Discussion Thread: Proverbs 22:6 Study
A second discussion will center around the understanding of Proverbs 22:6. For the initial post,
you will be asked to provide at least 3 issues that might impede the training of a child in the way
they should go. For the replies, you will provide 3 solutions to the issues raised by the person
with whom you are interacting. As always, seek to be gracious in the interactions.
Please note, due to the First-Post Feature in Canvas, you will not be able to review your peer’s
threads for the initial post so that your impediments do not duplicate the ideas of others.
However, you will be able to review the solutions provided in your replies, enabling you to
provide differing solutions to the impediments provided (see the assignment directions).
Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not
depart from it” (KJV). In your thread, you will need to defend your position regarding this
passage being either a promise or a principle. Then you will need to identify at least 3 issues that
might impede the training of a child in the way they should go; however, you will need to be
familiar enough with your peers’ threads so that you are not repeating the same impediments.
This week’s discussion concerns the study and understanding of Proverbs 22:6, “Train up
a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (New King James
Version). I know that when we read the Bible, we tend to think that everything in it is a promise
from God. After all, it is His Word. However, I have learned that although the Bible holds God’s
promises to His children, including born-again Christians, not everything written in it is a
promise.
It is essential to understand that the Book of Proverbs is not a book of promises from
God. According to Dr. Dan Burrell, “Proverbs are things that incline themselves to fulfillment,
and so, in this case, that is one of the things we would hope would occur. Remember that if you
study Hebrew, the word train is the Hebrew word hanok, which means getting off to the right
start.”1 The Book of Proverbs are principles that bring correction, advice, and direction. It is the
book of wisdom, written by King Solomon, the wisest man on earth (1 Kings 4:29-34). Dr. Ted
Tripp stated in his book, "Proverbs serve as an owner’s manual for life. Proverbs confront a child
with every aspect of true spirituality.”2
And because Proverb 22:6 is a principle and not a promise, issues will arise that might
impede the training of children in the way they should go. The first point I want to make is that
our children spend a tremendous amount of time under the world’s influence. We should
remember that as they grow, they will have a lot of worldly voices speaking into their lives and
as Lynn Wray so eloquently said, “all of a sudden, we do not look that smart anymore.”3 Another
reason is that no parent can guarantee that their kids will trust Jesus Christ and grow in faith and
1 Dan Burrell, “Why Family Discipleship is Important” (DSMN 610 Course Video Presentation) Liberty
University Online, Lynchburg, VA, September 17, 2013, 7:17,
https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/index.php/extwidget/preview/partner_id/2167581/uiconf_id/39959791/entry_id/1_zwv
m0up2/embed/dynamic
2 Tedd Tripp, Shepherding a Child’s Heart, Second Edition (Wapwallopen, PA: Shepherd Press, 2005), 53.
knowledge, regardless of their influence. We are all God’s children, including our children;
therefore, God has given them the right to choose. As the truth is revealed to them either by
Scripture or discipleship, they must decide what to do with it and will be responsible for their
decisions. The last point I will make is that one of the most significant impediments falls on the
parents. Parents need to build a relationship with their children; this is a great challenge today.4
In most cases, both parents work, and it is a single-parent home, making spending time for
spiritual discipling challenging due to time restraints.
3 Dan Burrell and Lynn Wray, “Parents as Disciple-makers” (DSMN 610 Course Video Presentation)
Liberty University Online, Lynchburg, VA, September 17, 2013, 3:10,
https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/index.php/extwidget/preview/partner_id/2167581/uiconf_id/39959791/entry_id/1_9sb
p3wmf/embed/dynamic
4 Ibid., 7:33.
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