PROVERBS 22:6 TRAIN UP A CHILD

 “Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (KJV)

I was in a rather large Sunday school class years ago where the teacher read this very familiar proverb. He then asked the class how many believed this to be a universal truth. Only one person raised his hand and he was a young bachelor. The rest of the class had had too much experience. And yet many Christians continue to try to salvage this verse in one way or another as a literal promise from God. The most common explanation puts an emphasis on the first “he.” In other words, it is the parent's responsibility to figure out the best way to train their children according to their individual dispositions. And if you do that, God has promised that they will turn out OK. Of course, the unspoken implication is that if your children depart from God, it is all your fault.

Others zero in on the phrase “when he is old” and state that you never know how a child will end up, for good or bad, until they have reached old age. So don't give up on them or blame yourself if they seem to be making bad choices when they are younger. That may also be true, but is probably not what this verse means, as expressed by other translations such as Today's English Version.

“Teach a child how he should live, and he will remember it all his life.” (i.e., not just when he is older)

These attempts may be misguided because they don't recognize the basic nature of the teachings in the Proverbs.

The OT divides itself into three general categories, the law, the prophets, and the writings (which include Psalms and the Wisdom Literature). These are roughly equivalent to the three ways in which the truth is communicated to mankind. Those are spelled out in Jeremiah 18:18 where the Prophet's enemies say sarcastically, “Come, let us make plots against Jeremiah – for instruction shall not perish from the priest [the Law], nor counsel from the wise [Wisdom Literature], nor the word from the prophet.” So exactly what kind of truth is expressed in the Proverbs?

The definition of a proverb that I like is: a short, pithy figure of speech in poetic form expressing a general truth based on common experience. Not an all-encompassing truth, command or promise from God. 

The pertinent part of this definition for the passage at hand is the last clause: not a promise from God. It can also be illustrated by two other randomly chosen proverbs:

"To watch over mouth and tongue is to keep out of trouble." (Proverbs 21:23)  That is excellent advice, but there are many other ways in which we could get into trouble.

“Those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, and a good blessing will come upon them.” (Proverbs 24:25)  This advice, however pleasing to God, is unlikely to win you any friends in this life and will certainly bring upon you the wrath of those criticized. 

Are these statements always true? They are probabilities, not promises.