Spare the Rod

I've been looking at things from a new perspective lately ... a kind of "questioning everything" mode.

If you follow this blog you know that I recently made another major career change. Well, maybe major isn't accurate; I am still working in the church production field. I'm just now doing it locally at SoAcres Church (www.SoAcres.com) in Lexington, and not traveling the country for production installations.

Now, this change in profession hasn't necessarily driven my "question everything" ... I really don't have anything I can point to that would be a driving force in this new way of looking at things, it just simply started small and has grown from there.

One of the things I've looked at more closely of late is Proverbs 13:24: "Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them." (NIV)

Now I was raised in a home where this verse was often quoted, generally while I was being "spanked" or on the receiving end of some other punishment. As a result, I followed that same philosophy, much to the chagrin of my sons, while raising my three boys.

So many Christian families, and even those who wouldn't call themselves Christian, have stood behind Proverbs 13:24 as justification for spanking.

In Bible College you learn context is important. But context isn't just the surrounding verses, it also includes understanding the audience, the writer, and how their world view influences their writing. It is impossible to understand God's intent from scripture without understanding how the passage you are studying fits into the context in which it was written.

I guess as I've grown older, I have begun to see things differently. One day a few weeks ago, this verse became very clear to me; and what I realized is this verse has been misused and misunderstood. But on that day, the context of the author became very clear, as did the meaning of the verse.

Proverbs was primarily written by King Solomon of ancient Israel. While Solomon's father was also a king, prior to becoming king, David was a shepherd. And a primary tool of a shepherd is a staff, or rod.

Now shepherds don't beat their sheep with their staff. They gently guide them. The end of the staff often had a crook, just the right size to fit around a wayward sheep's neck and pull him back into the herd.

Suddenly it became all too clear; spare the rod didn't refer to harsh and severe punishment; it was about a gentle rebuke.

Solomon further clarifies this with Proverbs 17:10: "A rebuke impresses a discerning person more than a hundred lashes a fool."

I can't truly say that I no longer believe in spanking. I just now understand that when Proverbs 13:24 was written, it was more a plan of gentle correction as opposed to harsh punishment.

I'm guessing my sons wish I had learned this one about 15 years ago.