The Rod of Correction

In Proverbs 22:15 we read, “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.” Similarly, Proverbs 13:24 says, “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.” In Proverbs 29:15 we also read, “The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.” All of these speak of brining correction to a child through the rod. One more reference in the book of Proverbs is the most explicit: “Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell” (Proverbs 23:13-14). That final passage to me is one that I cannot accept at face value and see it, like the Songs of Solomon, as uninspired writing. Surely many an evil person has used this idea to justify abuse towards children, which the Lord despises. When a group of children were rejected and pushed away, Mark recorded that “When Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:14). I believe that He is indeed “must displeased” when physical punishment is exacted upon His little ones. Another passage is even more direct, “And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea” (Mark 9:42). If we can find wisdom in these sayings from Proverbs, it must be done with these words of the Savior in mind. A scripture help for the passages says this: “Proverbs 22:15 teaches that ‘the rod of correction’ can help remove foolishness from the heart of a child. Similarly, an earlier verse states, ‘He that spareth his rod hateth his son.’ These scriptures are best understood as figurative expressions emphasizing the importance of loving and consistent discipline. They should not be used as a justification for physical abuse. Modern revelation teaches that discipline should be done in love and righteousness and never by force or violence.” That “modern revelation” includes this passage about the rights of the priesthood: “When we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:37). To strike a child is surely an act of exercising control and dominion and compulsion, and the Lord is very clear that this is grievous to Him.     

Similarly, I found this quote from President George Albert Smith about these passages in Proverbs: “We are very well aware that it is but little use to whip ‘Mormon’ children. You undertake to thrash anything into them, and you will most surely thrash it out of them. It was never any use to undertake to drive or coerce Latter-day Saints, they never could be coerced in their religious faith or practice. It is not their nature, and the mountain air our children breathe inspires them with the idea that they are not to be whipped like dogs to make them learn. The manner in which it must be done is by moral suasion, superior intellect, wisdom, prudence and good straightforward management in forming the judgment of the pupil by cultivating his manly qualities. This principle should be carried out in all our schools. In my boyhood discipline was enforced by the application of the blue beech switch. The blue beech does not grow in this country, but many schoolmasters in former times in New York and New England were provided with these tough limber switches, and I have seen them used among the scholars with fearful effect, and in cases where I am satisfied the pupil was less at fault than the preceptor. I know they say Solomon declared if you spare the rod you will spoil the child. My opinion is that the use of the rod is very frequently the result of a want of understanding on the part of a spoiled parent or teacher in guiding, directing and controlling the feelings and affections of children.” The physical rod will surely never teach a child to become a man or woman of God, but rather we should only teach “by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:41-42). It is true that we will at times need to reprove with “sharpness” but that should not involve any physical rod.

I do like the idea, though, of reproving with a spiritual rod, and perhaps we can accept these passages in Proverbs that way. In Lehi’s vision of the tree of life, there was a rod of iron. When his brothers asked what the rod of iron meant, Nephi “said unto them that it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction” (1 Nephi 15:24). So perhaps the “rod of correction” that we should use with our children is not a physical one but the word of God itself. We need to teach them the word of the Lord and His gospel to help correct their sins and bad behaviors. Mormon summarized why this should be our greatest teaching method: “And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God” (Alma 31:5). The rod of iron—the word of God—will have a much more positive impact upon our children than any physical rod ever could.