From Folly to Righteousness: Kiss The Rod (Proverbs 22:15)
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Proverbs 22:15
Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,
but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.
What a great verse.
Notice what it doesn’t say. It doesn’t say, ‘Purity is bound up in the heart of a child’ or ‘Holiness and righteousness is bound up in the heart of a child’. No.
It says, ‘Folly is bound up in the heart of a child’. In other words, we were born with sin. Born in sin. And born with a natural inclination to sin. We are born with a natural tendency to run from God rather than run to Him.
Why is that? Look no further than Adam and Eve in the garden. To quote Bridges, ‘As is the root, so are the branches. As is the fountain, so are the waters. Our nature was poisoned at the spring. Our sinful parent, having lost God's image, could only “beget a son after his image” (Genesis 5:3) — a sinner begetting a sinner.’
The creature, therefore, is produced into being with a radical enmity to God – “by nature,” therefore, as Ephesians 2:3 tells us, “a child of wrath.” We’re born naturally opposed to God. It’s not something we learn; it’s in our DNA.
Now, although we all were born with folly bound up in our hearts, the remedy for that folly is given in the second part of this verse, saying, ‘the rod of discipline drives it far from him’.
I believe this verse and that line have very clear and direct parental implications, and to those in that life stage – yes, you should discipline your children. But to everyone else, think of the LORD – your Heavenly Father who has disciplined and disciplines you.
Just like how a loving parent corrects a child for their good, God doesn’t leave us in our folly. He disciplines us, and that discipline has a foundation and purpose.
Hebrews 12:6 says,
‘For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.’
It continues in verse 10 to say that God ‘...disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness’.
After reading those verses, I hope it’s easier to see God’s purpose of redemption in Proverbs 22:15. Though we were born with folly bound in our hearts, the Lord is faithful and loves us so, so much that He actually disciplines us, not for our or His pleasure, but for our profit. For our holiness. For our relationship with Him.
Job 5:17 says, ‘Blessed is the one whom the Lord corrects…’
Correction and discipline are a blessing; they’re evidence of love and care, not evidence of its lack.
Think about that. When God corrects us, it’s because He loves us enough to make us holy – to draw us closer to Him. That’s incredible.
I think this verse should cause us to be thankful the Lord has used and uses the rod of discipline with us as His children, so that we may be more like Him, living in pursuit of purity rather than folly.
I also think this verse should drive us to ask the Lord to help us kiss the rod of discipline. To embrace His correcting hand. Because, though we may read of its benefits, man, I’ve never met anyone who has admitted to loving being disciplined. It’s not fun. No one naturally desires it. In fact, the next verse in Hebrews 12, verse 11, perfectly describes how I’m sure we all feel.
It says:
‘For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.’
Though discipline in the moment is not fun, the promise is that it does yield fruit. And that fruit? It’s righteousness. It’s peace. It’s holiness. That’s a rod worth kissing.
And ultimately, the rod of discipline points us to Jesus. He endured the ultimate discipline on the cross for sins He didn’t commit, so we could have the chance to share in God’s holiness. That’s the greatest act of love.
So let me ask you today:
Is there folly bound up in your heart that you need to confess and repent of?
Are you kissing the rod of discipline, or resenting it?
What would it look like to meekly and humbly yield to the Lord’s correction in your life?
Let’s pray over these things today.
