Proverbs 29:15
[The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.]
Spare the rod and spoil the child, an American proverb, is true (13:24; 19:18; 23:13-14). But spare the rod and shame the parents is also true, as this inspired proverb declares. All children are born with a default mechanism to foolishness, and it must be corrected by reproofs and corporal punishment for them to learn wisdom (22:6,15; 29:17). If these methods of child training are neglected, the child will be a painful disgrace to its parents.
Do you want your children to be wise? Wisdom is the power of right judgment. It is knowing the right thing to do in any situation … and doing it! Wisdom will secure favor from God and men for your children (Lu 2:52). It is the character of a godly and good person that makes him valuable to all the lives he touches. It will bring success in any endeavor the child pursues. The proverb teaches you how to convey wisdom to children.
Children are born ignorant, so they must be taught the simplest of tasks as they start life. Reproof is reprimands and warnings that certain conduct is wrong. The rod is the means for corporal punishment, and it provides reinforcement to verbal reproof. As the child grows, you see the foolishness bound in its heart (22:15). But the rod of correction will drive foolishness far from him – it will teach the child wisdom (22:6,15,17).
A properly trained child will be devoted, disciplined, and diligent. She will be gracious, loving, and pure. He will be noble, stable, and trustworthy. They will be faithful and productive at their callings, charming and courteous in public, moral and virtuous in private, and esteemed by all who know them. This is wisdom. This is the result of the right use of reproof and the rod. Ignore this rule from Solomon, and they will shame you.
America once knew this fundamental axiom of child training. Flogging was the universal means of maintaining order in the home, school, and military. (See the entry in any edition of Encyclopedia Britannica before the ACLU, PETA, NOW, and PTA began extorting editorial changes.) But many today are foolishly experimenting with children.
Bloated intellectually with profane speculations about life and morality (I Tim 6:20), their effeminate and permissive conclusions have spawned arrogant, amoral, and anarchic children that are a disgusting shame. Measured by the criteria of the fear of the Lord and godly wisdom, they are a total loss! Where’s grandpa’s hickory stick, when we need it?
Rather than train them with the proven methods of reproof and corporal punishment, little Johnny is told he is special just as he is! His temper tantrums are self-expression; his lack of self-control is hyperactivity; his rebellion is independence; his promiscuity is extra affection; his violence is a strong personality; and his arson is spontaneous creativity.
When Johnny gets too violent to handle, a school nurse gives him Ritalin to sedate him. If that is not enough, he is removed to a foster home or mental institution. He ends up a drugged, discarded, divorced, dysfunctional, and depressed social experiment. Thank you, Ben Spock, for your wisdom. But of course, you know better now, don’t you?
Degenerate children once came from degenerate parents, who conceived them ignorantly, and left them in an undisciplined environment of self-gratification to their corruption. Such parents were rightfully despised! But today’s advanced generation does the same thing – consciously and haughtily! With the fanfare of the latest educational advances!
Consider our advancement! A child is “left to himself” in front of the television, where the venom of hell is spewed at him with a light and sound show from MTV, CBS, BET, VH1, FOX, and others. He does not need to be born in a brothel; the brothel is brought to him! He does not need a murderer for a father; he is entertained with murder for hours a day! Instead of a pimp and prostitute for parents, he has a doctor and his socialite wife!
Consider our advancement! A child is “left to himself” in educational daycares from ages 3 to 24. There he is fed and flattered by nurses, who have never worked a day in the real world. Trained at headquarters in the Spock religion, they are strictly forbidden from ever telling Johnny he is surely wrong or using physical persuasion to help him. He quickly learns (he knew it all along) the world was made for him to do whatever he wishes.
Grandpa grew up on a farm. He knew male calves became bulls. He knew he either helped the bull become a steer, or he needed to carry a big stick! He knew male horses were stallions. He knew he either helped the colt become a gelding, or he needed a bridle and whip! And he knew just as clearly how to help Johnny obey the law, share toys with his sister, be honest, and not play with fire! Grandpa knew Proverbs 26:3 and 29:15!
Grandpa knew the default mechanisms of animals and how to alter them to get good behavior. It was amazing what Grandpa could do with a well-trained stallion, much like trainers and jockeys today. His father had used similar training on him in his youth, and he used it in turn to help Johnny. He never needed Ritalin! Amazing! Though only having a sixth grade education, he could read the King James Bible and The Federalist Papers!
Grandpa did not understand why Susie Socialist littered the road to town with her newfangled sign, “Kids, you can’t beat ‘em.” He knew his bulls and stallions were dangerous without a few physical “reminders.” But having been raised in a city high rise, Susie had never trained anything more than a goldfish. All she ever did was feed it, so in her simplicity she swallowed the new exciting PTA fad of trying the same with children.
The warning about a child “left to himself” is not a warning against daycares or schools per se; it is a warning to parents about neglecting the molding of a child’s character. A good daycare or school will include reproofs and the rod in their program! But if the parental job is not done, either directly or indirectly, then future days of pain and trouble are coming, when both parents will grieve over their foolish children (10:1; 17:25).
Reader, do you understand the foundations of wisdom are being destroyed? What were once axioms are now set aside for the innovative hallucinations of social engineers, who have never trained an animal or raised children with moral character! Divine and natural wisdom and six thousand years of experience are thrown aside for the mere babblings of psycho-healers who think another serving of cotton candy will train children just fine.
Consider the rod in training. As children grow, the control stage of training is replaced by the instructional stage – rules for the bathroom replace diapers! This transition uses the rod less and reproofs more, as the child’s conscience develops. Training becomes almost entirely instructional during the teenage years, with only exceptional need for the rod.
By itself, the rod merely creates servile fear, which is not the goal of training. Without loving affection, you will discourage children (Col 3:21). Administered harshly, you will create bitter resentment that will bite you later (29:21). Without pity, you are nothing like the Lord (Ps 103:13). Without mercy, He will judge you without mercy (Jas 2:13). And the blessed Lord sees every word of reproof and every use of the rod (Eccl 5:8). Beware!
