11. The Quiver of the Household

Introduction

We live in a nation that hates children. Children are seen as a nuisance that prevents people from living a fulfilling life. Mothers lead their children to the Planned Parenthood slaughterhouses. Many who let their children live abandon them to daycare and government schools. Others avoid the obligation of children altogether and pump their bodies full of birth control hormones or even seek self-castration. Beloved, we need to combat this self-centered ideology that children are a burden and reclaim the truth that the fruit of the womb is a gift.

Children are a blessing from God that He graciously bestows upon parents. This is one of those truths that modern Evangelicals will affirm with their mouths but their hearts are far from confessing it. It is common for couples to view kids as an optional addition to the family. Families who do decide to have children limit the number of kids they are willing to have (usually one or two). There is also a temptation for Christian parents to feel like their children are keeping them from doing "important work" for the kingdom.

Beloved, do you forget that you have been commissioned to multiply and fill the earth (Gen 1:28)? We were designed by God to bear children. Do you believe that your sexuality was given to you simply for your pleasure? Yes, sex is pleasurable—praise be to God—but we cannot separate sexuality from its primary function. Husbands and wives, the Lord has given you the task of producing image bearers for the kingdom. This is not to be a burden, as 1 John 5:3 tells us that the commands of God are not burdensome; rather this is a high calling given to parents that is filled with blessings and is itself a blessing.

Beings Created in the Image of God

Have you ever pondered how glorious conception is? A husband gives his seed to his wife, which she takes and grows. How marvelous, how wonderful! From a small insignificant seed comes a human being made in the image of God. A unique living soul that shall never die is created at the very moment of conception. Beloved, do you realize how privileged we are to be the means God uses to form souls.

This should speak volumes of the value of children. God forms each child in the womb, uniquely fashioning them to His delight; and yet we have more regard for our pets than them. Dogs and cats are not children and should never be compared to them; you are not a parent because you purchased an animal. It is a disgraceful thing to hijack terms and assign them to things with lesser value. The terms of parent and child are rich with meaning and they speak of the immeasurable worth the Lord has bestowed upon His image bearers. The child that you and your spouse conceive, carry in the womb, hold in your arms, and watch grow, is a priceless soul God has entrusted to you.

A Heritage

In other translations of Psalm 127 the word "gift" is translated as "heritage."

This idea of heritage is something that I fear we have forgotten. We have become self-absorbed with instant gratification, and the church has become so feeble at heart that instead of building the kingdom of God they cower in the corner waiting to be raptured. This is partially why couples are not having children, they do not know the glory of a heritage. Just consider the verse we have been looking at, the fruit of the womb is a reward, a heritage is a gift.

The Patriarchs of Scripture understood the value of a heritage. When God promised Abram a great reward Abram responded,

Abram understood that there is little value in a great reward if it is not to be passed on. His line would end with him, and all of his work would fall into the hands of a stranger. But The Lord showed great loving-kindness to Abram by establishing his household. God promised Abram a son, Isaac, to be born to him, and from that son would arise a great and holy nation which we all partake in (Gen 17, Rom. 9:6-9, Gal 3:15-29).

God also greatly blessed King David. He elevated David from a shepherd of the field to king over all of Israel. The greatest blessing that the Lord bestowed on him was an everlasting covenant and lineage.

After David, his son Solomon reigned on his throne and built a house for the Lord. David's descendants reigned over Judah till the Exile. After that, in the fullness of time, Jesus came and triumphed and He now sits on David's throne forevermore.

All throughout Scripture we see that offspring are a treasure and barrenness is a reproach (1 Sam 1:6-7, Isaiah 4:1, Luke 1:25). The Lord showed His favor to individuals like Abraham, Ruth, David, and Job by giving them a heritage; those whom He cursed, like Jeroboam and Ahab, He utterly cut off and destroyed their line. Oh how confused we are that we see our offspring as a burden and even go as far as to destroy our own lines.

This is not to say that couples who are unable to have children do not have the favor of God. Sometimes when God closes the womb, it is not a curse. Remember the words of Christ when His disciples asked Him whose sin had caused a man to be born blind:

Perhaps the Lord closes the wombs of some so that they may adopt children, or fully dedicate their lives to mercy ministries. Perhaps He chooses to close the womb to display His glory in ways yet unfathomable to us. Children are not in an of themselves evidences of God's favor, and the lack of them is not necessarily a curse.

However, the number of people the Lord calls to a childless life is the exception rather than the rule. The female body is designed to bear and care for children, and the Lord designed sexual intimacy between a man and a woman to result in reproduction. For most Christian couples, God has called them to be obey Him by multiplying and raising of godly offspring.

A Heritage of Faith

The heritage of our children is not simply a physical line; it is also a heritage of faith that is passed down to generations. When Peter gave his sermon at Pentecost, he said to those listening that the promise of the Gospel was for them and for their children (Acts 2:39). In the gospel of Matthew we are told that parents were bringing their children (and infants) to Jesus so that He may lay His hands upon them and the disciples try to rebuke them, but Christ responded,

God is the God who blesses to the thousandth generation (Det 7:9). We are God's people and He has made a covenant with us and our children. God is gracious to households. He richly blesses faithful parents who raise up their children in the way they should go (Prov 22:6) with a heritage of faith that passes from generation to generation. I look back at my own family tree and see the lineage of faithful men and women who were obedient to Christ. They have passed that gift down to me and I hope to pass it on to my own children and see it continue to my children's children and beyond.

Unashamed in the Gate

When we raise children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord we are raising an army to further Christ's kingdom. When only a single person stands up to fight for truth it is easy for him to become overwhelmed, but if he trains his children to fight with him and they train their children soon you have a formidable force. The reason the man who has a quiver full of children is blessed is because he is not alone when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. Beloved, not only is it a good thing to have children, it is a better thing to have a lot of children. I am not making a law where there is no law, I am simply observing that more children means more disciples.

We are commissioned to make disciples and what better disciples are there than those in our own household? God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply so that they would fill the earth and subdue it for Him. The mission has not changed: we are to make disciples and baptize the nations for King Jesus and it starts in our households.

Oh Beloved, do not be deceived into thinking that children will keep you from doing important work for the kingdom. Those reading who already have children do not be deceived into thinking that your children are keeping you from the important work of the Kingdom. The most important work you can do for the Kingdom is to disciple your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Raising kids to love the Lord is the greatest good work He has set before husbands and wives. Once again I will not make a law where there is no law. Beloved, the gift of children is one of the greatest blessings from the Lord. I urge those who are married to have children, have a lot of children, have more children than you can afford! For the household who has a quiver full shall not be put to shame.

Work Cited

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.