Body

Memory Verse: Proverbs 13:24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son; but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

Daily Bible Readings
Sun    Psalm 127
Mon    Prov 19:18, 23:13-14
Tue    Prov 29:15-17
Wed    Prov 13:24, 22:6
Thur    Eph 6
Fri    Prov 1
Sat    Eccl 12

This study is to acquaint you with the basics of the responsibility you undertake to rear children in your home. It directly conflicts with what our society has pumped into our heads since our birth, so clear your mind and pay particularly close attention to these Scriptures.

Sociologists of all ages have directly contradicted God's Word concerning the sin nature in man. Today, still, they say things like “Our studies show that capitol punishment is not a deterrent to crime.” God says that it is; they say that it is not. Who are you going to believe? In the rearing of your children the stakes are much higher, the results much more near term. They say do not punish, God says “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him. (Proverbs 22:15) The all important question to you is, once more, “Who are your going to believe?” To say “I tried spanking and it didn't work for my child.” Is to say God is wrong and the world and I are right. To dawdle in the middle will bring a horribly painful 18 years and a future filled with anguish Lets admit up front that God is right here and carefully, knowledgeably pursue the following of His directions.

(Please fill in blanks using only the King James, Authorized Version of the Bible)

What does the Bible teach about spanking a child in Proverbs 23:13-14 _____________________________

Children can ruin a marriage, a home, a life. But raised in God's way they can bring blessing untold.

A reason that the sociologist react to spanking as they do is because there have been numerous misuses. When we act in the flesh, in anger, in impatient haste, or in selfishness to correct a child we are outside of God's purposes. look quickly at these illustrations.

3) If you spank a child without addressing the disobedience and expressing your love for them you are not correcting.

Do not send your child to a public school, they do not teach Reading Writing & Arithmetic. They teach anti-creation, anti-moral, anti-Bible, anti-God. They start this rigorous training in kindergarten! Afford any other option!

Bill Rice wrote a book called "Love 'em Lick 'em and Learn 'em". If you are going to raise a child, do not do it without this book. It is very practical and addresses all the worlds arguments against doing it God's way.

God said to chasteneth him betimes. This entails doing it Early. Over 200 years ago Jean Roussear (1712-1778) wrote "Lacking all sense of right and wrong, a child can do nothing which is morally evil, or which merits either punishment or reproof." Again this directly contradicts God's instruction as well as blatant observation. From his first day in a home a child begins learning to manipulate parents to get his own way. Any parent knows (except perhaps some of us fathers) that a child quickly learns to cry for food, when not hungry, but knowing that mom will pick him up. (That's called lying, to get your own way, they did not need instructions to figure it our, it comes in our morally evil nature Miss Roussear.)

Again God says: Pro. 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom; but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame."

Bill Rice records for us: "There was a Texas preacher named B.B. Crim. Crim...He was a rough and tumble cowboy preacher who preached in great revivals... Somebody said: "Dr. Crim, do you believe in spanking children?" He said: "Of course!" They said, "Well how soon do you think you should spank your children?" He said: "Well, you ought to wait about a week to spank a little girl but you'd better give a baby boy a lickin' the day he's born."

Of course he was joking (is that hyperbole?) but he was right to emphasize the fact that parents should begin training children early.

Somebody says: "well, when should you spank a little child?" The moment he knows that you say "don't and he does. He has bought and paid for a paddling."

I had a co-worker who knew I was a youth director. I observed his defiant 8 year old son, who did nothing his father told him and was big enough to do his parents physical harm. He asked if I thought spanking him was the solution. He never had spanked or disciplined his children, never forced them to obey him because the sociologists said that would ruin his children's creativity. Now, the father was terrified of an 8 year old who had been thrown out of 2 schools for disobedience and had beat his mother for telling him what to do. He wanted to change his tactics from what the world had taught him. What could he do now? The sociologists hate our tactics but they love our results. Purpose to do it right from the start.

Again from Bill Rice- Somebody says, "Well, I just think we ought to make Junior sit in the corner." Fine. And he'll be sitting there... getting madder every minute. You make him sit in a corner and he will think, "Boy, when I get big enough, pow! He will get it! I'll tell you right now..." No, No , why don't you get it settled ? Why in the world don't you just take and turn him over your knee and blister his britches and get the thing settled. You say: "Well, aren't there other ways to discipline?" Yes, there are, but I don't believe any of them work nearly as well as this. This is how God told us to do it. You can take away the allowance, and there may be a time you ought to do it. You may ground him. You may turn off the T.V., and that's a real good idea. But spank him. Spank him! This is what God says to do. Paddle him. Get it settled.

I have often heard young parents say; "Oh, we tried spanking him, and it doesn't work." But God's word says that it will work. I will either believe that God was right and they did something wrong, or that God is wrong and they are learning a better means. What would you believe? Let's look at some important principles.

When my wife and I were married and expecting the first baby, we read everything we could find in the Bible about parents and children. We made some rules concerning spanking. Perhaps they may be of help to other parents.

1. Talk. Try to anticipate things that might happen. that might go wrong. Don't be quick to spank them. Be quick to talk and try your best to talk them into doing right. "Don't do that any more, son, you mustn't do it any more." Talk! there are a few things where there was no second chance. We live on a ranch. If a house catches on fire it is very serious.. So our children simply could not play with matches. The fire department can't get to u. So we warned our children that playing with matches was a spanking matter.

2. Keep your word. Don't ever, ever get into the habit of saying, "Now, if you do it I'll spank you. Now don't do that again. All right , the next time I'll spank you." No, if you ever say; "I will spank you if you do it," spank him! If your mother-in-law is there, if the governor is there, no matter who is there... If you say you will spank him, do it.

3. Husband and wife agree. Don't ever argue in front of the kids. If one thinks he shouldn't be spanked and the other one thinks he should, say, "Go to your room. We will call you." Talk it over. You will probable agree. You say you won't spank him or you will. Call him and tell him. If you can't make up your mind and you disagree, then spank him. Every time spank him. Anything is better than that he divide his father and mother. Don't ever let a kid get the idea that one of you is going to be his lawyer and if he can just get to you, you'll take up for him. Don't ever do that.

4. Next thing, co-operate. One of you hold him and one of you spank. Your child ought to be made to realize - in our home we serve God, we do it right. Make him realize he is being punished because it's right - not because one is mad and one isn't. It's a matter of right and wrong and both parents are in favor of seeing that he does right.

5. Spank soundly. Don't ever slap him, or hit him, or kick him. Not ever. Spank your son or your daughter on the buttocks. Hard. And Long. Don't ever use your hand. It'll sting and you'll quit... If you've ever spanked your child and he's mad at you, then you didn't spank him. If you've ever spanked him and he gets up and hits you, you didn't spank him.

You spank until you get the thing settled. And no matter how much yelling and promising don't stop. He's had his opportunity to show whether he will or won't do right. If you ever have to start spanking, keep it up. Make it a sound one while you are at it. Always. Don't have little bitty eensy weensy itsy bitsy make'em-mad-and-cry spankings. "Let not your soul spare for his crying," the Bible says. A psychiatrist heard me preach and she said, "Dr. Rice, if my father had spanked me I'd have hated him for the rest of my life." I replied, "Lady, if my dad had spanked you, you'd have loved him to death, just for stopping!" Spank Soundly.

6. Talk after the spanking. Explain again how vital it is that children obey parents. Tell him how much you love him and how concerned you are for him.

7. Be consistent! And the last point, do it again when you need to. Be consistent!

This is but introductory material to pursued you to raise your Child "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." To be a Godly parent you will need to study far more of His Word and His principles. Decide now that you will study and follow his plan, instead of the sociologists plan, your mom's plan, or Hollywood's plan. Although I say I have hundreds of books, I only have one written by God. Let me encourage you to get and study several Godly books on the home and on child rearing. May God bless you as you follow his plan.

When God established His covenant with Abraham He laid the foundation for a far-reaching relationship that would last for ever. Even today, God has not forsaken His covenant with Abraham's seed. God also gave Abraham a sign, called circumcision, which would act as a reminder of the covenant between God and His people. “And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you” (Gen 17:9-11).

For hundreds of generations, the Jews have placed great significance on God's command to Abraham to circumcise all Jewish males. Because of this long-standing tradition among the Jews, some Christians have also tried to include circumcision as a part of the teachings of the church or as necessary for salvation. However, the Bible is unmistakably clear that circumcision was given to the nation of Israel only; it was never given to the church as a requirement, nor is it a prerequisite for salvation. Paul declares in Gal 6:15: “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.”

Did You Know? The word circumcision is defined as a cutting around and is the Jewish purification custom of cutting away the foreskin of male children.

Early writings record that many other ancient civilizations practiced circumcision. The Ethiopians were said to use circumcision prophylactically in order to prevent certain painful and often incurable diseases. The Egyptians were said to use circumcision as a practice of cleanliness that was carried out not only by the priesthood but also by the population in general.

Circumcision has also been associated with cleanliness, purification, and the prevention of disease in modern times. Today's medical studies report that male circumcision results in many health benefits for both men and women, including lower rates of infections, cancer, inflammation, and sexually transmitted diseases.

Physical circumcision is not required in the New Testament but is a picture of a new birth in Christ. Colossians 2:10-11 states, “ And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.” Abraham's circumcision not only symbolized his righteousness or cleanliness towards God, but even more importantly it was a prophetic picture of a believer's circumcision or purification in Jesus Christ.

“And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him” (Gen 17:23).

Difficult as it must have been from a physical standpoint, Abraham circumcised every male in this house in obedience to God's command. Most would put off such a painful and unpleasant responsibility as long a possible, or find a way to excuse themselves from compliance altogether. Abraham's response, however, was immediate. Not only did he offer no resistance, he also fulfilled this command on the very same day that God gave it.

Did You Know? In Genesis 17:12, God specifically directed Abraham to circumcise newborn males on the eighth day. Why the eighth day? Vitamin K is responsible for the production (by the liver) of the element known as prothrombin. If Vitamin K is deficient, there will be a prothrombin deficiency and hemorrhaging may occur. Vitamin K coupled with prothrombin, causes blood coagulation, which is important in any surgical procedure. Holdt and Mcintosh, in their classic work, “Holt Pediatrics”, observed that a newborn infant has “peculiar susceptibility to bleeding between the second and fifth days of life... Hemorrhages at this time... are sometimes extensive...”² Obviously then, if Vitamin K is not produced in sufficient quantities until days five through seven it would be wise to postpone any surgery until some time after that. (A www.GSBaptistChurch.com reproduction)

Pro. 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

"We believe that the home and marriage is holy and ordained by God; that in marriage the husband and wife become one flesh and establish a home; that the husband is to be the head of the home, the wife an obedient help meet to the husband and the children are to obey and honor their parents."

Eph 5:22-24 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

1Pet 3:7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

Proverbs 5:15 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.

Eph 4:26-27 Be angry, and sin not; let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.

2Co 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Proverbs 13:24 HE that spareth his rod hateth his son; but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

1 “Bible First!, Vol 4, Lesson 12 – Abraham, Part 2” Euro Team Outreach Inc. www.euroteamoutreach.org, 43

2Biblical Accuracy and Circumcision of the 8^th Day, by Bert Thomson, Ph. D., Apologetice Press Inc. Articles, 2004, as cited by “Bible First!, Vol 4, Lesson 12 – Abraham, Part 2”, pg 45