* Ralph is the founder and president of Capitol Ministries. As an extension of the local church, Capitol Ministries seeks to place highly skilled, Bible-teaching evangelists in each of our nation’s State capitols.
Intro: For the past eleven years Ralph has been teaching God’s Word to California’s political leaders. At the beginning of this year’s legislative session, a bill was introduced to ban the spanking of a child under the age of 4. While Capitol Ministries strictly avoids political lobbying, Ralph believed it was important to educate California’s lawmakers regarding God’s perspective on the matter. What follows comes from the study he did for the California state legislators to whom he ministers.
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In an ongoing examination of the Bible book of Proverbs we have been studying all that King Solomon has to say about anger and violence. This spanning subject lends itself to a digression. This week we will investigate what God states about spanking a child. We will study what Proverbs, as well as the whole of Scripture, teaches about this controversial subject.
A. THE CAUSE FOR SPANKING
Jeremiah 17:9 states, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” This is a classic summary passage pertaining to the sinful status of mankind. Scripture is replete and consistent on the fact that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Contrary to this truth, if children come into this world morally and ethically neutral then all they really need is education; direction, not correction. Herein is the viewpoint of the Humanist, who believes that man is basically good and his greatest need is education. Since all problems are remedied with learning, there is therefore no need for corrective discipline.
In reality, however, there is a sin problem that needs addressing. To illustrate this, watch toddlers long before they talk. They struggle against you (as their parents), for example, during diaper changes or when you instruct him or her not to touch something. They all have a self-will that defies authority. Left unchecked it will eventually bloom into teenage rebellion. A child’s problem is not a lack of education and instruction. Proverbs 22:15a states, “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child . . . ” Proverbs defines a fool as one who refuses to submit to authority or reproof (cf. Ps. 14:1).
B. THE CASE FOR SPANKING
Proverbs 13:24 states, “He who withholds his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.” The Hebrew word for Rod (Shebet) means “staff or stick.” This derivation of the word refers to that part of a tree from which the same could be made. Philologically, the word meant “a tool of discipline.” In Psalm 2:9 shebet describes the wielding of a rod of iron over opposing nations by the Messiah at the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom (Cf. Job 21:9; 37:13; Psa. 45). Proverbs 10:13 is the first mention of corporal punishment in the book (corporal derived from “corpus,” meaning “body”). Solomon states, “A rod (shebet) is for the backside of him who lacks understanding.”
Why? This tactile response of the parent to the child provides an immediate correlation of sowing and reaping regarding the foolishness of rebellion (Gal. 6:7). Merriam-Webster defines corporal punishment as “that which is administered by an adult to the body of a child ranging in severity from a slap to a spanking.” Author Tedd Tripp, in his excellent book, Shepherding a Child’s Heart, goes a step further. The rod isn’t so much the physical object as much as it is the parent who spanks in obedience to Scripture:
The rod is a parent [who] in faith toward God and faithfulness toward his or her children, undertakes the responsibility of careful, timely, measured, and controlled use of physical punishment to underscore the importance of obeying God, thus rescuing the child from continuing in his foolishness until death (p. 104).
In summary then, the rod, according to the Bible, is God’s specific means of dealing with foolishness in the heart of a child. Yes, effective verbal communication is necessary too, but speaking fails without spanking. Consider this in a governmental sense. The Legislature creates penalties for those who violate its decrees. It requires submission. Punishment follows a lack of submission to California’s authority. How would the people of California behave if the Legislature removed all penalties for violating its laws? Would “talking things through” with law-breakers be more effective? Anarchy would rule in the streets! Words without enforcement are ineffective. It is the same in the family.
Continuing on this point:
22:15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of discipline will remove it far from him.
23:13-14 Do not hold back discipline from the child, although you strike him with the rod, he will not die. You shall strike him with the rod and rescue his soul from Sheol.
The instrumentality of the rod is the means God has ordained wherein foolishness is exchanged for wisdom and a proper fear of God and His authority. It therefore matters little what we might think about spanking. The issue is obeying God by following His methods for childrearing. Unfortunately, some parents abuse their children under the guise of spanking. Such is most certainly not God’s design. It is sin, as we will see tomorrow.
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