“He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly” (Proverbs 13:24).
The Bible has NEVER been unclear about chastisement. It is an act of parental love (Prov. 3:12) which seeks to drive foolishness out of a child’s heart (Prov. 22:15) and replace it with wisdom and righteousness (Heb. 12:11). To be effective, it has to involve enough discomfort on one’s bottom (Prov. 23:13) that it gets one’s thinking straightened out on top.
Contrary to Dr. Benjamin Spock and others, parental love and physical chastisement of a child are not incompatible. God says, “He who spares his rod hates his son.” One of the significant roles a father is expected to perform is that of chastening his children. A father who is derelict in this responsibility is a derelict father (Heb. 12:8).
When and how a wise and godly father should discharge this weighty duty is found in the final word of the proverb: “promptly”. The Hebrew word used is shachar: “at dawn, early”. The Septuagint’s translation uses the Greek word epimelos: “carefully, diligently”. Together these two words provide great insight into when a father should start (i.e. when a child is young) and how a father should proceed once the process of training his child has begun (i.e. do so carefully and diligently).
Rearing a child is a process of many years. Begin the discipline of your child at a young age and continue it over time with careful consistency. It is not a sprint. It is a journey which needs wisdom, careful attention, and active paternal participation.
