"Spare the rod, spoil the child": Why the rod passages in Proverbs are repealed passages

Many parents spank their children. Their main excuse for spanking children, arguably speaking, is 5 mentions in the Bible that mention the rod of correction. Most American parents believe that these verses in Proverbs condone or even command spanking children. However, the teaching of "biblical spanking" is  a man-made teaching. The rod passages in the book of Proverbs are repealed passages.

A total of 6 verses in Proverbs mention the rod explicitly. One favorite passage cited by pro-spanking parents in the Bible is Proverbs 13:24 KJV:

He who spareth his rod hateth his son: but he who loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

The Hebrew root word translated "son" is ben and refers to a mature adult son. The Hebrew root word translated "rod" is shebet and refers to the rod of correction, namely a switch. This passage ultimmately refers to the 40 minus 1 lashes, administered to the bare back of an adult offender, in a courtroom setting, as a sentence for a crime. It was unlawful then to strike another adult Jew outside of the context of a courtroom. Striking a minor child was banned under Jewish law. The reason for this commandment was that, otherwise, Jewish fathers would shield even their adult sons from blame.

Christ died and Rose on the Third Day in order to repeal the harsh punishments of the Old Testament. Christ banned corporal punishment entirely nu enduring corporal punishment before being placed onto the cross. The Early Christians never used corporal punishment as a means of church discipline. Instead, Christians who committed moral offenses were excommunicated if theydefended their sins in open ccurt. 

The teaching of "biblical spanking" is a man-made teaching. The Bible never legitimately condones or commands striking a child as a form of domestic corporal pinishment. However, the Bible does weigh in on the spanking issue, and then some.

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. 

The Greek root word translated "provoke....to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethzo) and refers here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It is one thing to stop spanking your children. However, iy is not enough to stop spanking your children, or even stop punishing them altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offeense in children. Whenever you hurt someone else's feelings, you need to apologize. It works the same way when dealing with children. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to apologize to your child for hurting their feelings. In many cases, all that is necessary is a reassurance coming feom parents, in the form of an informal apology, for hurting your child's feelings with limits not set out of anger,, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limits for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for hurting your feelings with my temper", and then commit to never lose your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards children is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christian parents who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin term roughly translated as "power to the parent" , namely the power to impose punitive sanctions on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. But, this commandment was ultimately received by the parish at Colossae as prohibiting causing offenses in children as perceived by a child, at minimum. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men.

Pro-spanking parents, in the Early Church, were seen as church infiltrators. These parents cited the same rod verses in Proverbs for pro-spanking excuses that parents cite today. Paul would have none of it in the churches that he oversaw as a deacon, and sent anti-spanking commandments to both the parishes ar Colossae and Ephesus. Contrary to popular legend, the Early Christians were not well-integrated into Greco-Roman society, with Christians then living in urban enclaves that shunned the outside world.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them be cast forever into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Let them descend into the abyss which is the ever-burning Hell of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath day and bight forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!