FOOLISHNESS DRIVEN AWAY BY THE ROD OF CORRECTION
Proverb 22:15

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I. "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; ..."

1. What is this "foolishness"? The most prominent aspect of "foolishness" is moral perversion or insolence, not mental stupidity. (Indeed, the greatest folly is sin itself.) One may possess great mental intellect, but yet be morally foolish. For example: "the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God" (1 Corinthians 3:19); "the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him" (2:14); "the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1:18).

2. What does Solomon tell us about this "foolishness"? The Proverbs written by Solomon employ this Hebrew word twenty-two of the twenty-four times it is found in the Old Testament, and associate "foolishness" with: "deceit" (14:8); a "quick-tempered man" (14:17); the "impulsive" spirit (14:29); "the mouth [that] feeds on foolishness" (15:14); "the mouth [that] pours forth foolishness" (15:2); one who is "destitute of discernment" (15:21); "he who answers a matter before he hears it" (18:13); one who "twists his way" (19:3); "devising of foolishness" (24:9).

3. What does Jesus Christ tell us about this "foolishness"? He associates "foolishness" with defiling evils (Mark 7:21-23): "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man."

4. In what sense is foolishness "bound up" in the heart of a child? It is such an integral part of his nature that he cannot escape from it. As surely as Israel's thoughts and actions were to be governed by Jehovah's laws bound to their foreheads and hands (Deuteronomy 6:8), so surely is a child's thoughts and actions governed by the foolishness bound in his heart. The problem with children is not that they are childish, for that is excusable (1 Corinthians 13:11): "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child." Rather, the problem with children is that they are foolish, bound in the folly of sin.

5. Why is "foolishness bound up in the heart of a child"? It is an inherent part of our native sinful nature. Foolishness is our birthright!

i. We were conceived in sin (Psalm 51:5b): "in sin my mother conceived me."


ii. We were born in sin (Psalm 51:5a): "I was brought forth in iniquity."


iii. We were born with the same sinful nature of our fathers (Genesis 5:3): "Adam ... begot a son in his own likeness, after his image."


iv. We were born unclean before God (Job 14:4): "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one!"


v. We were born alienated from God (Psalm 58:3a): "The wicked are estranged from the womb."


vi. We were born transgressors against God (Isaiah 48:8): "you ... were called a transgressor from the womb."


vii. We were born liars (Psalm 58:3b): "They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies."


viii. We were born incapable of a godly thought (Genesis 8:21; 6:5): "the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth"; "every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."


ix. We were born incapable of doing good (Ecclesiastes 7:20): "For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin."


x. We were born in bondage to Satan – in "the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will" (2 Timothy 2:26b; cp. Ephesians 2:1-3).


xi. We were born incapable of liberating ourselves – for "foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child." (Jesus Christ is the only exception to this rule. He is eternally "the Son of God", and the only person ever called by God "that Holy One" even while in His mother's womb [Luke 1:35]. He is the only person born of woman who "increased ... in favor with God" [Luke 2:52].)

6. How does false religion deny that "foolishness bound up in the heart of a child"? Consider, for example the denials made by those who espouse Pelagianism and Arminianism.

i. False religion posits the sinless innocence of children, thereby denying their foolishness – despite all that has been evidenced above from God's Word to the contrary.

ii. False religion posits the freewill of children, thereby denying their bondage to Satan and their own foolishness. It mocks what Christ taught regarding the congenital bondage of our will, and of our need for Him to liberate us, by replying to Him, "We ... have never been in bondage to anyone" (John 8:30-36, 44).

iii. False religion posits the utter impossibility that "they go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies." Despite God's Word telling us so, it often tells us that is a physical impossibility.

iv. False religion says we do not become sinners until we commit a sin, denying the declaration of God's Word that we sin because we already are sinners.

v. False religion says the thoughts of children are pure until they learn evil from society.

II. "... The rod of correction will drive it far from him."

1. What is this "rod of correction"?

i. It is not a "rod of wrath" or a "rod of iron" in the hand of a ruler, with which he afflicts his enemies (as in Lamentations 3:1; Psalm 2:9).

ii. Rather, it is the "rod of correction" in the hand of a father (or mother), with which he tenderly chastens his beloved child. It is to be applied lovingly and promptly (13:24): "He who spares his rod hates his son [in the negative sense of the word "hate", meaning withholding something from him], but he who loves him disciplines him promptly." (See also 19:18; 23:13f; 29:17.) God is the Exemplar in this matter (Hebrews 12:5-11; more on this later).

2. How is this proverb proven true in the earthly realm? Chastened foolish children become wise adults, but unchastened foolish children become foolish adults. It does not surprise us that children who are not lovingly chastened by the rod of correction in the hand of their parents must be harshly punished in their adulthood by the sword of justice in the hand of the magistrate (Romans 13:3f).

3. How is this proverb proven true in the spiritual realm? The rod in the hand of parents may drive outward foolishness from their children. But only the rod in the hand of God will drive the foolishness of sin itself from His children. They were His predestined children before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4f). But they in their rebellion against Him have wandered far from Him (Isaiah 53:6a), and live in the foolishness of sin.

i. At Calvary, God drove away the guilt of the foolishness of His children with His rod of correction applied to Christ their Substitute (Isaiah ch.53). "[T]he Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (v.6; cp. 2 Corinthians 5:21), including the foolishness of our sin. Consequently, Jehovah declares, "For the transgressions of My people He was stricken" (v.9). And His people concur in saying, "Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; [and] we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him (vv.4-5a). Thereby the guilt of their foolishness is truly driven away because "by His stripes we are healed" (v.5b) and "justified" (v.11), and Jehovah says "their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more" (Hebrews 8:12; 10:17; Jeremiah 31:34).

ii. In conversion, God drives away the power of the foolishness of His children with the rod of correction applied by the Holy Spirit. He comes seeking them with His rod in His hand, and applies it to their souls in such as way as to convince them of their sin and cause them to abhor it, and then uses it to point them to Christ for salvation (see Job 33:19-24; see examples on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:36-39, with Saul of Tarsus in Acts 9:1-19).

iii. Throughout this earthly life, God chastens the foolishness of the indwelling sin of His regenerate children with His rod of correction when they need it (Hebrews 12:5-11): "My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives." He does so "for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness", and ascertaining that "it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness." They conclude, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes" (Psalm 119:71).

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