Some people believe that to chastise means "to punish." Does it mean that? How does the Bible deal with it? The Word says that we have the responsibility to correct our children, to let them know this is wrong and that is right.

Now, as I have said before, God's family plan began in Genesis, and He laid down guidelines for rearing children in Old Covenant days that are eternal, or universal, truths. Some of them are found in Proverbs. Let's look at one in particular.

He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.
(Prov. 13: 24)

That is from the King James Version, so we need to recognize that it is archaic English. So what does betimes mean? It simply means "early."

That means to chasten your son before he gets bigger than you. When he gets to be six foot five and weighs close to three hundred pounds, it will be a little difficult for you to turn him over your knee and use a rod on him.

That verse means to train children in the way they should go while they are young, and your children will not depart from the ways of the Lord.

You may think you are demonstrating love when you do not correct your child, when you let him get away with things.

You may say, "I don't believe in spanking. I don't believe in this, that, or the other."

Where did you learn that? From some dumb book in some school written by some guy who never had any children of his own. But he has a Ph.D. and a master's degree, so he must know, right?

Honey, you cannot know anything about raising children until you live in the cage with some little monsters. Even taking someone else's child in your home for a little while is not like raising your own children.

You are not going to learn things in anybody's library. There are no books written on some things. Some of it you have to make up as you go along. You have to be real creative as a parent.

Children can come up with some stuff that makes you wonder where they got it. They can come up with some "off the wall" things. So you had better know how to deal with them from the Word.

In that verse in Proverbs, God was saying that if you really love your child, you will chasten him early while he is young.

Source: The Christian Family by Frederick K.C. Price
Excerpt permission granted by Faith One Publishing