We have always heard the saying …
Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child.
Is this a true statement or a false statement?
If we read the Bible we truly find this is false. Matter of a fact it says we use the rod. Now it didn’t say we beat our kids, simply you discipline to correct behavior. Show them what we like or dislike about what they are doing. Be a Man of Courage and discipline with Love!
In this blog post I discuss this common myth, this common saying that is widely misquoted from the Bible.
Proverbs 23:13-14, NKJV
13 Do not withhold correction from a child,
For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die.
14 You shall beat him with a rod,
And deliver his soul from hell.
Use discipline with love. A Christ like love to correct and show the way the Lord wants them to go. Also best if you as a Father, or even a Mother, set the example. You also cannot discipline them for something you are doing yourself. Set the example and not do it as well. They do learn from us. If we tell them they cannot do something and they see us doing the same thing. That makes us a hypocrite.
Proverbs 13:24, NKJV
24 He who spares his rod hates his son,
But he who loves him disciplines him promptly.
So in this verse if we do not discipline our kids it shows we do not love them, by showing discipline we show love to show correction for them. Thus, why we must discipline them with Love. We are to never disciple out of anger either.
Yes, a rod in Bible times was used to scold the child much like a belt is used today. There is a difference between spanking child and beating a child. Every child responds differently to different types of punishment. Pray about what punishment is best for your child. Remember it is the Lord’s way, not our way!
Remember the Bible is the Book of the Lord. When you go to read the Bible make sure you pray and ask for forgiveness of your sins and an open heart and mind to what you are going to be reading or listening. The Word of God was written to help us guide our paths and our lives. Trusting in God and accepting Jesus as our Savoir and He died on the Cross for our sins.
Grounding our kids can hurt us. The old saying this will hurt you more than it will me. It can be true, but we must stick to it! We must remember to correct our children. They might buck up, but the Bible tells us to. This way we save them from death, the everlasting death of hell. We as parents must set the example too. We must raise our children in God’s way, not our ways, not the ways of the world nor what our family has always done, but the way of God and what God expects of us. We answer to Him on judgement day.
Check out these creative grounding ideas.
Also check out these two blog posts. Proverbs Chapter 13 and Proverbs Chapter 23.
First published March 13, 2012. Republishing August 13, 2015 with additions.
About the Author
