Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them
There are a group of writings that are entitled, ‘Psalms of Ascent’. They were a series of songs that were sung by Jewish pilgrims as they journeyed up the steep pathway to the holy city of Jerusalem, to celebrate the feasts of the Lord. They would unite their voices in joyful praise, as they journeyed to attend one of the three pilgrim festivals. Psalm 127 is one such pilgrim psalm, which is attributed to Solomon and uses everyday activities such as house building, civil defense, manual employment, and the rearing of a family, to proclaim their dependence on God. The first few verses acknowledge reliance on the Lord and celebrate the benefit of domestic activities and daily work, when governed by God. It points out that one’s labor is in vain without God’s providence, and that work which is undertaken independently will be fruitless, while those who honor the Lord in their undertakings will prosper. The second part of the psalm proclaims that children are a gift of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is a reward. The Psalmist likens them to arrows in the hand of a warrior and declares, “Happy is the man who has His quiver full of them.” It seems that the world we live in increasingly view children as a burden, not a blessing. For example, many folks assume that having kids takes away any opportunity to have fun. Many parents would much rather put their kids in front of a screen than actually engage them. The birth rate in America has been the lowest it’s ever been and married couples are waiting longer to have children. Many of us get unnecessarily agitated when babies cry or toddlers pout or kids act like kids. We want our restaurants, our airplanes, our churches, and our public places to be as free as possible from the inconvenient disruption of kids. Why is this? Maybe it’s because we increasingly view children as a burden rather than a blessing. Now many folks do see children as a blessing. But sometimes we can see our kids as a blessing for selfish reasons. Maybe we see them as the way our family name will continue. Maybe we see them as merely helpers around the house. Maybe we hope they’ll take care of us when we’re old. Maybe we see them as some kind of status symbol that makes us look good to our friends and family. Maybe we see them as a blessing because they bring us so much joy and laughter. But the Bible makes it perfectly clear that every child is a miracle from above, for we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Children are a heritage and gift from the Lord, and there is much in Scripture that gives parental guidance on the godly upbringing of their offspring. May those who have been entrusted with the heritage and gift of children, take their parental responsibilities seriously, and bring them up in the way they should go, for God has promised that when they are old, they will not depart from the way of Truth. May we who have been entrusted by the Lord to be parents, recognize the awesome responsibility with which we have been endowed. Help us to faithfully train our children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord…and nurture them on the living Word of Truth, for God’s greater praise and glory.
Spiritual Steve 