Do Bad Children Become Terrible Adults?
a rebellious son…
'If someone has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him, his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his town. They shall say to the elders, “This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a glutton and a drunkard.” Then all the men of his town are to stone him to death. You must purge the evil from among you. All Israel will hear of it and be afraid. ' Deuteronomy 21:18-21
i suppose the quick answer is, “No.” though that doesn’t apply to every kid. i was that child that every parent hopes their kids don’t end up as: the type that gets into trouble, on & selling drugs, doesn’t care for school, goofs off too much, only cares about himself, in trouble with the police, etc.
in the old testament days, if you was kolohe (you was one rascal - as many had said to me), the punishment was severe, over the top, and it was swift. the fact that you were seen as evil and must be purged from everyone else is pretty harsh. i’m sure after it happened to one kid, that all, if not the majority, got their shit together and didn’t get in trouble again.
what i am stoked about is that without the fulfillment of the law in Jesus, if we were still in old testament times, i would have been stoned to death for all the crap i did. fortunately we do have redemption through Christ.
nowadays, if kids get out of line, they don’t have to fear that type of punishment unless they’ve done something gravely wrong. with it comes the lesson for all kids to pay attention and do what’s right or else (as our parents would say) you going get cracks, dirty lickins’, or ‘da belt/stick.’
Father God, thank you for showing me a better life. teaching me how to do what is right all the time. that my past actions and behaviors were unacceptable period, and if i wasn’t willing to change that there were consequences - a serious debt to be paid in full.
you have been with me from my troubled youth, to my destructive teen and young adult life, to a mature man that has been blessed with a changed heart, mind, and spirit. thank you for the hope and life we have in and through you Lord Jesus. in your mighty and precious name i pray, amen!