Loving Discipline
Posted on Feb 01, 2008 under Children | 4 CommentsHe who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.
Proverbs 13:24
If ever a Bible passage was misused and misunderstood, it is this one. My heart aches every time someone quotes this passage to explain or rationalize hitting (swatting, spanking, whipping, etc.) their child. Unlike some passages that are debated due to a literal or figurative meaning, this one is misused because of ignorance.
Most of us have never herded sheep. The rod in this passage refers to the rod used by shepherds. Like a shepherd who guides their sheep, we parents are responsible for guiding our children. If a shepherd spares the rod, the sheep will stray as will our children without discipline.
What we need to understand, though, is that the shepherd never uses the rod to strike the sheep. Rather, the rod is used to gently guide the sheep in the right direction. The rod extends the reach of the shepherd’s arm so that he can walk along and help keep the sheep on the right path, prodding when necessary.
Our job as parents is to guide our children into adulthood with a firm arm. We must keep our children within our reach, prod them along and use the rod of discipline to gently nudge them back on the proper path. God has entrusted to our care these precious people, so filled with wonder of love. We must cherish them and treat them with the same love that we expect our own Heavenly Father to treat us.
