You will notice that the Scriptures we have just quoted come from the first half of the Book of Proverbs. In the latter part of this Book we find more admonitions to the parents. It may be in his later life, when he saw that it was too late, and there was no hope, that Solomon learned these lessons that he so earnestly presses on parents today.
When pondering the lessons that Eli and his sons teach us, we looked at a number of these passages that exhort the parent to use the rod. We will not repeat these, with the exception of Proverbs 23:1314: “Withhold not correction from the child; for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.” This is a Scripture that should burn its way into the heart of every parent. We often forget that God says that the use of the rod helps to save our children from hell. The rod is painful for them, and painful for the parent: but how much more terrible for both if the child must suffer the eternal pains of hell, for lack of a few good spankings when the child was young.
Another Scripture we do well to seriously ponder is Prov. 19:1818Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying. (Proverbs 19:18): “Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.” We can bend the twig when it is young and green, but soon it gets hard and brittle, and there is no hope to bend it then. There is hope for the children when they are young, and surely that is the time to chasten them. There may be times, even when they are older, when they must be spanking: but it is a much more trying ordeal for both parent and child, than when they were little. Let us remember how quickly the time when “there is hope” passes away, and let us take advantage of it for this painful side of the training; so that later on it may not be needed.
There is one more Scripture which we have spoken of already but which I would like to remind you of again before we leave this most practical Book, and it is Chapter 22, Verse 6: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” This seems to me to be a very encouraging promise for the parents, and one that we may well take to heart to cheer us on the way, as we seek to train up our children in the way they should go.
The words of the grandfather are ended: but they have greatly condemned him. They have made him feel how he has failed, and how utterly unqualified he was for such a work. But within these pages are promises and warnings, counsel and encouragement, from ‘Him Who Faileth Not’. On these we may rest with implicit confidence. These can surely guide us aright even through these last days when we know that difficult times must come. (2 Tim. 3:11This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. (2 Timothy 3:1) New Translation). Our own failure and frailty may often cast us down, but let us ever “look off unto Jesus”. There alone will we find strength for the day. And let us ever and always remember, “GOD IS FAITHFUL”.
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“HIS MERCY ENDURETH Forever” Psa. 136