26 A wise king separates out the wicked and drives the threshing wheel over them. 27  The Lord’s lamp sheds light on a person’s life, searching the innermost parts. 28 Loyalty and faithfulness guard a king; through loyalty he maintains his throne. 29 The glory of young men is their strength, and the splendour of old men is grey hair. 30 Lashes and wounds purge away evil, and beatings cleanse the innermost parts. Proverbs 20:26-30 Christian Standard Bible

The picture in vs 26 is quite a shocking one if taken literally. And while history does record some cruel punishments through the ages, it's possible that the emphasis of that verse is more on the fact that a wise king takes steps to empty his kingdom of those who spread wickedness. In a similar way, the man known as 'John the Baptist' said to the crowds who came to hear him: “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:11-12) There will certainly be a separating of the wicked from the righteous when Jesus returns to the world.

There's a second picture of punishment in vs 30 of today's reading. But what is the difference there compared to what John says about the clearing out of the threshing floor when Jesus returns?

It seems that the punishment spoken of in vs 30 had the purpose of turning a wicked person away from doing evil. It's like someone who serves a sentence in prison. The hope is that they will have had time to think deeply about the wrong they did and be determined to change. The punishment John the Baptist spoke of, however, was of the final judgement when there will be no time left to try and reform one's ways.

Many people, and sometimes Christians too, don't like to think or talk about punishment. But it has always been a reality in the world in which we live and will certainly be true of the day when men and women must give account of their lives to God. And if punishment we experienced as we grew up resulted in our becoming wiser and turning from doing wrong, then it will have been a good thing. But today's verses also speak of when punishment is not needed. What attitudes are mentioned in vs 28 that result in joy and security rather than discipline?

Loyalty and faithfulness on the part of the king, as well as on the part of those who serve him, would lead to a kingdom that was secure. And that's true of our relationships with others as well. When people are faithful and loyal then friendships and marriages last and thrive. And when we are faithful and loyal to Christ then He does not need to use strong discipline to bring our hearts into obedience.

Verse 27 is translated differently in different Bible versions. Some say: “The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord” while others translate it as “The Lord’s lamp sheds light on a person’s life.” In a way they boil down to the same thing. In Romans 2:14-15 we read that even people “who don't have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.” So we have no excuse if we do wrong things in life and God has to discipline us to bring us back to His will. It’s better that we are disciplined and end up with the wheat, than be uncorrected and end up as chaff. Happy are those who serve God with strength in their youth, and whose grey hair crowns a long life that was spent in faithfulness to the Lord Jesus Christ.