Proverbs 12:1 Thy Good Hurt
One who loves discipline loves knowledge, but one who hates rebuke is stupid.
A person may read Proverbs 12:1 and believe it’s for raising children. It can be for a child, but for a follower of Christ to be a good disciple; they need discipline. I read and study from the NASB English version of the Bible most times. In it, the words discipline appears 66 times, and disciple appears 275 times. There is a connection between both words, discipline, and disciple. A person must learn wise words, like proverbs, and allow the Good Shepherd, guide, protect and correct to be a good disciple. Oddly, King Solomon, the author of Proverbs is the son of King David, the shepherd king who wrote Psalm 23. The Shepherd Psalm is the path of discipleship and discipline that leads, a lamb to the house of the Lord.
King David was a shepherd boy before he was anointed king of Israel, and he wrote Psalm 23, as he shepherds a flock. He was also King of Israel and the father of lots of children. Many know sheep are dumb animals, so wolves and lions find it easy to hunt and eat them. So David would fight many dangers protecting weak helpless sheep. At the same time, guiding and protecting sheep from their stupid self. Jesus the Good Shepherd, teaches His children, with hard love, grace, and discipline, because going astray leads them to hell. Many biblical artworks will show a shepherd’s staff on a long wooden rod with a hook. Even if the artwork is incorrect, it is a symbol the Lord will use His staff to protest evil wolves or yank a foolish one by the neck or pop a lamb, to keep it in line. Just like many relate the word discipline with raising children, the Lord Jesus says a disciple must have child-like faith to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Just like it’s pretty foolish for a small child not to obey their parents, the same goes for a child of God. The older a child gets, the more it tests its parent’s authority or even totally rejects it. When a person surrenders their life to Christ, they tell Him; Walk I want to be You, disciple. Jesus replies, if you love Me, keep My commandments. Walk as I walk, talk as I talk, and live as I live. The word is disciple means to learn from a teacher to be like the teacher. A poor student gets removed from class or school and fails. A wicked child gets kicked out of their parent’s home and maybe disowned. Scripture to reject discipline is stupid behavior. Dishonoring honor parents breaks the fifth commandment and gives a temporary life, disobeying God, leaving Shepherd’s rod and staff of guidance, and protecting it like some digging their own grave. It is foolish to choose death over life and stupid to choose hell over heaven. It is your choice, my brothers and sisters. I love the discipline from my Good Shepherd because it helps me to dwell in the house of the Lord forever, which is where the Lord, the Shepherds, wants to take His children. God bless you all; the Shepherd loves you, and so do I. His bondservant, Samuel J H.
