He who withholds his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently.   Proverbs 13:24

Child discipline is an issue today that is quickly being taken over by worldly psychologists and child-advocates who think that spanking a child or administering any kind of coporal punishment is child abuse.  Yet from what we see in Proverbs today, child abuse should be defined a little differently.  It should be defined as those who refuse to apply the rod of discipline to their children in a loving way so as to train them to be unselfish.

The rod is mentioned here - and is it mentioned because the parent is supposed to apply the rod to the child's rear-end in a controlled way for the purpose of training that child properly.  This is to be done without a fit of anger or rage - for disciplining under that kind of spirit will often lead to over-disciplining a child - or hitting them out of anger - rather than out of a desire to train and teach.  The wise man and woman discipline their child - because to refrain from discipline is to hate your child.  These are strong words - and need to be examined.

When we refuse to discipline a child - we are leaving them to the dictates of their sinful nature.  Contrary to the world-view of modern psychology, the Bible does not teach that man is basically good.  The Bible teaches that we are evil because of man's fall into sin.  Because of that event - and the effect it had on all mankind - we are basically selfish and self-centered.  Left on our own, we will become little monsters who demand our own way.  There is also another problem with the sinful nature and the way it works in our hearts.  The natural man does not submit himself to rules or authority very well.  A child will learn to say, "No" early in life, and needs to be trained to submit to authority and to rules.  Our sinfulness has us react to rules by wanting to buck them and do our own thing.  This needs to be an area of child training.  We need to teach our children to obey - and to submit to the authority that is over them.  Without this they will not function well in society.  When a child learns to be obedient, learns to be respectful, learns to work hard and be selfless in his attitude and actions it is a blessing to all those around him.  Consider what an entire society would look like with this kind of parenting? 

The Bible says that we need to discipline our children "diligently."  I will be honest with you - that this is difficult to do.  At times I would only discipline my children when they annoyed me enough to merit my all-important time and effort.  Hope you got the sarcasm in that statement.  Disciplining your children diligently requires a full commitment to seeing character and godliness developed in them.  You cannot just discipline them when you get mad because they are making your life difficult.  Discipline requires a full commitment of your life. 

This may seem like a lot, but let me give another testimony about this kind of child-rearing.  We have 6 children - 2 guys and 4 girls.  We are not model parents by any stretch of the word.  God has given us much grace as we stumbled and tried our best in this whole thing called parenting.  But one thing we have noticed is that when you give yourself to parenting after this model - you truly enjoy being with your children throughout your life.  We love being with our kids - and have the best time when we are.  They are a delight to our hearts.  I remember sharing with someone in a grocery store that we have 6 children.  Her response was whether we were still sane - and how much Prozac we needed to handle that many kids.  I smiled when she said this, but quickly stated that our kids were a delight - and that God gave us much grace and that is what helped us rear 6 kids.  That is the joy of living this way and rearing your children.  It is a blessing not only to your children as they mature - but it is a blessing to you and your wife as well.  The truth is that God is maturing not just your kids - He is maturing you as well.

Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished, But the descendants of the righteous will be delivered. Proverbs 11:21

Punishment is something people do not want to discuss.  We live in a day when we are uncomfortable talking about people being punished.  Yet Scripture makes it very clear that God is going to bring judgment upon the wicked and the evil.  Today's proverb addresses these things.

The proverb starts off with an interesting Hebraism.  The proverb says, "hand in hand" as it begins.  This phrase means that though people join hand in hand.  It speaks of those who are evil.  There are many evil men and women who feel that if they join hands - their evil can prevail.  One of the most famous of biblical examples of this is the people who joined together together to build the Tower of Babel.  They did this so that they would not be scattered.  They constructed the tower in rebellion against God.  Their thought was that together their project would prevail against God's will.  But this is why the verse opens up with this statement - assuredly.  Thus we know that even though every wicked man and woman on the planet were to join hands to stand agaisnt God - the fact is that they will not go unpunished.  God's judgment WILL prevail - and His authority and power will prevail over any who choose evil.  The evil man will be punished - end of story.

But there is more - because God promises that the righteous will be delivered from the wrath of God.  He promises that there will be deliverance for the seed of the righteous.  God is going to destroy the wicked - but His grace will cause the righteous to be delivered from that judgment and wrath.  The righteous here are not those who are self-righteous - but rather those who are righteous by faith.  They have believed on the lamb of God who was slain from the foundation of the world.  Their righteousness was not based on their own works - but rather on the work of Jesus Christ.  This is what will deliver the righteous from the judgment of God.  They are delivered because of the righteousness of Jesus Christ.  That is what speaks for them before a holy God. 

Remember this . . . one man will face punishment - while another will be delivered from the wrath of God.  One embraces evil - the other what is right.  In the end the one who chose righteouensss made the truly wise choice.  For no matter how many hands were gathered together - they will never stand before a holy God.  All that will matter in that day is whether we have the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.  

The rich man's wealth is his fortress, The ruin of the poor is their poverty.  The wages of the righteous is life, The income of the wicked, punishment.   Proverbs 10:15-16

To rightly understand the first proverb here in verse 15, we must push on to read it with the proverb in verse 16.  If we do not do this, we will think that the acquisition of money is the end of man's existance.  Although God encourages us to prepare for the future and to work hard so that through His blessing we may leave an inheritance to our children's children, this does not mean that gaining wealth is to be our highest aim. 

We first learn of the fact that money can provide a measure of protection.  The rich man's wealth is his fortress.  There is much that a rich man can do to protect himself from harm due to his wealth.  He is protected from much in life due to this.  A fortress is a place one stays during an attack - it was a place of safety.  For the rich man - his wealth can prevent him from a quick ruin by difficult circumstances.  One example for us to remember is the wisdom of setting aside money for problems that we know will come in the future.  The man who acquires some wealth can set aside money for problems that ARE going to come.  In our society, if you own a car or other mechanical item, you are assured that a breakdown of some sort is in your future.  If you spend everything you have - you will not have anything set aside for this difficulty.  The wise man acquires wealth for this very purpose.  He puts money away for the repair and replacement of such items.  Therefore when a difficult time comes, he has money for these things.  The poor man often is ruined by such situations.  He does not know what to do and often sees ruin come to his financial picture because of debt he obtains seeking to fix or replace things or he just has to do without, which could be a very problematic hardship.  Wealth can be a protection for us.

The problem with this proverb is that one might think wealth is the ultimate protection.  Therefore we must gain wealth however we can.  Such thinking is ungodly - and will lead to ruin, if not now - then in eternity.  Therefore we have a clarification in the next verse.  We are told that the wages or income of the righteous is life - which the income of the wicked is punishment.  If we are seeking righteousness - a life that pursues God and desires to do what God says is true and just - we will be blessed.  We may not have a tremendous amount of money - but we will have what is necessary at the end of the age.  We will have life!  The wicked though, however rich they may become, have a serious problem.  Their income will be punishment.  Thus a man may be tremendously wealthy by all outward appearances - but he may be dirt poor in spirit.  The rich farmer in the gospels had enough to tear down his old barns and build new ones to fill with even more earthly riches - but the very night his soul was required - he was found destitute. 

Remember that wealth and riches are defined in a number of different ways in Scripture.  They may be physical wealth - or they may be spiritual riches in Christ Jesus.  It is wise to remember that to be physically wealthy according to James is to be put in a humble place by God.  It is difficult for an earthly rich man to enter heaven - because he has a bad tendency to trust his riches.  To be poor is also defined different ways.  Whereas it may be a bad thing to be financially poor - it is a blessed state to know that we are poor in spirit.  Realizing these things will help us better define true wealth and true poverty.

On the lips of the discerning, wisdom is found, But a rod is for the back of him who lacks understanding.  Wise men store up knowledge, But with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.   Proverbs 10:13-14

A godly mouth can be a great blessing to anyone who has one granted to him by the grace of God.  Such a mouth, though given by God, must be disciplined to follow Him only - and not the foolishness of the natural man. 

The wisdom of God is found on a certain kind of man.  He is called a discerning man.  The Hebrew word used here is "bin" and it speaks of someone who through the use of the Scriptures is able to determine the difference between what is of God and what is not.  This discerning heart and mind instructs the lips of the wise man.  We learn later in verse 14 that this man stores up knowledge.  This knowledge is a practical knowing of God and of the world that is around him.  Thus this wise man instructs his mouth with this knowledge.  He learns to know much, but not always speak what he knows.  He has learned that he can NOT say things and be a blessing.  Thus he seeks to quell within himself words and statements that will unnecessaily disburb the peace in relationships.  Many an argument and fight could be prevented if one or the other of the two combatants would have practiced this wisdom.  They would keep their words to themselves - knowing that sharing their "knowledge" would be done more from pride than from love.  We know from the New Testament that knowledge puffs up - but love edifies.  We can share all our knowledge - and by doing so cause a disturbance as others react to our pride.  The wise man stores up knowledge within - and only brings that knowledge out at the direction of the Holy Spirit - Who will direct him to use that knowledge to build up and encourage others. 

We are also told of the fool - and his mouth.  These two verses go together because they speak of the speech of one - and then the consequences of the other.  The next verse reverses this order - trading the wise man for the fool in his speech - and the fool for the wise man in the reward or retribution that results.  The consequences of the fool is a rod for his back.  His words are the source of his punishment - for they evidence his foolishness and lack of regard for what is right.  A proverb from the Talmud expresses this wonderfully when we read there, "that which a wise man gains by a hint, a fool only obtains by a club."  The wise man learns - instructs his mouth and heart with that wisdom - and therefore avoids problems and public discipline.  The fool chooses to let his mouth run - and with that overactive mouth - ruin comes to him. 

Biblically we can remember the difference between Solomon and his son, Rehoboam.  Solomon began his reign seeking God and requesting wisdom from Him.  His son Rehoboam had an opportunity to win over the people - but chose the foolish counsel of his friends.  That led him to speak harsh, unkind, oppressive words to the people.  In the end he lost all but one tribe - which God granted to him because of His promise to David.  But how the foolish mouth granted him much destruction and difficulty.  The wise mouth, though, was blessed in many wonderful ways.  So take the time to listen - and allow God's wisdom to sink deep enough into your heart so that it instructs your mouth on what to say.  Doing this promotes blessing.

He will not accept any ransom, Nor will he be satisfied though you give many gifts. Proverbs 6:35

Adultery is always stupid.  There is no amount of money or ransom that a man will accept for the love and purity of his wife.  God gave us marriage and is the very essence of love - and bequeathed to us the gift of loving someone else.  One of the most wonderful expressions of His love is seen when a man and woman commit to one another in marriage.  That picture is used in Ephesians 5 to show the love of Christ for His church.  The love that exists in marriage is supposed to be very strong - and thus breaking it is not something that can be paid back by any amount of money.

We read in Song of Solomon 8:6-7 these words that will help us understand why there is no ransom for adultery.  "Put me like a seal over your heart, Like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, Jealousy is as severe as Sheol; Its flashes are flashes of fire, The very flame of the LORD. Many waters cannot quench love, Nor will rivers overflow it; If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love, It would be utterly despised."  Love is as strong as death - that is why often a divorce is described as being as devastating as a death in a family.  Love is as powerful as death, jealousy is like death, and again is described as like "flashes of fire" and "the very flame of Jehovah."  These are not light, fluffy passing descriptions.  They are powerful and honestly, frightening!  When you choose to love someone and commit to them for life in marriage, this is the power that is released.  That is why no ransom will be accepted for adultery - no gift will seem appropriate.  We read in Song of Solomon that if a man were to give all the riches of his house for love - the one offered the money would utterly despise the offer.  Love is more powerful than ANY amount of money ever offered. 

Unfortunately, a movie I know of but have not seen, illustrates our point.  The move was called, "Indecent Proposal."  I would NOT encourage anyone to see it - so I will describe what I've read about it.  In the movie a young couple are given an indecent proposal by a rich man to pay them $1,000,000 for the wife to commit adultery once with him.  After weighing what they could do with that much money, they unwisely agree to this indecent proposal.  The wife commits adultery and they are paid the money.  But the film examines the carnage that follows as, you guessed it, jealousy begins enraging this man over what has happened.  Just like it says in Song of Solomon - no amount of money is worth love.  Any amount is utterly despised.  The man comes to realize too late that the purity and sanctity of their relationship is not worth any sum of money - not even a million dollars.  Even a ransom of that enormous amount is something despised and abhorred by a husband and wife.  Thus when one partner sins for usually far less, it is a foolish choice indeed that they are making.  They are selling out their vows for nothing more than a fleeting promise of forbidden pleasure.  What they will pay in the end would make them recoil from such actions.  The problem is that "in the moment" they do not think, nor do they reason with any kind of biblical or moral judgment.  They destroy themselves and their marriage in a bid for the illusive promise of a night of passionate pleasure.  What they most likely do not know is that the indulgence will cost them more than they could ever imagine.  This is why, dear saints, Adultery is always stupid.

Wounds and disgrace he will find, And his reproach will not be blotted out. Proverbs 6:33

Adultery is always stupid.  That is the premise we are following in these last verses of Proverbs chapter 6.  Here we see that adultery is stupid because it will eventually yield punishment.  This refers to a day when adultery was a punishable offense in a nation.  In some nations it still is a punishable offense.  Where it is, the rates of adultery and divorce are far lower than in nations where marriage is no longer protected by law.

The wounds, disgrace, and reproach that are spoken of here are all due in part to the public punishment that came with adultery in biblical times.  A simple review of the laws against adultery help us to see that this was considered a very serious sin.  First we have God stating that this particular sin was part of the 10 commandments.  "You shall not commit adultery," is found in Exodus 20 where God gives the commandments to Moses.  Later in Leviticus 20 we see where God makes it clear that adultery was considered a capital offensein Israel (and in God's sight).  "If there is a man who commits adultery with another man's wife, one who commits adultery with his friend's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death."  If we were to trace the damage done to not just the marriage but to families and societies through adultery, we might not look at this as too strict. 

There used to be a time when adultery was seen as a very disgraceful thing.  It was easy to see that what God said here is true.  The reproach from being and adultery would not be able to be blotted out.  There is a stigma to those who break their marriage vows by having sex with someone who is not their wife.  This stigma is natural - and it is only as we have turned from God and from His truth that we have decided to try our best to erase that stigma from our society.  Jeremiah's prophecy is filled with rebuke for the adultery that was rampant in the land.  In Jeremiah 23:14 we read this prophetic word to God's people, "Also among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: The committing of adultery and walking in falsehood; And they strengthen the hands of evildoers, So that no one has turned back from his wickedness. All of them have become to Me like Sodom, And her inhabitants like Gomorrah."  This sin, when it was ignored by God's people and by their prophets, would "strengthen the hands of evildoers."  When adultery is tolerated by a society and treated as no big deal, we read that no one turns back from their wickedness.  We find a soceity where the most basic bonds of relationship break down - and thus any kind of trustworthiness also breaks down with it. 

In recent years we've heard a chorus of those who tell us that it does not matter if one of our elected officials has committed adultery and divorced their partner.  We view it as part of the normal landscape that this happens, and in so doing, destroy the foundation upon which the home - and thereby society in general is built.  The complete lack of character in our elected officials is a testimony to the truth of the Scriptures when it comes to adultery and being faithful to your vows in your marriage.  We've watched as again and again that if these men and women won't be faithful to the closest bond and promise that they have made, why would we think that would be faithful to a vow to adhere to and defend the principles in the Constitution? 

Some may say that this is too harsh.  Jesus Himself forgave the woman who was caught in the very act of adultery.  To this I would say a hearty, "Amen!"  He did forgive her - and He forgives those who commit adultery today.  But our problem is that we've degenerated to a point where we question if adultery should even be classified as sin.  We've come to the point where we want to give the forgiveness without also stating the other thing Jesus said that day, "Go and sin no more."  We watch as elected officials lie to our faces on televison that they did not have sex with that woman - and then expect the forgiveness and absolution without any repentance and confession.  What we should realize is that whether we embrace it or not - adultery is going to cause very serious problems for an individual - and for a society that seeks to sweep it under the proverbial moral rug.

Adultery is always stupid.  It always has consequences.  It always will involve disgrace and reproach - at least in the eyes of God (and that is what counts in the end).  The wise man sets a very clear boundary in his life when it comes to adultery.  He not only sets a boundary, but he also sets a reminder that crossing this boundary will result in bad consequences.  And since our society no longer sees fit to protect marriage in this way - we will have to do even more on the personal level to have reminders, boundaries, and warnings in our hearts to protect us from it.  

Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline will remove it far from him. Proverbs 22:15

Ah, we come to the NOT-Dr. Spock proverb.  If you do not know who Dr. Spock is the first thing I should tell you is that he is not the pointy-eared science officer from the Star Trek series.  He is a child psychologist from the 1960's who announced to the world through his writings that spanking a child was wrong.  Unfortunately an entire generation decided that he was right (after all he is a psychologist!) and that God was wrong.  If you are wondering the results of that choice, take a look at our society today. 

Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child.  This is a view that is also rejected by the vast majority of psychologists and educators today.  We are told that we need to let children "express themselves."  When we try to impose our views upon them - we are only warping them in our image.  I can only tell you that when we add a biblical worldview to the practice of guiding and disciplining a child - people in the academic world tend to go ballistic.  But the biblical fact is, well . . . fact. 

The Bible reprents mankind as fallen and ruined due to sin.  That includes little ones fresh out of the womb.  I know that it is very easy to look at little ones and think, "Oh, they are so cute - they're just little angels."  The problem is that they are NOT little angels.  The Biblical view is that they are little fools - and will remain that way unless we apply the rod of discipline in their lives.  Children will basically be selfish and self-centered.  The will have a tendency toward sin - and if left to themselves without discipline will become little tyrants.  Some will howl with disapproval for this statement saying that not all children are this way.  I've helped rear six children and would be the first to say that different children have different ways that they express their sinful nature - but every one of them needed discipline to keep from being fools.  Some of my children were active in their rebellion - others were passive in how they disobeyed - but without a doubt they all disobeyed naturally. 

God's Word says that what we are after is their hearts.  Note that we read that foolishness is bound up in a child's heart.  We are not aiming for their bottoms - although that is where the discipline usually is administered.  We are aiming for their hearts.  We want them to see that they are fallen and that they need God.  We want them to see that they are foolish and need the wisdom of God.  We want them to see that they are sinful and need the forgiveness of God.  We also want them to see that they are bound in sin and desperately need the deliverance of God.  Finally, we need for them to see that they are fatally flawed and need the regeneration of God that comes with salvation.  They need their "heart of stone" to be replaced at salvation with the heart of flesh that God promises in the new covenant. 

One reason we do this is because they must learn that discipline is the way of life.  God will continue to discipline them as Hebrews 12:5-9 says.  If we are His children - we WILL be disciplined.  Thus we are to be trained by our parents early to learn to receive discipline and to learn from it.  The rod of discipline is applied to help remove the foolishness from our hearts.  As it does its work, we will grow in wisdom and understanding - and will learn to put away foolish things from our lives. 

There are some who will argue that the "rod" mentioned here is just words.  But the word itself means a rod or stick - a club or the stick in a spear.  I will not argue with those who say that at times God refers to the rod of His mouth.  But when it comes to child training there are other passages in Proverbs that make it clear that we are to spank our children in disciplining them. This being said, I will also state clearly that over-spanking a child is abuse - and that God's Word refers to "LOVING" discipline that should be administered.  Simply grabbing a child and swatting them is very ineffective.  There should be instruction, clear boundaries, discipline, as well as reassuring love that is given after any kind of spanking that is given to a child.  Our children need to know that we are not disciplining them because they are annoying us.  We are discplining them so that they will become pliable in the hands of God - and so that they will learn not to embrace foolishness when it presents itself in their minds or through their friends and aquaintences.  This is the kind of discipline that will train up that child.  It is also the kind that will help them love their parents - and later the Lord for what He is doing.  They will see that this is a very positive thing done out of love and always done with their ultimate best interests in mind.

When the scoffer is punished, the naive becomes wise; But when the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge. The righteous one considers the house of the wicked, Turning the wicked to ruin. Proverbs 21:11-12

Ecclesiastes 8:11 says, "Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil."  Punishment is not just for the one who does the evil deed.  Society at large also receives instruction when punishment is handed out for crimes and evil deeds that are done.  Today's proverb helps us understand this.

The scoffer is the first person we see in this proverb.  We see him being punished for something he has done.  It is important to see that while others are instructed and given wisdom from this punishment, the scoffer is not one of them.  A scoffer is incorrigible in his evil.  He mocks God and does not care or concern himself with wisdom.  He himself is the beginning and end of what little wisdom he desires.  When this scoffer eventually breaks laws in his quest to poison society against God, he receives the punishment due for his crime.  It is sad to see though that by the end of this proverb - and even the following verse - the scoffer learns nothing.  He will continue in his scoffing behind bars - living to curse God and in so doing - have a curse upon his own life as he continues in his patterns of self-destruction.

But there is help for others in seeing this fool's punishment.  The naive or simpleton watches and learns wisdom.  This is not the typical word for wisdom here, but is the Hebrew "sakal," which means to be prudent, show discernment, and to be instructed in a way to go.  The naive watch the actions of the scoffer receive their due punishment and consider his end.  As a result they learn not to walk in those ways - if only to avoid the punishment.  The truly wise man though watches and receives real instruction - and as a result receives knowledge as well.  Knowledge is "daath" which means a knowing that gives him practical wisdom and knowledge as to how to walk each day. 

The righteous is the last type of person who watches the punishment of the wicked.  He looks and considers not just this one action that is receiving punishment, but he looks at the entire life of the scoffer.  He considers his entire house (family, business, children, etc.).  The Hebrew here is a little difficult to translate - and here is it rendered "turning the wicked to ruin."  That gives the idea that the righteous man is out to destroy the wicked here.  The Amplified Bible though, gives the best sense of the Hebrew here when it translates this passage, "The [uncompromisingly] righteous man considers well the house of the wicked—how the wicked are cast down to ruin." 

The righteous man can and should work to make sure that the laws of the land reflect the laws of God.  In that way he does work to see the house of the wicked turned to ruin.  That is what is ultimately best for a society.  But what is being communicated here is that what the righteous man does is note that the entire household of the wicked comes to ruin because of his ungodly behavior and his attitude of scoffing at God. 

When we watch the demise of the wicked on television and in the news we need to receive instruction from it.  Our hearts should not be drawn to such stories for the juicy gossip content.  That is the attitude of the world, who learns very little from such things.  We should watch and grieve the destruction from the standpoint of seeing that a lifestyle of arrogant scoffing and derision of God leads to destruction.  We should also receive the instruction that God means for us to receive.  Honoring and glorifying God is the wise man's lifestyle.  As the house of the wicked crashes to the ground we should remember that Jesus Himself taught us that the foundation of a man's house - whether it is founded on obedience to God's Word or not - will be the deciding factor on whether it stands or falls.

Grievous punishment is for him who forsakes the way; He who hates reproof will die. Proverbs 15:10

What happens when we depart from God's ways?  According to this passage in Proverbs there is a very serious consequence for us when we do this.  Even worse is what awaits us if we go even further than this and reject God's reproof after we've left his ways. 

What is at stake here?  Well, what drives this particular proverb is the idea of "forsaking the way."  "The way," refers to God's way - the way of his commandments.  Several times the phrase, "the way of the Lord" is used to refer to this.  If you want to understand it better you can turn to the 119th Psalm which calls it by various names like, "the way of righteousness," "the way of Your testimonies," "the way of Your precepts," "the way of Your statutes," as well as what we've already said as the way of God's commandments.  This way is the commands and the things God calls us to be and to do in His Word.  When we "forsake" this way, we are doing the following.  We no longer listen carefully to God's Word - we don't pay heed to it or obey it.  But the core idea here is no longer listening or paying attention to someone.  That Someone here is God.  In case you do not know what this means - it means as you listen - you do so in order to respond and obey God.

What happens when we forsake God's way?  The Word here says that we face "grevious punishment."  The word translated for this is the Hebrew word "ra" - and it simply means, bad things!  When you no longer walk with God, listen to Him, or obey Him - bad things are going to eventually happen in your life.  This is the case no matter whether you are His or not.  If you take a close look at the progress (or regress) of the world around you, you can see that ignoring and forsaking God's ways has never led to a world of peace and blessing.  By its very nature this world works best when God's ways and paths are followed.  When they are ignored - or worse - shunned, things go bad.  This is a fait accompli - an established fact! 

Now a second warning is also issued at this point - and I think it is a reminder that God's rebuke and reproof are proofs of His love - not hate.  When we forsake God's way, we will face bad things, but when we go further and ignore His loving reproof of those ways and continue in rebellion - we are headed toward death.  It is God's great mercy and love that arrests us in our rebellion with disciplinary action.  He allows difficulties and problems to come to us to turn us from the insanity of abandoning His ways.  But when we are too stubborn to listen - we are moving toward death itself.  What is terrifying is the warning in 1 John that there is a sin leading unto death - a point at which a disciplinary measure from God involves having a person die.  Wisdom tells us to respond to His discipline and His reproof quickly - so that we will not have to go that far.

One last comment on this passage.  These two truths are just that - truth.  But they had their most astounding fulfillment in the cross of Jesus Christ.  It was there that we saw the most grievous punishment imaginable.  It had nothing to do with the Roman scourage or the nails in the hands of our Savior.  It had little or nothing to do with the agony of the cross physically as Jesus gapsed for air as His torn and bruised body slowly died on the cross.  But it had everything to do with why Jesus sweat blood the night before in the garden.  It had everything to do with the agony of the wrath and judgment of God upon sin.  Calling it a grevious punishment seems too small in light of what it truly cost Christ to pay for our sin before His holy Father.  That is why we should never take sin in our lives lightly.  Yes, our sin was paid in full by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross - but we should always view that truth with both trembling and a sense of honor to God for what He did for us.  Otherwise we will take sin too lightly - and risk thinking that forsaking His way really is not that bad - and it really won't cost us much.  There is foolish talk that reaches to the heavens themselves - and the kind of talk that will give rise to actions that will in the end yield that grevious punishment and stinging rebuke.