Sim Chen Xing

Is coaching Biblical? This is a question that I have been asking myself since the start of my coaching training. As a Christian, the sole purpose of my life is to bring glory to God and to reflect His glory to the people around me. Therefore, it is of great importance that whatever I do, coaching included, is rooted in Truth. Grounded on this desire, I begin my quest to figure out whether or not coaching is Biblical.

Origins of “Coaching”
The term “coaching” originated in the 16th century. “Coach” refers to a method of transportation, specifically a horse-drawn carriage. Over a couple of centuries, the definition of coaching transitioned from its literal transportation context to a more metaphoric interpretation where one guide and “transport” their clients from a state in their lives to a place where they want to be in their personal or professional development. However, it is still important to note that coaching by itself is a recent development.

But how can a recent development like coaching be found in the Bible? To answer this question, let’s examine the relationships of people, the actions they did and motives behind them. I begin by searching for people who have helped another in any form of development. The first person that came to mind was Jethro. Jethro observed Moses for an entire day before asking questions that encouraged Moses to reflect on his actions. It is through such reflective thinking that caused Moses to agree and adopt Jethro’s suggestions (See Exodus 18). The next person that came to mind was Paul and Timothy. Now, Paul met Timothy at Lystra and wanted to take him on his journey (See Acts 16:3). The relationship between Paul and Timothy then continued to span a long time. However, this relationship is a mentoring relationship (See: Hoehl, 2011) rather than a coaching-coachee relationship. Many other people started appearing in my mind: Jesus and the disciples, Elijah and Elisha, Moses and Joshua, etc. But as I thought about all the possible relationships in the Bible, I realised that though these relationships couldn’t and shouldn’t be counted as a coaching-coachee relationship, there are coaching elements in everyone of them. At this, I decided to pray and ask God to reveal to me with certainty, whether or not coaching is Biblical. That’s when I received the word in my mind, “counsel”.

The man of insight (תּבוּנה)
When I first examine the Hebrew word of “counsel” (עֵצָ֑ה), I found that it doesn’t relate to coaching in any way, shape, or form. “Counsel” (עֵצָ֑ה) can be translated to “advice”, “plan”, or “purpose” (See: https://biblehub.com/hebrew/etzah_6098.htm). So I dug a little deeper and came across Proverbs 20:5. “The purposes (עֵצָ֑ה) of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out”. This Proverbs parallels the ICF’s definition of coaching where “previously untapped sources of imagination, productivity and leadership” are unlocked (See: https://coachingfederation.org/about). In the context of Proverbs 20:5, it is unclear if the “purposes” refers to positive beliefs that will maximize clients’ potential. However, the man who hides his “purposes” requires a man of insight (תּבוּנה) to draw them out. According to the “Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament”, the man of insight (תּבוּנה) “possesses the right criteria for distinguishing between good and bad, true and false, and at the same time has the capacity to look through men and things, draws out the secret, for he penetrates to the bottom of the deep water” (See: https://biblehub.com/commentaries/proverbs/20-5.htm). Though it isn’t the coach’s role to fully understand, a good coach would be able to pick up hints in what the client share and uncover whatever that is hidden. And most times, it is these hidden thoughts or beliefs that limit our clients from fulfilling their fullest potential.

Does this answer our question of whether coaching is biblical? Partially. But not quite.

The Example of Elihu:
As I meditated on the topic of coaching in the Bible, I am reminded of Elihu. Readers of the Old Testament would recognize that Elihu is the only one of Job’s friends who weren’t rebuked by God. In fact, Elihu’s response in the entire Jobian prose earned him the title of “wise counsel” (See: Fields, 2024). There are a few reasons why this is so.

First, Elihu proved that age and experiences are not barriers to providing wise counsel (Job 32:4; 6-9). His age and his lack of experience compelled him to wait until everyone has said their fair share before he speak. Because he was younger, he was fearful to voice his opinions. However, despite his age, he was able to provide the counsel that Job needed while Job’s friends weren’t able to. He said,

“Behold, I waited for your words,
    I listened for your wise sayings,
    while you searched out what to say.
 I gave you my attention,
    and, behold, there was none among you who refuted Job
    or who answered his words.” (Job 32: 11-12, ESV).

Second, Elihu shows that active listening is required to provide wise counsel (Job 32:5). For close to 30 chapters of lamentation and rebuke, Elihu uttered not one word. Though he was full of words so much so that he felt that he was about to “burst”, it was the Lord who constrained him (Job 32:18-19). Throughout the whole process, he listened and gave them his full attention (Job 32:11-12).

Third, Elihu acknowledges that wisdom and understanding comes from the Lord (Job 32: 7-9). When Elihu spoke, Elihu credits the breath of God for his ability to understand. He reiterates his point about wisdom not coming from age and experiences. Rather, it was God who compelled him to say what he said.

“I said, ‘Let days speak,
    and many years teach wisdom.’
But it is the spirit in man,
    the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.
It is not the old who are wise,
    nor the aged who understand what is right. (Job 32:7-9, ESV).

Fourth, Elihu shows that good counsel show no partiality (Job 32:21-22). When Elihu rebuke, he rebuked both Job and his friends. He even placed a curse on himself that if he flatter, his “Maker would soon take me away”, proving his seriousness about the matter.

Fifth, Elihu shows that good counsel can come from peers (Job 33:6). In context, Elihu viewed himself as equals alongside Job and his friends. From a humanly perspective, Elihu highlights that we are all humans; made from a piece of clay. Therefore, there is no need of fear and the counsel given shouldn’t be heavy (i.e. gentle and not harsh; See Ellicott’s commentary on Job 33:7).

Now, is Elihu a therefore the model coach in the Bible? Maybe. The Book of Job is structured in such a way where everyone seem to go on a monologue one after another. The unnatural order of conversation may be attributed to the age of the book. After all, scholars argue that the Book of Job was likely written 400 years before Genesis (See: Haynes, 2022).

Putting the structure of the Book of Job aside and concentrating solely on the speeches by God and Elihu, we see an entire monologue of statements targeted at eliciting reflections through the technique of reframing. Indeed, his entire argument was centered from God’s perspective, allowing Job and his friends to shift from their earthly view of suffering to that of God’s eternal perspective.

Did this method in helping Job in his situation? We know that it did. We read that in the final chapter of the Book of Job, Job repented of the things he has said and God restored the fortunes of Job.

Conclusion:
If you were to ask me whether I think coaching is Biblical? My answer would be a yes. Coaching as a practice aims to maximise clients’ personal and professional potentials. In the Christian context, I would suggest that Christian coaching would also aim to maximise the clients’ spiritual growth in the process. The method in which coaching achieves this is also Biblical. To be specific, it requires the coach to be a person of insight, who acknowledges that wisdom, understanding, and insights comes from the Lord. With this insight and acknowledgement, the person of insight will be able to draw out the “purposes” in the clients’ heart so as to work with the client to achieve an outcome that glorifies the Lord our God.

References:
Hoehl, S. E. (2011). The mentor relationship: An exploration of Paul as loving mentor to Timothy and the application of this relationship to contemporary leadership challenges. Journal of Biblical Perspectives in Leadership, 3(2), 32-47.

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