Old Wives’ Tales

Did you know that eating an apple a day will keep the doctor away? Did you also know that you cannot swim after eating or you will sink? Additionally, did you know if you cross your eyes for too long, they will stay that way? These “Old Wives’ Tales” have been handed down over the years and there are hundreds of others. The definition of an Old Wives’ Tale is “a superstition or traditional belief that is regarded as unscientific or incorrect.” What is the history behind these Old Wives’ Tales and where does the term come from? I can only speculate, as I could not find a reliable source that would say. However, it might be safe to say that older women throughout history passed numerous bits of advice down to the younger generation.

Beware

I’m not sure why women get this added to their resume. Interesting to note though, we can find the earliest report of the mention of wives’ tales from the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 4:7-8. “Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” (NIV). Now the Apostle Paul is not talking about eating an apple a day or crossing your eyes. He is warning us about what we constantly see that threatens our faith through false teachings or practices that are not rooted in the Gospels. Wives’ tales were passed down from the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, etc., and through all known Jewish history.

Tales of Truth

I am sure it was difficult to sort out what was true and what was false back then. Along with all the other pagan worshipers, numerous Jewish Rabbi’s were teaching false things about the deity of the risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:24). As a minister of Christ, Timothy was to avoid all these “old wives’ tales” and “train himself to be godly.”  We even see these pagan worshipers today. They are all around us and often come to our door and try to convince us to stray from the truth. We need to be prepared and trained to “be godly.” Not only do we have to defend the truth, but we must also try to convince the false teachers of how to “hold the promise for the present life and the life to come.”  How do we do this? We must grow our roots deep into the Word of God (Colossians 2:7). Also we must strengthen our faith through worship and the community of believers (Matthew 18:20). Ultimately, we must “exercise ourselves into godliness,” making it our priority to live each moment of everyday with the radiance of our Lord and Savior (Romans 12:2). Dear Lord, protect me against all the false schemes of the devil. Help me to exercise unto godliness and have the confidence to tell others of the promise of life to come. Amen.