It is a hot topic at the moment with the Government and Greens trying to push through the anti-smacking legislation. So what position should we take? Christian support for smacking is drawn from the OT in the main. The OT takes a strong stand against excessive beating stating that beating a slave which leads to death requires punishment (Exod 21:20). However, few today would be comfortable with the following verse in which it is stated that if the slave gets up after a day or two, there is no punishment for the slave is the property of the owner (Exod 21:21). The notion of physical punishment is attributed to God in the OT. In 2 Sam 7:14 through the prophet Nathan God speaks of establishing a personal relationship with the king from the line of David. God tells David he will be 'his father' and David and the dynasty will be his sons. It then says from the mouth of God, 'When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men.' This is ...
The blog of Mark Keown, New Testament lecturer at Laidlaw College, Auckland, New Zealand. It involves comments on theology, life, sport and whatever comes into Mark's random mind.