Train a child in the way he should go, and he will not deviate from it, even in old age.
Proverbs 22:6
In Proverbs 22:6, the Hebrew word for “train up” means to dedicate or to initiate—that is, to “get them started.” “Train” is based on a Hebrew word that referred to the palate, gums, or roof of the mouth. When a Hebrew baby was born, the mother would rub sweet date juice inside the infant’s mouth to stimulate the sucking reflex—to “initiate” the behavior needed to breastfeed.
Just as a child can be stimulated to take his mother’s milk, so Solomon says that a parent should stimulate the child as he grows to take wise paths in life. Just as date juice can be an incentive to feed, so other incentives can be used to motivate a child to make wise choices in life. The parents’ wise choices and the rewards that come from wisdom are the primary incentives God ordains for motivating a child to follow a wise path (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).
Yes, there will be stumbles and wrong turns in a child’s life. But if the wise path is established early on, a child is more likely to return to it.
