Spare the Rod and Spoil the Child?

Thinking about Proverbs 13:24.

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He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly. (Proverbs 13:24)

While this verse is usually used to promote spanking our children, I think more is included within the meaning of this passage.

In ancient Israel, the rod was something that shepherds carried with them when they were in the field with their flocks. The rod was a long, slender staff with a hard wooden ball carved at one end from where the tree’s trunk connected to the roots. This rod had several different uses, and this is the rod that Solomon referenced in Proverbs 13:24.

By noticing how shepherds used this rod, we will learn more about what’s included in Proverbs 13:24.

The Rod Meant Authority.

Through Moses’s rod, God demonstrated His power in delivering His people from Egypt (Exodus 4:1-5; 7:19-20; 14:15-16). The rod demonstrates who has authority over the flock – who the shepherd is.

Parents who shy away from exercising authority over their children demonstrate that they do not really love their children – because just as sheep need a shepherd to follow, so children need an authority figure in their lives.

The Rod Meant Discipline.

Israelite shepherds sometimes used their rods to bring a sheep back to the flock if it strayed too far. God’s word disciplines (or corrects) us when we stray from what’s right.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Parents who love their children must discipline them to teach them what is right and wrong.

The Rod Meant Examination.

In Ezekiel 20:37, God said He would make His people “pass under the rod.” This refers to the sheep undergoing a careful examination by the shepherd, who would closely inspect them to ensure they were healthy.

This idea is referenced in Psalm 139:23-24 when the psalmist writes, “Search me, O God, and know my heart.”

Parents who love their children must closely and compassionately examine their children's lives out of concern for their well-being.

The Rod Meant Protection.

Shepherds would use the rod to defend their flock against potential dangers and lurking predators. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who laid down His own life to defend His sheep.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. (John 10:11-15)

Parents who love their children will take the necessary steps to protect them physically and spiritually.

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David wrote that the rod of the Lord was a comfort to him (Psalm 23:4).

From examining the various ways shepherds in Israel used the rod, I hope we better understand the complete picture of what Solomon meant in Proverbs 13:24.