Proverbs 29:15-17 (KJV):
15 The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.
16 When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth: but the righteous shall see their fall.
17 Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.

Proverbs 29:15-17 (AMP):
15 The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left undisciplined brings his mother to shame.
16 When the wicked are in authority, transgression increases, but the (uncompromisingly) righteous shall see the fall of the wicked.
17 Correct your son, and he will give you rest; yes, he will give delight to your heart.

Thoughts for the Day:

These verses from Proverbs give instruction for raising and disciplining children, and also state the destiny of the wicked because of their sin.

In verses 15 and 17 we see several things that are necessary if our children are to bring delight to us. The first thing is that we must reprove or discipline them by using the rod (spanking them) when they are young.  Children who are not properly disciplined are among the most miserable of children. Unruly and spoiled children are not the blessings that the Bible says they should be to parents. Correction and training will direct the child so that they will grow up with a respect for authority, and this comes by punishing them when they rebel.

This brings us to the subject of how we should discipline a child who disobeys the rules. There has been much debate on the subject of corporal punishment (the spanking of a child). Corporal punishment simply means bodily punishment, while the definition of spank in Webster's Dictionary is: 1.) to strike with something flat, as the open hand, especially on the buttocks, as in punishment. 2.) to move along swiftly or smartly, a smack given in spanking. This is what the Bible says about spanking:

Proverbs 22:15: "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him."

Proverbs 23:13-14: "Withold not discipline from the child, for if you strike and punish him with the (reed-like) rod, he will not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell."

First of all, discipline of children should begin at an early age, whenever a child begins to defy the parent. Remember the old saying, "He who spares the rod, spoils the child." Notice that the Bible says that all children have foolishness in their hearts.  We are to drive out this foolishness by punishing them with a whack on the buttocks with a small reed-like rod when they disobey. This rod could be a switch from a fruit tree branch or a willow tree branch or a small wooden spoon. It is not to be a large heavy rod or anything that would cause permanent physical damage.  We are not talking about child abuse here. The purpose of a spanking is not to cause any lasting bodily harm, but to cause spiritual correction. A spanking should be swift and cause short lived pain that makes a point.  That point is that the small pain they feel now will prevent them from feeling great pain by the act they are committing, which could cause them the loss of their lives in some cases. (For instance, if a child tries to eat something that is poison.)

 Proverbs 19:18(AMP): Discipline your son while there is hope, but do not (indulge your angry resentments by undue chastisements and) set yourself to his ruin.

Proverbs 22:6: Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Godly discipline will keep children from being dysfunctional later in life. We are told as Christian parents to train our children in the ways of the Lord and when they grow up, they will not depart from that training.  Notice it says "train," not "teach." Many parents teach their children right from wrong, but have failed to "train" them to obey.  Spanking is part of the training.  Many parents yell and threaten their children, but never follow through with the proper punishment, and therefore, their children get their own way. A disciplined child will bring great delight to parents, while the child left alone will bring shame to the home. Many a mother has wept when her children became wicked and thus shamed her. The Bible way to prevent this is by disciplining a child while he is young by spanking him.  The Bible does not say to "reason" with a child. When a child is older, you can certainly add reasoning with the spanking. However, the most convincing thing we can do is to spank them.  We have heard the expression, "the way to reason with them is through their bottoms."

Verse 16 talks about when wicked men are in places of authority, transgression multiplies because of it. However, we must remember that in time, we shall see the fall of the wicked. The Bible tells us in many places that the Lord is going to remove the wicked from this earth and that His righteous kingdom will reign in the earth.

Proverbs 2:21-22:
21 For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.
22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father, We thank You for the blessing of children.  Lord, help all Christian parents to heed the Bible's instructions for rearing their children. Father, there are many different voices in the world telling us how to do things; however, we want to know what the Bible says about child rearing. Lord, since You created us, then surely Your advice would be the best advice to follow, as You know how to do all things in perfection. Give us divine wisdom in the area of child rearing and give us grace to spank our children when they need that discipline. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.