Proverbs 22:6—How can this verse be true when experience teaches us that often children abandon the principles of their training?

Problem: According to Proverbs 22:6, if a child is trained in the way to live, he or she will not depart from this training even when older. However, experience shows that this is not always true. Isn’t this proverb contradicted by experience?

Solution: This proverb does not contradict experience because it is only a general principle that allows for individual exceptions. Proverbs are not designed to be absolute guarantees. Rather, they express truths that provide helpful advice and guidance for wise living by which individuals should conduct their daily lives. It is generally true that the diligent training of godly parents will influence children to follow that training in later years. However, circumstances and individual personalities and problems might work against the training a child has received. The proverb encourages parents to diligently fulfill their responsibilities, and to trust the future to the grace and sovereignty of God.

This excerpt is from When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1992). © 2014 Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Click here to purchase this book.