According to Thomas Haller, in his article Biblical Perspectives on Spanking, “the Hebrew word for ‘rod’ (shebet) one can see that in the Hebrew dictionary it has various meanings, a stick for walking, writing, fighting, ruling, and punishment. The word ‘shebet’ is most frequently used when referring to shepherds who are tending their flocks. The Shepherds used the stick to fight off prey and to gently guide wandering sheep, not to beat them.”
Haller continues, “The image that we are to extract from these verses in Proverbs is one of creating a culture of accountability. The point that God is making is that we as parents are to hold our children accountable for their choices and actions. There are many ways to hold a child accountable corporal punishment (spanking) never has to be one of them.”
If we are teaching our children the unconditional love of God, they will understand it more in the kindness parents show in their own unconditional love. When children make bad decisions, as they all will, we need to be consistent with giving them the consequences for these actions. Personally, I prefer taking away a favorite game or toy, time out, or taking away privileges. I have also been known to require a letter speaking from the heart about the mistake and their feelings and thoughts about it.
Here are some verses about raising children with love.