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.