When a parent has to discipline a child, it is often the parent who feels the most pain. Therefore parents need to be reminded that the child “will not die” of the rod. And in our day and age, we should trust in the divinely inspired wisdom of these proverbs, rather than in the popular opinion that the rod is cruel and outdated.
Directly after these verses we read of the joy in an educator’s heart when a child speaks and acts with wisdom. Biblical discipline is not unfeeling; it is driven by deep love and compassion. Not only will a child not die from the rod, but the rod will “save his soul from Sheol.” Early discipline saves lives; think of the accidents and crimes that could have been prevented by it.
Moreover, parental authority forms the basis for all forms of authority. As a rule, an undisciplined child will grow up to become an irresponsible citizen, an unreliable church member, an unfaithful spouse, and an idle worker. All of these negative consequences can be avoided simply by using the “rod” wisely, lovingly, and at an early stage.
For more on corporal punishment, see also Proverbs 13:24, Proverbs 19:18, Proverbs 22:6, and Proverbs 22:15.
13 Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die.