Blows That Wound Cleanse Away Evil

“Blows that wound cleanse away evil; strokes make clean the innermost parts.”(Proverbs 20:30 ESVi)Some wounds are medicine.Proverbs is not telling parents how hard to spank their children. It is describing the painful discipline by which evil is sometimes driven out of us. A superficial wound requires superficial treatment. But evil reaches into the “innermost parts,” and sometimes God’s medicine must reach there too.We naturally assume that if something hurts, it must be bad. Scripture does not. “It is good for me that I was afflicted” (Ps. 119:71). The furnace burns the silver because the dross must come out. The surgeon cuts because the disease must come out. And sometimes the blow that wounds us is the very blow through which God cleanses us. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit proverbs2026.substack.com