IN FAITH
CHILDREN ARE A HERITAGE OF THE LORD
During the‑major depression that took place in the early part of the twentieth century, many families were blessed with a large number of children. Both of my parents, who‑grew up during this time, were members of large families. My mother had seven siblings and my father had ten.‑One of my wife’s closest friends during the early part of our marriage was an elderly lady in the church we attended who had raised twelve children during the depression. I’ve heard many people of this era say, “We were poor but we didn’t know we were poor because everybody was poor.” They would also say, “We‑didn’t have much but we were happy.”‑Having grown up during the latter part of the twentieth century, I find it a strange contrast that people often respond in shock when they find out that my wife and I have six children. Furthermore, people will often say that “two is‑enough” or, in some cases, “one is enough.” Some‑make comments to imply that they cannot afford more than one or two children. How can this reasoning be reconciled with the common‑tendency to have large families during the great financial crisis of the depression?
I suggest that our culture has influenced many parents to adopt a‑secular view of children rather than a biblical view. Instead of viewing children as a blessing from God which, when properly trained, will prove to be an asset to the‑home; we have come to view‑them as an extra burden‑to be maintained. Some have said they do not want their children to suffer the hardships that they endured; therefore, they have gone to the other extreme of providing everything for their children. Instead of training our children to be servants, we have trained ourselves to serve them. Yet our perfect example, Jesus Christ, said “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45).
If we are to see a change for the better in our day, we must again adopt‑the biblical pattern for training our children. This begins by first‑adopting a biblical attitude toward them.‑Notice the language of divine inspiration as given in Psalm 127, “Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. 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.” (Psalm 127:3-5). The first statement in this portion of scripture identifies the Christian’s attitude toward his children. They are “a heritage of the Lord.” They are a possession which God has graciously committed to our care. They may have been “planned” or “unplanned” from a human point of view, yet the Christian believes that “the fruit of the womb is his reward.” The conception and development of a‑child in the womb is indeed a work of God (see Psalm 139:13-17).
Secondly, we must understand and assume our responsibility, “As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.” As parents, especially fathers, we must learn and implement the biblical principles for training our children. We must approach this responsibility with biblical skill (wisdom) in the same way an experienced‑archer would direct his arrows to strike the target. In other words we are to “Train up a child in the‑way he should go…” (Proverbs 22:6).‑The book of Proverbs is the most valuable resource we have‑to help us obtain this skill. Children are born with a sin nature that is prone to manifest itself through selfish rebellion (Proverbs 22:15a). This rebellion is generally revealed at an early age when the child doesn’t get what he wants. He attempts to declare‑his independence from all authority by “pitching a fit.” At this point, either the parent is trained by the child to grant the child’s request or the parent takes advantage of the opportunity to train the child. It is also at this point that the parent chooses to trust God’s method of training or trust the philosophies of the world’s “experts.” God’s method is very clear, “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.” (Proverbs 22:15). The word‑”rod” simply means “a branch or offshoot” or as we more commonly call it,‑”a‑switch.” Notice this is not a “rod of abuse” but a “rod of correction.” When utilized consistently as directed in the Book Of Proverbs, the stinging sensation of the rod‑‑is God’s way of training the child to discipline himself not to respond sinfully when he doesn’t get his way.
Finally, notice the long-term results of this type of training. “…they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.” The city gates were places of public gathering where the people transacted business, discussed politics, etc. To say that our children will speak with the enemies in the gate is to say that they will overcome the‑evil influence of the world when they leave the secure environment of the home.‑‑Instead of being overcome by‑the world, they overcome the world‑(See Romans 12:21 & Philippians 2:14-16).‑In the words of Dr. Oswald J. Smith,‑”the light that shines the farthest will‑shine the brightest at home.”
We invite‑you to worship with us‑at Fort‑Wayne Primitive Baptist Church located at 2006 Nuttman Avenue directly across from Brooklyn Medical Associates. We meet each Sunday at 10:30am. For more information, contact pastor Buddy Abernathy at (260) 417-7839 or BuddyAbernathy@juno.com
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