Today's Devotional

April 26, 2005

Subject:  Softened On Truth

Isaiah 24:5 - "The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant."

I watched on the news one night as a 5 year-old girl was handcuffed by police for her behavior at school.  The whole scene was caught on videotape by another teacher as the little girl reacted quite disobediently and started hitting the teacher and climbing on top of a table resisting the teacher at every turn.  Eventually she calmed down and was sitting in a chair when the policemen showed up and handcuffed her, which was definitely unnecessary at the time.  The bigger issue in this case, however, is trying to find out what could prompt a 5 year-old girl to behave in such a way.  I'm not sure if she was born from a drug-dependent mother or what, but barring that "excuse," here is one of the problems that we have in our society.  

The teacher was put in a very bad situation and unable to do what was proper to restrain the child.  God's rule on this is quite simple.  We are to submit to those in authority.  Hitting the teacher is not a display of submitting to authority.  In Proverbs God said, "Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.  Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell."  

Here is the problem.  When we read that verse, it sounds so cruel and tough to our "softened-on-truth-society" that we have changed our laws so that we feel better about it.  Just like the verse above says, this society is now in the state that it is because we have transgressed the laws and changed the ordinances.  It's Dr. Spock vs. God's word.  One says that corporal punishment (whipping, spanking, beating) is no good and the other says that this type of correction is what saves a child.  Who are you going to believe?

What I do know is that I have a 5 year-old and if she behaved that way toward a teacher she would get a good dose of God's word via Proverbs, if you know what I mean.

Today parents, God's word should set the standard for our lives and specifically how we raise our children.  The ways of the world will come and go, but God's word will always, always rule.  Don't change it in your home.

Carlen