Proverbs: Wisdom for Parenting
Before You Begin
Alpha starts Monday, October 27.
Take a few minutes at the start of your group to:
Ask: Is there anyone you could invite?
Pray for open doors, courage, and for those who might come — that they would encounter Jesus.
Opening questions?
When you think of discipline, what emotions or memories come to mind?
Growing up, did your parents lean more toward too much discipline or too little?
Part 1 – The Wisdom of Proverbs
Read Proverbs 3:11-12; 19:18; 29:17, 13:24
My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof,
for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,
as a father the son in whom he delights. (3:11-12)Discipline your son, for there is hope;
do not set your heart on putting him to death. (19:18)Discipline your son, and he will give you rest;
he will give delight to your heart. (29:17)
Whoever spares the rod hates their children,
but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them. (13:24)
Discuss
What stands out to you from these proverbs on discipline?
According to Proverbs 3, what motivates the Lord’s discipline?
How do Proverbs 19 and 29 connect discipline with hope, peace, and delight?
How does the picture of a father’s loving correction help us think about the purpose of all discipline—whether in parenting, mentoring, or God’s work in us?
What are the dangers/ downsides of discipline if it becomes harsh and detached from love?
How do these verses either support or challenge aspects of modern wisdom around parenting that you have heard?
Part 2 – The Father’s Discipline (Hebrews 12:3-12)
Read Hebrews 12:3-12 (ESV – selected)
3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees,
Discuss
How does Hebrews 12 connect discipline with our identity as God’s children?
What is the goal or outcome of God’s discipline in our lives?
How do you think the way that your parents disciplined (or didn’t discipline) you shapes how you think about God’s discipline?
How can these verses comfort us when life feels hard or we can’t see why we are experiencing hard things
How could understanding God’s discipline shape the way parents think about discipline?
What might it mean to “lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees” in response to God’s fatherly training?
Apply
How could remembering that God delights in His children reshape your attitude towards seasons that feel like discipline?
Where might you need to embrace God’s training this week instead of resisting it?
For parents: what is one way you want to be practicing discipline wisely with your kids?
Pray