Posted on 02/18/2021 11:55:00 PM PST by Pilgrim's Progress
“Smite a scorner, and the simple will beware: and reprove one that hath understanding, and he will understand knowledge” (Proverbs 19:25).
“Smite a scorner, and the simple will beware,” there are two separate persons that suffer punishment. Both the scorner and the righteous. Now, usually when you reprove the scorner, it doesn’t help him, but it will help somebody else. And then there are others that you can punish and it will help them—they will get right and they will do right, and they will try to avoid that situation again.
We have a wrong understanding about punishment in America. America has the concept that punishment should be rehabilitative, and that is not necessarily what punishment is for. Punishment is meant to punish the wrongdoing. In the essence of the idea for punishment it is for doing wrong, it is to punish a man for what he did against society, or what he did against God, or what he did against some other individual. So, it is not rehabilitative, but when punishment is meted out, somebody profits.
In the first situation, it isn’t the person that did the thing that profits, but others that are associated with the incident and know the punishment. It is like Paul says in First Timothy: “Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear” (5:20). Sometimes, when you punish one, somebody else actually gets the benefit. The man that is punished may not get better from it at all—he may just get worse, but others may benefit. So, sometimes punishment is not rehabilitative to the evildoer, it is rehabilitative to the ones that are watching—it will keep them from doing wrong.
It may help the evildoer: “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” (Hebrews 12:11). Sometimes it does help the punished person, especially if it convinces them that it is not profitable to continue to do wrong.
Then, there is one other place. In the case where King Solomon punishes Shimei, notice what Solomon says: “The king said moreover to Shimei, Thou knowest all the wickedness which thine heart is privy to, that thou didst to David my father: therefore the LORD shall return thy wickedness upon thine own head; and king Solomon shall be blessed” (1 Kings 2:44-45).
Shimei had been against Solomon and had stood with Adonijah. As a result, Solomon didn’t trust him and told him that if he would come in the city and dwell there, and don’t ever leave it, he would let him live. Three years later, Shimei left the city, disobeying the king. So, sometimes others benefit from punishment, sometimes the evildoer benefits, and sometimes it is the punisher that benefits. Solomon said that God was going to bless him because he was going to punish Shimei.
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You might want to write this using “person” and “people” rather than just solely “men/man”. Plenty of women punished for wrongdoing. This is just otherwise the typical misandry piece society puts out. Gynosociety programming jas been very effective at allowing women to be included in only positive examples, but they are totally happy to be excluded from negative ones they also do, but don’t want mentioned.
GM and thank you for these pings
19:27 Stpp listening to instruction, my son,
and you will stray from the words of knowledge
J
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