Solomon’s advice to parents is to “train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” Proverbs 22:6 Raising and training a child within the context of this proverb means that it begins with the Bible, as “all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training…” (2 Timothy 3:16). Teaching children the truths of Scripture will make them wise for salvation (2 Timothy 3:15); thoroughly equip them to do good works (2 Timothy 3:17); prepare them to give an answer to everyone who asks them the reason for their hope (1 Peter 3:15); and prepare them to withstand the onslaught of cultures bent on indoctrinating young people with secular values.

1. What is the real message contained in Proverbs 22:6?
Solomon’s advice to parents is to “train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it” Proverbs 22:6
Raising and training a child within the context of this proverb means
that it begins with the Bible, as “all Scripture is God-breathed and is
useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training…” (2 Timothy
3:16). Teaching children the truths of Scripture will make them wise
for salvation (2 Timothy 3:15); thoroughly equip them to do good
works (2 Timothy 3:17); prepare them to give an answer to everyone
who asks them the reason for their hope (1 Peter 3:15); and prepare
them to withstand the onslaught of cultures bent on indoctrinating
young people with secular values.
The Bible tells us that children are a reward from God (Psalm 127:3).
The value that God placed on teaching our children the truth is clearly
addressed by Moses who stressed to his people the importance of
teaching their children about the Lord and His commands and laws.
“And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of
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2. them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way,
and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind
them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine
eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy
gates.” Deuteronomy 6:7-9
Moses’ thoroughness underscores his deep concern that successive
generations maintain obedience to God’s laws to ensure they would
“live safely in the land” (Leviticus 25:18), that all would “go well”
with them (Deuteronomy 12:28), and that He would bless them in the
land (Deuteronomy 30:16).
Clearly Scripture teaches that training children to know and obey God
is the basis for pleasing Him and living in His grace. Knowing God
and His truths begins with the child’s understanding of sin and his
need for a Savior. Even very young children understand that they are
not perfect and can grasp at an early age the need for forgiveness.
Loving parents model a loving God who forgives, Training up
children in the way they should go means, first and foremost,
directing them to the Savior.
Discipline is an integral part of raising godly children, for we know
that the “LORD disciplines those He loves” (Proverbs 3:12). We
should neither take discipline lightly nor become disheartened by it.
“And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto
children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when
thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and
scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” Hebrews 12:5-6
And we know that God disciplines us for our good, so that we may
share in His holiness (Hebrews 12:10). Likewise, when we discipline
our children, they receive wisdom (Proverbs 29:15) and they will bring
us peace (Proverbs 29:17) and respect (Hebrews 12:9). In fact, even at a
tender age children are able to discern that discipline is rooted in love.
That is why children who grow up in homes without discipline often
feel unloved and are more likely to disobey authority as they grow
older. Now, the discipline administered should be commensurate with
the offense and physical discipline, such as spanking (rightly
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3. motivated), is certainly condoned by the Bible (Proverbs 13:24, 22:15,
23:13-14). Indeed discipline, though it may seem unpleasant when
received, will produce a “harvest of righteousness and peace for those
who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11).
Parents should have the same zeal for teaching their children that
Moses did. Parents have been given the privilege of being stewards of
their children’s lives for a very short time, but the teaching and
training they provide is eternal. According to the promise of Proverbs,
a child who is diligently trained in the “way he should go” will
remain true to that way in this life and reap its rewards in the next.
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