“Blows that hurt cleanse away evil, as do stripes the inner depths of the heart” (Prov. 20:30).
Motivating evildoers to resist temptation when its allurements and passing pleasures are dangled before your eyes is quite challenging. With every temptation there is a risk/reward calculus. If the perceived reward outweighs the perceived risks, evil will result.
Like all of the Bible penmen, Solomon is not naïve to human nature. “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of correction will drive it far from him…A servant will not be corrected by mere words; for though he understands, he will not respond” (Prov. 22:15; 29:19). Each of us has temptations which we find so alluring. We are most vulnerable to them when we are not keenly motivated to resist them.
This proverb recognizes the harsh reality of spiritual warfare. It informs parents, especially fathers, that there are some temptations a young child will not be motivated to resist if there is “gentle parenting”. Consistently resisting and ultimately eliminating the foolishness bound up in the heart of a child will not be cleansed without blows that hurt. How often these blows are needed to help motivate each child will be determined by how quickly he internalizes the urgent need to resist temptation.
Therefore, “Chasten your son while there is hope, and do not set your heart on his destruction” (Prov. 19:18).
