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Mt. Baker Beacon
Vol. 03, No. 22 Jun 02, 2024
Your word is a lamp to my feet Mount Volume 03, Number 22 Published by Location: Sunday: Web site: Mt. Baker church
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FOOLISHNESS IS BOUND UP IN THE HEART OF A CHILD "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of correction will drive it far from him" (Prov. 22:15). There is so much about this simple statement of wisdom from Solomon that is not 2023 approved. I can hear Bible critics say, as their knees jerk in anger: "Are you saying that our dear, darling children are ignorant fools? Don't you understand how wrong and damaging that is to a young person's self-esteem?" they ask you and me, aghast. And then they might say: "And don't even get me started on your threat of physical violence! Don't you know that violence only begets violence?" The PC crowd melts down in uncontrollable sobbing whenever Solomon speaks. But, Solomon was right. Youth is a time of foolishness, because young people have little experience in life. There was nothing insulting nor incriminating in Solomon's observation; it is just plain true. In our teenage years, most of us made foolish choices, and we thought foolish things, because unlike older people, we had not yet seen enough of life. One of the ways that humans learn is by making mistakes. When a person arrives to his thirties alive and kicking, he has generally learned from experience what works and what doesn't. A young person simply isn't "there" yet. Solomon knew what he was talking about. In his youth he set about learning all he could about life by experiencing as much of it as possible (Eccl. 1:13). He eventually concluded that "all is vanity and striving after the wind" (vs. 14). He communed with his heart about his chosen quest, and then he set his heart to the task of knowing wisdom, madness, and folly (vs. 16-17). When he was finished, Solomon concluded that man's only sure course of contentment and wisdom is to "fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man" (12:13).
It is in this light that Solomon gives his best possible advice to young people: "Rejoice, O young man in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes; but know for all of these God will bring you into judgment" (11:9). Youth is a unique time in one's life that will never come again. Sooner, rather than later, one's eyes will grow dim, and his body will shake with the weakness of age, his teeth will become weak and fall out, and his hearing will fail (12:1-4). So, young people should enjoy the relatively peaceful and healthy days of their youth while they can. But...there is always a "but," "Remember your creator in the days of your youth" (12:1). One's life is not solely about youthful ease and joy, life is ultimately about one's responsibility to God. Death comes to everyone. Sooner or later, "the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it" (vs. 7). This tends to be the dividing line between the foolishness of youth and the wisdom of age. Young people think the judgment day is some far off, nebulous event, and there is too much fun to be had and too many goals to accomplish to think of accountability now! Young people think within themselves, "Oh, I intend to get my life together someday, and I will serve God when I do, but, right now there are mountains to climb, money to make, love to experience, and adventures to pursue." Older Christians have a: "I've been there, done that, and I have the scars to prove it!" mindset. They once thought in the vacuous manner of youth, but now with wisdom and experience as their companions, adults realize that the end is nearer than it has ever been before. Soon they will have to give an account to the Lord for the life they have lived (2 Cor. 5:10). Now is the time to not waste a single moment of one's life. Older Christians agree with Solomon's conclusions, because having lived long enough, they have witnessed all of their plans, which did not have God as their focus, came to nothing. It was vanity and striving after the wind. Young people need to be taught to love God and to put Him first in their lives. They need to be disciplined, and they need to be reminded that youth ends, death eventually comes, and then comes judgment (Heb. 9:27). WHEN FOOLISHNESS REMAINS BOUND UP IN THE HEART OF AN ADULT Solomon said foolishness in the heart of a child can be driven away with the rod of correction (Prov. 22:15), but, what do you do when foolishness is bound up in the heart of an older person? Foolishness is devastating when it is lodged in the heart of an adult. Young people tend to have soft and pliable hearts. When they are corrected, they can recognize the good in it and respond with change (Prov. 3:11). The heart of an adult, however, can be hard and implacable. The longer one lives the life of a fool, the more ingrained foolishness becomes as the guiding principle of his life. A man can be stubborn, where a child can humble and trusting (Mt. 18:4-5). A grown man believes that his survival into adulthood means he must be doing something right. He is blinded by his luck, rather than governed by good sense. People can be myopic, seeing only what they want to see in themselves. What is the solution when a fully grown man or woman retains the foolishness of youth? The "rod of correction" is still the right prescription! The rod itself changes with time. A child's spanking is literally the "rod," but when an adult is warned for walking disorderly (1 Thess. 5:14), that is also the "rod" of correction. The rod is also present when he is later marked and withdrawn from by faithful saints, because is impenitent (2 Thess. 3:6). The "rod" is effective discipline when it is applied to a child with a good conscience; he feels shame for having disobeyed his parents and causing them pain. Church discipline should have that same effect on the disorderly Christian who is disciplined. Shame is good. It moves people to repentance (2 Cor. 7:10). This point of discipline is sometimes lost on parents and the church as well. Some parents never apply any heat to the backside of erring children, and churches fall into neglect regarding church discipline. Weak parents fear that spanking a child is harmful to him emotionally, and weak brethren fear church discipline due to the misguided notion that it is harmful, mean, and discouraging. Brethren, discipline is supposed to hurt, or you aren't doing it right! Solomon said if you beat a child with a rod, he will not die (Prov. 23:13). Likewise, when you mark an erring Christian and withdraw from him, it ought to hurt. A brotherly relationship should have existed before the discipline, so that when it is withheld from him, he hurts and comes to regret his sin. We need to love our brethren enough to help them be ashamed of the foolishness with which they operate in rebellion to God! Created by John Bass, last updated. 05/29/2024 The Mount Baker Beacon is a weekly publication of the Mt. Baker church of Christ, Bellingham, WA. |
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