The Eyes of the Lord Keep Watch

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by: Denise Robinson

02/12/2021

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Today we have another miscellaneous collection of proverbs which begin with the importance of training your child(ren) in the way of wisdom. The Hebrew word used here might better be translated as "dedicate" than trained: "Dedicate a child in his (Yahweh's) right way, and when they old they will not stray." "Dedication" certainly encompasses training/educating, but it is much more than that - it is to make God's way your entire way of life. 


Train children in the right way, and when old, they will not stray. The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender. Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of anger will fail. Those who are generous are blessed, for they share their bread with the poor. Drive out a scoffer, and strife goes out; quarreling and abuse will cease. The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge, but he overthrows the words of the faithless. The mouth of a loose woman (person) is a deep pit; he (or she) with whom the Lord is angry falls into it. Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far away. Oppressing the poor in order to enrich oneself, and giving to the rich, will lead only to loss.  (Prov. 22:6-16)

The "rod" of the discipline, by the way, does not refer to beating a child. If you notice, an earlier verse spoke of the "rod" of anger. Other verses speak of the "rod" of God's fury. The exact meaning is unclear; the Hebrew term for "rod" used here uses agricultural imagery, that of a threshing flail whereby wheat is separated from chaff. The rod is a tool used to separate what is useless and harmful from what is good and useful for bread-making (a sign of life). 

Meditation: While parents are to "dedicate" their children in the way of wisdom, we are also to dedicate ourselves to this way of living. We have a clearer example of living according to the way than Solomon ever did - the words and the life of Jesus. It's not coincidence that Christianity in Acts was simply called "The Way."
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Today we have another miscellaneous collection of proverbs which begin with the importance of training your child(ren) in the way of wisdom. The Hebrew word used here might better be translated as "dedicate" than trained: "Dedicate a child in his (Yahweh's) right way, and when they old they will not stray." "Dedication" certainly encompasses training/educating, but it is much more than that - it is to make God's way your entire way of life. 


Train children in the right way, and when old, they will not stray. The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender. Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of anger will fail. Those who are generous are blessed, for they share their bread with the poor. Drive out a scoffer, and strife goes out; quarreling and abuse will cease. The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge, but he overthrows the words of the faithless. The mouth of a loose woman (person) is a deep pit; he (or she) with whom the Lord is angry falls into it. Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far away. Oppressing the poor in order to enrich oneself, and giving to the rich, will lead only to loss.  (Prov. 22:6-16)

The "rod" of the discipline, by the way, does not refer to beating a child. If you notice, an earlier verse spoke of the "rod" of anger. Other verses speak of the "rod" of God's fury. The exact meaning is unclear; the Hebrew term for "rod" used here uses agricultural imagery, that of a threshing flail whereby wheat is separated from chaff. The rod is a tool used to separate what is useless and harmful from what is good and useful for bread-making (a sign of life). 

Meditation: While parents are to "dedicate" their children in the way of wisdom, we are also to dedicate ourselves to this way of living. We have a clearer example of living according to the way than Solomon ever did - the words and the life of Jesus. It's not coincidence that Christianity in Acts was simply called "The Way."
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