Purposeful Punishment

There’s a false notion in too many parenting circles that has its root in many of today’s so-called mental health professionals. It’s the idea that discipline and punishment are two separate issues. That discipline is good and punishment is bad. Punishment is not always, but often, a necessary component of discipline. And yet our kids should know that punishment does not mean that we’re getting revenge or that we haven’t forgiven them.

God’s love and forgiveness of Old Testament Israel is an example of this concept. Psalm 99:6 says, “You were to Israel a forgiving God though you punished their misdeeds.” At the proper time and place, any good parent might punish their kids. If God can punish His kids in love, why can’t we do the same?

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