On our Saturday evening Bible Study, we have been watching the videos from the Walking the Text Teaching Series with Brad Gray. In one of the recent videos, Brad Gray taught from Prov. 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” He brought out some interesting points in the lesson that I want to share with you.
First, Gray clarified a possible misconception about Proverbs that many people may have. He mentioned that Proverbs are not promises. Instead, they are wisdom statements that, if we follow them, we can expect a certain outcome, but we cannot guarantee they will happen. For instance, if we are wise and follow God’s commandments (instructions), we should experience peace, blessings, and a good life. If, however, we are foolish, lazy, or mean, we can expect a life that is not so pleasant or blessed. The Proverbs are just good advice that directs us to be wise in the decisions we make and not foolish.
This is also true with this proverb about training our children. I have heard many people claim this as a promise. If we train our sons or daughters in the things of God, even if they stray from the Lord, we have the promise that our child will one day return to God. However, as mentioned above, this is a wisdom statement, not a promise. It is not something that we can stand on as a guarantee.
However, Gray did provide a way of understanding this proverb that will help us apply it to our lives more effectively. He mentioned two levels of interpretation of the proverb. The first level is a general application. This is the overall goal of teaching all our children the ways of God: teaching them about His love, how to understand His grace and salvation, teaching them how to read and study the Bible, and how to pray. If we are faithful in leading them into a relationship with Jesus Christ through our teaching and our example, there is a good chance that they will not stray from that path.
The second level of interpretation Gray mentions comes from a closer look at the phrase, “in the way he should go” (emphasis mine). The Hebrew word for “way” means manner, road, conduct, or course. The phrase, then, could be translated as “train up a child according to his manner or course”. I’ve even heard it stated that we should train a child “according to his bend”, i.e., the way he “leans” or is inclined based upon his character or personality.
The point Gray is making is that each child is different. Each one has his own personality, giftings, talents, and ways in which he responds to correction or instruction. Therefore, even though there is a general direction we want all our children to take regarding the things of God, we must understand the differences of each child and make the adjustments necessary to fit their individual needs.
It requires a lot more work, but it is important that we realize that a “cookie-cutter” method of training our children does not work. Each child will respond to the gospel message and God’s love and correction in different ways. They will worship the Lord differently, they will understand Scripture differently, and they will express their love and service to the Lord differently. As parents, we must take the time to understand each child’s personality and character and adjust our training to fit the path that they are walking as they follow Jesus.
In our discussion about the lesson, our Bible Study group mentioned that this would be a good concept to remember when dealing with other members of the Body of Christ. It is important to recognize that we are all different. Our personalities, character, and giftings will influence how we respond to God. Some can be more emotional in their worship and prayer time, while others are more reserved. Some are deep thinkers and love to delve into the difficult aspects of theology while others are not. Some are more spiritually mature while others are not as far along in their walk with the Lord. And some appear to be more in tune with the spirit realm than others.
The point is that we are all different and we are all at different levels in our walk with the Lord. If we could fully understand this and apply it to our relationships with our brothers and sisters in the Lord, it might help us extend more grace and mercy towards each other—and maybe even help avoid conflicts in the church.
If you would like to watch Brad Gray’s teaching on Proverbs 22:6, follow the link below to Walking the Text Teaching Series Episode #75.