Teach Your Children Well

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

"Train up" comes from the Hebrew word "khaw-nak" or "hanakh" and means to dedicate or consecrate. It is also mingled in with the idea of making experienced from a mule's bridle allusion. A sense of subduing for the purpose of guiding. If you turn the mule's head with the bridle the entire body will turn with it. Usually, unless the mule is stubborn.

In this verse the word "child" transliterates to "na'ar". In Hebrew this is not just a young child but any child, boy or girl, under marital age. A young man or woman of any age still under the parent's roof or in their care or under their authority.

"The way he should go". Most parents would interpret this "their way" or "the parents way". The literal Hebrew is "upon the mouth of his way" or "way" or "road".

We receive our children from God not as soft pliable lumps of clay ready to be molded into what we think they should become. Each child comes with their own set of abilities, intellect and a way of perceiving and thinking all of which are given to them by God. We can heavily influence them as their stewards through the "na'ar" phase but they have built-in limits given to them by the Almighty. If we try to move beyond those innate abilities it will only end in frustration for the parent and the child.

When you put it all together with the Hebrew idioms and figures of speech it reads: Dedicate, induce, make experienced and submissive by coaxing, the one you call "son" according to his "way" defined by that individual child's characteristic manner and innate ability.

In other words, each child is different and a "one size fits all" manual for raising children is in vain as each child and parent relationship is different. Just like every person has a different relationship with Christ as He has created us all with our own unique capabilities and qualities. We all offer something different to the Body and the Kingdom. If not we would all be cookie-cutter robots. Which we are obviously not. Each parent needs to work within their personality and their child's....in a biblical manner.