–– Paul Schlehlein

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“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” – Proverbs 22:6 

Proverbs 22:6 has two main points: a command and a consequence. The command comes first because if we obey it, we’ll reap good consequences. If we disobey, the consequences are awful. 

The Command to Train Your Child

Here is Solomon’s command: “Train up a child in the way he should go.” He’s talking to educators and teachers, mostly parents. This is somewhat unique because Proverbs is not directed to parents. Primarily, it is written to youth. Proverbs 1:4 states that the purpose of the book is “to give…knowledge and discretion to youth.” Young people naturally struggle to make wise decisions, so God gave the book of Proverbs to help them. 

But in this verse, Solomon changes gears from youth to adults. He addresses father and mother, grandpa and grandma, teachers, pastors and coaches. Solomon urges them to “train” the youth. The word means to dedicate something and is used elsewhere to the dedication of a building. When Solomon finished building his magnificent temple to the Lord, the very next step was to “dedicate” (translated “train” in Proverbs 22:6) this house to God (1Kings 8:63). 

This is why the NIV translates Proverbs 22:6, “Start children off in the way they should go…” To train means more than simple teaching. It means to start the education process early. Don’t delay. Do it now. The time to teach your children is not when they reach junior high or high school. It’s often too late by then. The concrete has dried. The sapling is now an oak. It is immovable. These young oaks have since been taught that atheism is cool and rebelling against authority is wise (1Kings 12). It’s hard to shape dry clay. 

Three Helpful Examples

Instead, parents must dedicate their young children to the teachings of the Bible. There is not a moment to lose. Below are three examples of godly adults that were shaped by Scripture in their youth. One example is from the Old Testament, one is from the New Testament and the other is from Church History. 

The Young Man Samuel

In the Old Testament, we find the boy Samuel was taught in the Word. He was born to Hannah and in answer to this childless woman’s prayers. In those days, and in contrast to our current anti-child society, women mourned barrenness. An empty womb brought great sorrow. In desperation, weeping and bitterness, Hannah vowed that if God would give her a son, she would “give him to the Lord all the days of his life” (1Sm. 1:11). God answered and gave her a son, who she named Samuel, because God had heard her prayer. At around three-years-old, Hannah dedicated him to serve in the temple for the rest of his life. 

From his youth, “the young man Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man” (1Sm. 2:26). The Gospel of Luke uses the same language to describe the physical and spiritual growth of the Lord Jesus in his youth (2:52). 

This was in contrast to the vile, pagan sons of Eli (vv. 12-17). Eli failed to keep his two sons in line, similar to his grandfather Aaron. As the first appointed high priest, Aaron’s four sons followed in his footsteps as priests before the Lord. But two of his sons, Nadab and Abihu, offered strange fire and the Lord executed them (Lev. 10:1-2). The two rebellious sons of Aaron poorly influenced his grandson Eli, who named one of his sons “Phinehas” in honor of his uncle (Ex. 6:25)—a man blessed by God for his zeal and righteousness (Num. 25). 

But this Phinehas would never mimic his godly relative. Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were wicked priests. First Samuel 2 describes them in seven ways. First, were irreverent. They are described as “worthless men” (v. 12), wicked, a word describing the homosexuals in Gibeah in Judges 19:22. Literally, they are “sons of Belial”. Belial is the personification of all that is evil. The name is equated with Satan in 2 Corinthians 6:15.  

Second, they were arrogant. “They did not know the Lord” (v. 12). They knew of the Lord but would not recognize Him as their authority. Stubbornly, they followed their own rules. Third, they were fraudulent. Steeped in greed, these men concocted strange traditions about sacrificial food that did not match with biblical law (vv. 13-14). They did this to enrich themselves. 

Fourth, they were violent. They abused their priestly authority, demanding they get their priestly portion of the food before the Lord received His portion. If the common folk tried to talk back and demand they do things according to the Law, Hophni and Phinehas threatened to take the food “by force” (v. 16). So great was this sin that people began to despise the priestly office.

Fifth, they were prurient. They were committing sexual immorality with the women volunteering at the temple (v. 22). The sons of the most recognizable religious office in the land were committing gross sin before the Lord and before the people. Sixth, their sins were prominent. This was not done in the shadows, hidden from the rest of the community. Their father said: “I hear of your evil dealings from all these people” (v. 23). Everyone knew about it. Finally, they were persistent and resistant. They refused to change. According to v. 25, “they would not listen to the voice of their father.” Proverbs 15:10 says, “There is severe discipline for him who forsakes the way; whoever hates reproof will die.”

Eli failed to control his sons, partly because he was complicit in their sins. The Lord said to him: “[You] honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel” (1Sm. 2:29). We cannot excuse Eli as an old man that could not control the rebellion of his older children. First Samuel 2:17 refers to his sons as “young men”. Unlike Eleazar with Phinehas, Eli failed to train his sons in their youth. Despite his boys being irreverent, arrogant, fraudulent, violent, prurient, prominent and resistant, Eli could not control them. 

This is what makes the godliness of Samuel all the more remarkable. Later, in Samuel’s farewell address, he looked back at the way he was dedicated to God’s Word as Proverbs 22:6 commands. He says, “I have walked before you form my youth until this day” (1Sm. 12:2). How can we explain this? Do we not find the answer in Proverbs 22:6? Did not Hannah train up Samuel in the ways of the Lord, even if it were only for the first few years of his life? And did not her frequent trips to visit him make a profound influence? And was it not her pious character that directed his life of godliness? “Samuel’s life was the outcome of a splendid mother of faith.”