyful home. Why? Because God’s blessing is in His word. It’s that simple. God’s Spirit is in His word and when we’re in Scripture, reading it, praying over it, meditating upon it, savoring it, we are literally spending time with God in a most intimate way. Trust me, we don’t need the latest gadget, or to know the latest news more than we need Jesus Christ. When we truly know and live this central truth of life, our hearts are transformed.
To stray from the words of knowledge leads to life’s bitter fruits – aloneness, betrayal, alienation, bitterness, and eventually, yes, even death. We must be vigilant, therefore, to make war against the impulses to worldliness – especially to waste our time, to let the world fill it. This, be sure, is that great enemy we need to fight. It’s an inconceivable folly to say you would fight a giant to save your child and then leave their vulnerable mind to the Enemy’s minions, letting the values of the world mold them into a twisted child of perdition. You are in an ocean of sin, holding the precious hand of your child and would you carry them over a small wave only to let them later be carried away by the current? Our children are lost to sin not through tsunamis but through the riptide of culture that carries them away from God’s word. So, give no quarter! Spare no expense. Keep your discipline and wage war on the world, the flesh and the Devil by filling your mind and your home with the majesty, authority and beauty of Scripture. It will anchor you through the storms and keep your hand on your child’s too because, after all, it won’t be yours, it will be the Lord’s mighty hand wrapped around you both. And He won’t lose you. Ever.
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