Are Spankings Bad
by Monty Spencer Assistant Chaplain Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office
When God created humankind, He fixed a wire from your brain to your
butt. There is more to a spanking than meets the eye.
Satan, that deceiving imp, has discovered that a spanking will change
a person’s soul from going to Hell. He has read Proverbs where there
is much instruction about the benefits of a spanking. Proverbs
23:13-14 states, “Do not withhold correction from a child, for if you
beat him with a rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with a rod,
and deliver his soul from hell.” (Do not misunderstand “beat” as a
brutal, harsh, near death experience. The word beat according the
Noah Webster 1828 dictionary is “A stroke, a striking or blow with a
hand or a weapon.” Notice the singularity of the action – one stroke,
or one strike, or one blow. When you read this verse, think a strike
to the buttocks.) When Satan discovered a spanking would prevent a
person’s soul from going to Hell, he said to himself, “Wow! I need to
get the spankings stopped!” It has taken him about 200 years to get
God kicked out of the schools, courtrooms, and other public places. He
has even managed to get the bibles changed. Only the King James and
New King James versions say soul and hell. The American Standard,
English SV, Young’s Literal Translation say Sheol, which is Hebrew for
Hell. The NIV says death instead of hell. The Good News and New Living
leave out both soul and hell. The devil has managed to convolute the
truth of God and as a result, we are seeing and living with a
rebellious, wayward generation of young folk.
It is a crime today to spank a child. Teachers cannot administer
discipline in the schools, and even worse, parents can go to jail for
child abuse for spanking their children in public. Do not be
deceived. God has something to say about the discipline of a child.
Look at Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction
(or discipline).” Proverbs 13:1 “A wise son heeds his father’s
instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.” Proverbs 13:24
“He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines
him promptly.” Can you get your arms around that one? Stop and think
about the wisdom in these verses. Powerful stuff. Continue on to
Proverbs 19:18 “Chasten your son while there is hope, and do not set
your heart on his destruction.” Why is this important? Because God’s
Word, the Bible says that everyone is born into sin and headed for
Hell. Children, as cute as they are, are sinful and need guidance and
direction. Lying comes naturally. Let me give you a practical
scenario. Little Tommy and Mary are playing in the living room while
you are in another room. You hear a crash and commotion. You enter the
room to find the lamp turned over on the floor with a crushed
lampshade and a broken bulb. What is the first thing little Tommy
says? “I didn’t do it Mommy, Mary broke it.” Mary chimes in, “It
wasn’t me, Mommy, I didn’t do anything wrong.” Obviously, something
happened and someone is lying. I know a mother who told me this
story. Her son did not want to practice his math facts. She told him
that she understood practicing math facts is not as fun as playing
football, but that it would serve him well to learn them. Instead of
practicing his math facts, he wanted to play football. He sat at the
table with a foul and disrespectful attitude. She informed him that
he was being foolish so she swatted him on the back of the leg with a
ruler. The son did not like this and it probably smarted a bit, but
he straightened right up and he got busy with his math facts. He was
out the door and on the field in less than 15 minutes. The mother
shared that she saw a change in him immediately. His whole demeanor
changed from being hostile to genial. Proverbs 22:15 says
“Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of
correction will drive it far from him.” Anyone who has children knows
they get into trouble.
Everyone reading this was a child once and you got into trouble. You
older folk know
what I am talking about and Christians will surely be able to follow
the logic. I believe over the last 50 years, the devil has gotten
privy that spanking works and he has managed to get them stopped.
Time-outs have been implemented. Time Outs are not God’s way.
Proverbs 29:15
“The rod and rebuke give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings
shame to his mother.” There is an inherent need for correction and
discipline. It is the way God wired us.
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