Psalm 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
God created the man and the woman and He commanded them to be fruitful and multiply. Our world offers many different methods of “birth control”. Many babies are murdered before they ever see the light of day. This is a tragedy that is in defiance of God’s Word. Family planning is another term used to try to limit the number of children born in a family. Some people frown on those who have large families.
God tells us that children are an heritage of the LORD. This is from Jehovah God. This is from the self-existent God Who created the world and Who is well able to provide what is necessary for parents to be able to raise and feed their children. We currently have a government that wants to create a food shortage so that it can take control over society. They did some of that with the Wuhan virus scheme. They have also created inflation which is raising the price of food and other products.
It is interesting to notice how the government first creates a crisis and then acts as if it is the saviour we cannot do without. Our government wants us to be completely dependent upon them. The governments have been grooming us for this for many years. Governments offer grants for this or for that. People run and apply for the grants. The government loves it when people will comply with their demands and will come begging them for money. People seem to forget that they first gave the government their money and now they are begging for the government to give them some of it back.
The Hebrew word translated as “heritage” speaks of “an inheritance, an heirloom”. Children are a blessing that the Lord gives to parents. We have already noted that God’s design is for a man and a woman to be married first and then to have children. We have also noted that those who reject this righteous standard create problems for themselves and those children.
God tells us the fruit of the womb is His reward. God has many ways in which He chooses to bless godly parents. Those children born out of wedlock are not to blame for the way they were brought into this world. Their parents are to blame for that. There may not be any physical issues there, but there certainly are spiritual issues there. Those children learn as soon as they are able to think about life, that marriage is not that important and obedience to God is not that important. They are encouraged to assume that there is no God and no set laws. Man needs to understand that you cannot defy God’s law without consequences.
Of course God is always willing to forgive those who turn to Him in repentance and seek His forgiveness. The sad thing we see is that most of those who live this way never turn to God and never seek His forgiveness.
God tells us that parents who follow God’s design, are blessed with children who are like an arrow in the hand of a mighty hunter. Those children have been blessed with a right foundation. They can learn from the faithfulness of their parents. They can learn that there is a loving and holy God Who gave them physical life and they can also look to Him for spiritual life. They will be taught by their parents’ words, but also by their godly example, of the importance of knowing the true God and serving Him.
We see as well that children are born to parents while the parents are still young. There is a time frame that God gives for the bearing of children. Godly parents who are blessed with children that choose to honour Him, are blessed with those who can bring joy to the parents’ lives as they grow and develop and as they learn different things and help with the parents’ needs as they get older.
Not all parents have the privilege of having children. They might choose to adopt a child. Godly parents do not seek AI methods to go around God’s will. However, there are children that need a good home. There may be some whose parents die young or possibly a parent who did not want their child.
In verse 5 we see that children bring joy to the father. A godly father is happy for any child that God blesses him with. The Hebrew word translated as “happy” means “blessed”. There are different studies on how many arrows a hunter had in his quiver. It seems a fairly standard amount is eight. Not all parents will have eight children. Some will have more and some will have less. God knows how many children He wants to bless a family with and that will be their full quiver.
A godly family is a blessing. As the father gets older and takes more of a leadership role in his community he does not need to hang his head in shame when he has godly children. No father can be proud of a child that is a criminal. Even the man’s enemies will have a sense of respect for the father who has godly children that are productive members of society.
We are lacking that to a great extent in our time. Every child must choose whether they will follow the Lord or not. Parents have a part in the choices their children make. Parents who do not know the Lord or that do not see the importance of a good local church are setting a wrong example for their children. Children are only young once. They are very impressionable in their younger years. Things they learn in their first few years will help shape how they think moving forward.
It is important for parents to consider carefully the choices they make and the impact those choices will have on those children that God blesses them with. Life without knowing the Lord is not a good life. It ends in destruction in an eternity spent separated from the Lord in hell. No good parent wants to see their child go to hell. No parent wants to go to hell themselves either. Choose wisely.
Today is the Lord’s Day. You can choose to attend a good church today. If you are unsaved, you can turn to God today and be saved and begin to live a life that will glorify Him and be a blessing for you. Take advantage of the opportunity that God gives you to know Him and serve Him, today.
Pastor Bartel