“BLESSINGS OF RECIPROCITY:” THE GREATER PATH OF GODLY DISCIPLINE
“GREATER PATHS” Session #10 Lifeway Explore the Bible Quarterly
Proverbs 29:1-3, 12-20
“When I’m alone in the half light of the canyon, all existence seems to fade to a being with my soul and memories, and the sound of the Big Blackfoot River, and the four-count rhythm, and a hope that a fish will rise. Eventually all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world’s great flood, and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs…” Norman Maclean’s: A River Runs Through It- Missoula, MT (1976).
Merriam Webster defines “reciprocity” as: “the quality or state of being reciprocal: mutual dependence, action or influence and a mutual exchange of privileges.” In our lesson today we will be discussing Proverbs 29 and the “accepting of discipline and the benefits of its reciprocity.” Solomon’s discussion of discipline involves two root Biblical words: Yacar in the Hebrew and Paidea in the Greek. Discipline is multi-faceted and I believe the best way for us to understand what Solomon is discussing is a “holistic” form of discipline. Discipline involves correction, instruction, improvement, admonishment, and even chastening towards righteousness (right-wise living) and the approval and pleasure of God. Hebrews 12 tells us that God disciplines His children and the ones He loves. Without God’s discipline we are ‘illegitimate children” and our understanding of belonging to Christ should be examined (Hebrews 12:8-9).
Growing up many of us learned what we called the “3 R’s” in education: Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic. For our study we will consider the 3 T’s of godly discipline and in this specific order: Teaching, Training, and Trial. We will be placing these in the framework of our passage of Proverbs 29 and Solomon’s admonishment to his ongoing contrast between humility and rebellion (the fear of the Lord for the “wise”, and the stiff necks of “fools”), the receiving of discipline, and the giving of discipline with its reciprocal blessings in the LORD, in the community (church) and in the family… When we put it all together we get a “figure” of godly discipline that looks like this…
Bended Knees and Stiff Necks: Humility vs. Rebellion. (Prov 29:1, 3, 16, 18)
All of our passages in Proverbs go back to the central references of 1:7 and 3:5-6; Fearing or reverencing God first, and trusting in Him above all else. Verses 1, 3, 16 and 18 remind us that we have a choice; we can be humble and realize who God is and who we are not and bow our lives before Him or we can be “stiff necked” and think we have the answers can do life on our own and are not in need of God. Jesus reminds us in the Sermon on the Mount with the first Beatitude that the Kingdom of Heaven is “for” or opens to the poor in spirit and humble. The corollary of that blessing- its curse is true as well; the Kingdom of Heaven and God’s gift of heavenly wisdom is shut to those who think they have no need of it. The greater path of discipline begins with humility before God and others; listening to them and understanding our need of instruction and the 3 “T’s” from godly counselors and mentors.
How do we know if the instruction we are receiving is godly and advisable for us? A number of ways: watching their fruits and how they treat others, are they living according to God’s Laws and trusting in His promises and do they display the fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:19-25) in their lives and by their humble attitudes? The reciprocity of our humility is that others will rejoice (v.2) and in turn (as a principle not a fact, an axiom not a promise) our humility and openness before God and others will rate openness from others in return. It is this kind of humility that must be present in the church to provide a safe environment for confession, repentance, forgiveness and healing. Finally on this point, as we age we must not forget the humility we learned in our younger years… Proverbs offers wise foresight to the young but Ecclesiastes and Job offers wise reflection and hindsight for the aged. Most of us will be humbled in our later years by physical health and circumstances (Ecc 12). We can either begrudge that and be stiff necked before God and others or we can humbly bow before God and be honest in our circumstantial struggles with others allowing them to help us, counsel and heal- our testimony being a blessing to others (as was Job’s).
The 3 T’s of Receiving Discipline (Prov 29:15-16)
Do you remember that “best” Christmas when you were a kid? The one where you received that gift you really wanted and desired (Luke Skywalker Action Figure)? Do you remember that 1970’s Christmas when you received socks and clothing from Sears instead of toys? “Double-knit” pants instead of “Double-Mint” gum! Receiving hot polyester that your little legs would sweat through and get a rash by the end of the school day made it hard for you to receive the gift with the same gratitude that you received a desired toy. Verse 15 and James 1:5 tells us that God makes wisdom available to all (the oppressor and the poor) but discipline often comes to us in disguise. It is hard at first and painful as Hebrews 12 tells us; it’s polyester when we were looking for silk, satin or denim but the benefit of polyester is it never wears out and neither will the benefits of godly discipline. When we say “no” to the easy and “yes” to the hard we will reap the benefit in the long run.
Biblical discipline revolves around 3 premises: teaching, training, and trial. Teaching involves “word ministry” this is the most prevalent form of instruction in our churches. Good Baptist churches involve strong emphasis on preaching and teaching the Word of God. However, Solomon reminds us that words are not enough. Verse 19 involves the ancient world’s treatment of bonded servants and slaves. They will “hear” instruction from the master of the house but because they are forced, or entrapped in bondage they are not really “listening” and taking to heart instruction. They must be “trained” not like a forced captive but a treasured son or daughter is the point Solomon is making. We all know we can throw words at our children and grandchildren all day, but if you want to truly instruct them you will have to get involved and walk alongside of them. You will have to do what Paul told Timothy to do in 2nd Timothy 3- teach and train (v.16); lead by example, show the scars, healings, and blessings of God’s discipline over your life during your younger years and correct accordingly as you go and walk with them. But even that is not enough. The final touch of the 3 T’s is trial. Trials bring about the testing of our faith (James 1:2-12). So many times we wish to receive wisdom from God but we are not willing to have that wisdom tested and tried through faith in God during hard circumstances, and “easy road’ temptations in our lives but James point in 1:6 and beyond is just that, you can’t call it “belief” if it hasn’t been tried and tested because only then can it be called “Tried and True!”
“Casting our Blessings: Giving the Benefits of Godly Discipline (Prov 29:2, 14)
Finally, Solomon reminds us that godly discipline is not narcissistic in its pursuit. How many “hard working” gifted athletes, “self-made” businessmen, and brilliant scientists have knelt, received and been disciplined in their work ethic just to turn and be arrogant, selfish, and prideful towards others over their achievement. Their practiced discipline was only meant for themselves not for the benefit of others or the welfare of the community. The difference between godly discipline, and earthly discipline is its motive, godly discipline is loving, giving, and serving to more than the one who practices it and a blessing especially to others. Earthly discipline’s benefit is selfishly exclusive to the practitioner. Jesus gives us a clear picture of this in what I call the parable of the “Disciplined Fool” in Luke 12:16-21. The farmer in the story had to work hard, and be disciplined to have harvested an abundant crop. He probably even recognized that the crop came from God, but his “hard work” and effort made him feel that he deserved all the fruits of his labor; the reciprocity of his discipline was blessing himself not God and not his neighbor and that’s why Jesus called him a “fool”. He gained the earthly benefits of wisdom, skill and discipline, but forgot the fear of the LORD and his purpose to reflect God’s image to his neighbor and as a result he lost everything he thought he had gained! (Mark 8:34-38). Let that not be true of us. Godly discipline’s rewards are eternal and our giving back of their fruit is an act of worship, praise, and testimony to the glory of God and the welfare of our neighbor. For all the earthly blessing of a disciplined life will disappear at our death and be left to another (Ecc 2:17-23) and as Solomon says in Ecclesiastes all of it will be “vanity”…
Norman MacLean’s semi-autobiographical book, A River Runs Through It, follows the lives of a Presbyterian minister and his two sons, growing up and living in the beautiful and rugged Montana Mountains. One son is humble and obedient, the other is wild and rebellious refusing to listen to his father’s instructions or heed his discipline except in the family’s and the boys’ one enduring and endearing passion: Fly-fishing. Robert Redford’s film adaptation catches beautifully the sunlight and mist reflecting off the flying fishing line and the skilled 4 beat rhythmic “WHOOSH” back and forth as it hits the rushing streams of the Black Foot River (makes me want to grab a pole right now and head to Lytle Lake or better yet Yellowstone and Jackson Hole!) The climax of the movie is when the rebellious son, fully immersed and trained in the art and science of fly-fishing develops his own rhythmic discipline of casting and a giant Trout rises to the strike! The pleasure, the purpose, the comradery of a sportsman’s moment is felt by all three men on the river together- mentor and disciples- Father and Sons…
Solomon, the Writer of Hebrews, and the guidance and experience of our own life’s trials through the loving discipline of Father God and the leading of the Spirit takes us through the hard and difficult disciplines of godly and wise living but in the end fills us with purpose, passion and inexpressible joys as we and others experience what it means to be daily shaped into the image of God for His purposes and glory not just for our brief moments here but for eternity… Job learned this in his trials when he says in Job 1:21 “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” For when we receive discipline from the LORD we learn to give the reciprocal blessings of that discipline back to Him (the lesson of Job) and when we give God praise from the reflection of His Son the Spirit is working in us we will receive the eternal and lasting benefits of the heavenly wisdom and discipline we have learned… It will be a blessing to others and puts us on an upward (Greater Path) for our lives that will deliver us safely home! Know that I love y’all and am praying for you! Watch out for each other! Encourage one another! Remember our missionaries! Pray for each other and keep the faith and we will be together again soon! I’m looking forward to the day! All the best!
Love in Christ,
Darrin.