Train up a child.....

In my last post I asked the question about the application of Proverbs 22:6 and ultimately asked "can scripture be trusted". The short answer is yes. The longer answer comes with a better understanding of the scripture itself and Wisdom Literature of which it is part. Wisdom Literature contains principles and practices that enhance wisdom. While we can see from our experience and in scripture (Isaac - Esau; Noah - Ham) that there is no correlation guaranteed between godly parents and godly children. Even the best training cannot instill wisdom - only encourage the choice to seek it. A similar example is diligence. It is essential for prosperity but does not guarantee it as a result of the effort. After parental instruction Wisdom speaks concerning the fate of those who will nevertheless choose to walk in the way of the fool. This is a result of another Biblical principle - that of individual will, choice and responsibility for those choices. See Proverbs 1:30-32 and 9:12.

So, what does this passage (22:6) actually tell us? The literal Hebrew is more along the lines of "train up a child in the way he should go" or "train up a child in keeping with his way". Further, "train up" (Hebrew: chanak) is elsewhere translated "dedicate". That is, a child is to be dedicated to a certain calling and then trained specifically for that purpose. Too often parents have their idea of what the child should be and this can distort both the dedication and the training process. The following quotation is from an unknown source but sums it up well:

Both child and parents together should diligently seek to discern God's leading, dedicate him or her to the Lord and His will, recognize the special talents and circumstances that God provides for this purpose, and then seek to encourage and prepare the child to fill that calling. Then, God's promise is that the entire life will be productive in the optimum career of God's choosing.