"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6).
You may be wondering about preacher's kids who are unbelievers. You may know of good parents whose kids never followed the Lord, even when they were old. You may be one of those parents.
Now, the book of Proverbs presents wisdom from God. So, what does Proverbs 22:6 mean... and is a proverb really a promise? Or, are proverbs generally true, but not always?
Before we answer those questions, let's first prayerfully consider what the book of James tells us about wisdom... where it comes from and how we receive it.
- "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. For that man shouldn't think that he will receive anything from the Lord" (James 1:5-7).
Yes, wisdom is granted by God to those who ask in faith, without doubt. If we believe that God will reveal wisdom through our prayer, He will. If we don't, He won't. This wisdom comes from the holy, perfect and all powerful creator of the universe.
Let's assume that the wisdom given by our holy, perfect and all powerful God will probably work but not always. Then James 1:5-7 above means that our holy, perfect and all powerful God will give us lots of guidance that will probably help. But, if we have any doubt that God can or will give us this advice that would probably help, He won't give it to us.
Here are some obvious problems with this general but not absolute view of God's wisdom. It really doesn't take much faith to ask for wisdom that will probably work because we aren't expecting much. I can get close to "probably" by flipping a coin. After all, flipping a coin will be right half the time. That is just slightly worse than 51%. The coin toss is only slightly worse than being "probably right". We can typically get that kind of advice from a teacher, lawyer or doctor.
Out of honor and respect for who and what God is... I must proclaim that if wisdom is given by God to you, it will work! God's wisdom is infinitely better than advice from a lawyer, teacher or councilor.
Now that we understand where wisdom comes from and how we receive it... lets answer these questions:
- What does Proverbs 22:6 mean?
- Is a proverb from God really a promise?
Please prayerfully consider what I say.
1) What Does Proverbs 22:6 Mean?
I will repeat the passage for your convenience:
- "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6).
Teachers who claim that Proverbs (and wisdom) are general and not absolute have presented Proverbs 22:6 as alleged proof of their belief:
They say that we can teach children but children don't always follow our teaching when they grow up. To that I respond by pointing out that Proverbs 22:6 doesn't say "teach". It says "train". One is not trained when one has heard truth. One is trained when one hears, accepts and implements truth. Look up the verb train in a dictionary. For the trainee to be trained, the trainee must respond properly to the training of the trainer.
Yes, the parent is at fault if the parent doesn't teach the child. But the child is at fault if the child fails to properly respond to the teaching to the extent that the child is actually trained. Proverbs 22:6 is to some extent an Old Testament version of the Once Saved, Always Saved doctrine. Click here for more on that doctrine.
2) Is a Proverb a Promise?
You may have been taught as I, that Proverbs contains general truths rather than absolute truths... that Proverbs doesn't present promises... that we merely receive some help from God so that we have better odds of a good result... that one can receive wisdom from God and still fail. In this view, God's wisdom is general and not absolute. They are incorrectly claiming that God's wisdom typically works, but not always.
Please prayerfully consider:
- "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from Yahweh" (Proverbs 16:33).
Applying the incorrect, man-made doctrine of general but not absolute to this proverb results in a direct contradiction. The proverb says that every decision of the lot is from Yahweh (the personal name of God). To interpret the proverb to mean that these decisions are generally, but not always from Yahweh would be a contradiction of scripture.
There are many passages in the book of Proverbs which, like Proverbs 22:6, can be misinterpreted to be only generally true.
Some promises of the book of Proverbs may have been applicable to Israel but not to you and I. On many occasions, this is because Israel was under Law while we are not. Israel had made a covenant with God that they would keep God's laws and God would allow them to stay in the land of Israel and God would also provide financial prosperity to them in the land of Israel. You and I, in the Post-Pentecost Age of the Indwelling Holy Spirit do not have the promise of financial prosperity, either in the land of Israel or in any other country. We have the promised peace and power through the indwelling Holy Spirit as we suffer until Christ returns, after which we will begin to rule the earth with Him. With this in mind please observe:
- "Honor Yahweh with your substance, with the first fruits of all your increase: so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine" (Proverbs 3:9-10).
To honor God with the first fruits of the increase (the tithe, Exodus 23:19) was one of the conditions for financial prosperity in the Old Covenant between God and Israel. And God promised that, if Israel obeyed Him, they would be blessed with many blessings, including many children, abundant food, victory over enemies and etc (Deuteronomy 28:1-68). He also promised abundant wine (Deuteronomy 7:11-13). It absolutely was a conditional promise to Israel under Law. But it is not a promise to Christians today.
Israel was under the Law but we are not. To read more about the transition from the Age of Law to the Age of the Spirit, click here.
Let's look at other scriptures to see if a proverb is a promise. Please consider some words from the first chapter of Proverbs, God's book of wisdom:
- "20 Wisdom calls aloud in the street... 22 "How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? How long will mockers delight themselves in mockery, and fools hate knowledge? 23 Turn at my reproof. Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you. I will make known my words to you. 24 Because I have called, and you have refused... 26 I also will laugh at your disaster. I will mock when calamity overtakes you... 28 Then they will call on me, but I will not answer... 29 because they hated knowledge, and didn't choose the fear of Yahweh... 33 But whoever listens to me will dwell securely, and will be at ease, without fear of harm" (Proverbs 1:20-33).
Proverbs 1:20-33 reveals that "wisdom calls aloud in the street" (v 20), will "make known my words to you" (v 23), that disaster will come on those who ignore those words (v 26), in this disaster, wisdom will not respond to cries for help (v 28), because they "didn't choose the fear of Yahweh" (v 29)... but whoever listens to those words will "dwell securely, and will be at ease, without fear of harm" (v 31).
Let's apply the incorrect doctrine of "general but not absolute" to that passage:
Then Proverbs 1:20-33 would reveal that wisdom calls aloud in the street to most people (v 20), that wisdom will make God's words known to most people (v 23), that disaster will come on most who ignore those words (v 26), in this disaster, wisdom will most likely not respond to cries for help (v 28), because they "didn't choose the fear of Yahweh" (v 29)... but whoever listens to those words will probably "dwell securely, and will be at ease, without fear of harm" (v 31). If these words are taken as general but not absolute, they really don't say much. If you will prayerfully read through the book of Proverbs with this general but not absolute theology in mind, you will see that general but not absolute contradicts the tone and content of the book over and over and over again.
Does that sound like God's wisdom from the
book of Proverbs is general and not absolute? Does that sound like God's wisdom
works sometimes but not always? I think not!
Wisdom is revealed by God. Suffering results for ignoring it. Security results from following it. Wisdom does not merely increase our odds of a desirable outcome. Some may have difficulty with the book of proverbs because of an unscriptural view of suffering... that suffering is bad. The unscriptural false doctrine that suffering is bad is clearly corrected in chapter 4 titled, "Fellowship with God in Pain".
If you are taught that Proverbs only teaches general truths of wisdom which are not absolute, ask "where in the book of Proverbs does it say that?"
I have heard the book of Proverbs taught in a very contradictory fashion. At the beginning we were told that the messages are general but not absolute... that they do not constitute promises... but as each verse is explained, from the beginning of the book through the end, the promises are presented as promises because the text presents them as promises.
Again I say... If you are taught that Proverbs only teaches general truths of wisdom which are not absolute, ask "where in the book of Proverbs does it say that?"