Proverbs - Rod of Correction

Proverbs 22:15

Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child;

 but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

This is a great truth to know.   When something is bound, it means it is there and not easily released.  Sometimes as parents we act so surprised when a child does something foolish.      We shouldn’t be!  This foolishness has been handed down from Adam and it is bound in our children’s hearts.  We are commissioned to drive this foolishness far from them.  How should we do this?  We are to use the rod of correction.  This rod is not the rod that is considered to be used to strike out of punishment but rather correction.  When an animal would wander out of the way on a journey, the herdsman would take a rod and gently put it on the side of the animal in the direction they were not supposed to travel.  The rod would create a boundary, like a fence, and the animal would start to travel back towards the path the herdsman wanted them to travel.  Whenever they would wander, this rod would correct their direction and take them back to the safer road.  We can take the rod of God’s Word as well as boundaries we can impose and cause our children to be corrected from their natural bent on wandering.  We must not be surprised when they wander but rather be prepared to guide them back with the rod of correction.  If we do, this foolishness will move further and further from them until it becomes more unfamiliar than the safe way we have led them on.