A few weeks ago in church my father preached on the importance of bringing our children to the Lord. At the end of the sermon he gave an alter call for the parents to come forward and pray for their children, while he sang a song. The song went through the first verse and unto the chorus with no one coming forward. It felt as if everyone was waiting for the first person to be bold enough to come forward. Yet at all the alter calls in the past someone has always come forward. The song reached the second chorus and finally someone came forward, a visitor. I waited certain now that others would come forward. Still no one came. It broke my heart I wanted to weep, and fought to hold back the tears. Last Sunday in church there was an alter call given and several people came forward. Why not the time before that? Do they truly care so little for their children? Do these parents really
devalue their children so that they cannot go up and publicly declare that "I will pray for my
children's souls." As the pastors daughter I know these families. I know that some of them are having difficulties with their children. I have heard them express their concerns and heartbreaks. I cannot understand this.
America as a whole and the entire world seems to
devalue children. The church even seems to
devalue children. I heard a minister recently express that it did not matter how many children a family has. I say it does matter and that the Bible does have something to say about it. A pattern from the
beginning of scripture can be established. The lord commands Noah in Genesis 9:1
Bring forth fruit and multiply and replenish the earth. And once again in verse seven
But bring ye forth fruit and multiply; grow plentiful in the earth and increase. The Lord commands Noah and his sons to into the world and have children,
many children to replenish the the whole earth.
The average family in America has two point one or two point two children. The average family in European countries is much less. The continent of Europe is dying out. They are not even at
replacement levels, Americans are barely there. While Americans are replacing themselves we are not having enough children to sustain our economy. This event has spread wide spread concern among the governments of the world. It has encouraged tax
benefits among other
benefits to encourage families to have children; our country included. The only
exception to mingling population seems to be the Muslims and perhaps the homeschooling family. What does the scripture say. To not only replenish the earth but to also increase it. I can remember a co-worker expressing disgust with me, when I expressed to him my desire to have a large family. He declared that the world was overpopulated. Those who state this are ignorant, and misinformed. This is simply not true. In fact man kind is a dying race. A race that it seems in many
countries will be of the Muslim religion. Why? Because Muslims are having babies and raising them in their faith, and the
children are remaining in their faith. While it is evident that the Christians are not having children, of the children they do have many do not stay in the faith.
I can think of no better way as a Christian woman to impact and greatly change the culture than having a quiver full of children. As a Christian who lives her life according to the precepts of the the Bible, this would be how I would raise my children. My many children would grow up to have many children of their own, and the faith and vision would be carried on of a
multigenerational faithful family. In a matter of just a few generations there could be millions of simply my own ancestors who are following the Lord. Why? Because one father and mother chose to have many children and raise them up in the direction and admonition of the Lord.
Where is the Biblical concept and principle of having many children found in scripture? There are indeed explicit verse and also Biblical patterns that can be pointed at. In Genesis 5:4 the scripture say, and days after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years and he begat sons and daughters. The first man the Lord ever created had at the smallest amount six children and Isaac had twelve sons and six daughters. God promised Abraham that he would make his decedents as numerous as the dust of the earth. Genesis 13:16 And I will make they seed as the dust of the earth. So that if a man can number the dust of the earth then shall they seed be numbered. That is an enormous amount of children, and it was a blessing! A significant inconvenience for a woman that is pursuing her career or has ambitions of dedicating their life to ministry. The Biblical pattern is established in the very first book of the Bible. However it does not end their but continues on throughout the entirety of the scripture. The genealogies though they may seem tedious to read also show that the large families were a normal thing.
I have grown up in a family of seven children. I can remember the strange stares that people would give in the stores when my mother took us all out with her to go shopping. All to often she would get the question "are they all yours?"
Behold children are the inheritance of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is a reward. Psalms127:3 It seems that people have forgotten today that children are blessing. Today it seems that children tend to be more of an inconvenience than a blessing. It breaks my heart that as I continually hear parents complain of their children. They make passing remarks such as, would you like to take them home with you." or "I'm going to kill them." Even on a joking level, how can we tolerate this? How can we find it funny? Could it be that the true sentiments of the parents hearts are coming through. Are our children cute when they are babies and wonderful when they give us grandchildren but an inconvenience all the years in between? Children are a blessing from the Lord. Deuteronomy 7:12-14 declares thus. For if ye hearken unto these laws and observe and do them, then the Lord thy God shall keep with thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy Fathers. And he will love thee and bless thee and multiply thee. He will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn and thy wine, and thine oil, and the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee. Thou shalt be blessed above all people. There shall be no male nor female barren among you, nor your cattle. The Lord blesses those who serve him in righteousness with many children. It is a blessing that made Israel more powerful above all nations. Psalms 128: 3 says, they wife shall be as the fruitful vine on the sides of thine house, and thy children like the olive plants round about the table. This is your blessing for your fear of the Lord and your faithfulness.. Children are your reward for your faithfulness, for a job well done. After the Lord has allowed Job to suffer great affliction, one of the ways he blesses him is with ten more children. This is a foreign concept to what the media teaches, according to what the schools teach us, according to what government teaches, according to what the experts say, and even according to what our Churches tell us. When my parents were young missionaries for our church denomination there was concern about our large family of four children. Today my father is a pastor and a father of seven children. Also today our denomination does not allow families with more than three children to enter the mission field.
The Lord curses sinful nations, men, and woman with barrenness. This truth is seen continually throughout scripture. In Genesis chapter 20 the Lord afflicts Abimelech's family with barrenness until her returns Sarah unto Abraham. In 2 Samuel 6:18-23 there is the story of Michal King David's wife. Because she ridiculed and disrespects her husband she is barren until her death as a punishment. To bare no children in a family was a shame. Hannah wept bitterly before the Lord. Jepthah's daughter goes into the wilderness to mourn that she will dies a virgin, and never bare children. Today for a woman to put off barring children or not have children at all is normal, and excepted and probably more honored is a career woman than a mother.
Children make you powerful, they make you more successful and effective for the kingdom of the Lord. As arrows in the hand of a strong man, so are the children of youth. Blessed is the man that hath his quiver full of them, for they shall not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gates. Psalms 127:4-5 Many underlining principles can be taken from these two verses. A warrior going out into battle has a greater chance for an effective victory the more ammunition he has to fight against his enemy. You may have the gun however without bullets it is ineffective, perhaps you can convince someone that you do have bullets however when it comes time to use it, when you actually have to fire upon someone you are in big trouble. We have a mighty enemy, the stronger we can arm ourselves against him the greater our chance for a successful victory. As a Christian should this not be our goal. The Lord has commanded us to take dominion over the earth and to make disciples of all nations. Is having a quiver full of children not the most effective way of producing these results. By default in only a few nations Europe will be a Muslim nation, because they are having children and the Europeans are not. What is the solution to this? To win all the Muslims over for Jesus? Or the assured plan of success that has been proven. This is what the Muslims are doing, and it is working. We must have children and raise them in the precepts of the Lord.
How many families do we see today without children? I could not tell you the number of girls I have heard say they are never getting married or having children. I at one time held this point of view. until the Lord changed my heart. We plan our families. "I am going to have this many girls and this many boys and this is what I am going to name them." How many millions of woman are on birth control or have had surgery to prevent themselves from getting pregnant? How abortions have killed innocent lives? Why because we are selfish poeple. Excuses are made, we are not ready for children, we would rather chase the feminist ideal of a successfull career, we want to have our fun, or we don't have the means the provide for them well enough, or we need to get out of debt first. The list of excuses could go on and on. Perhaps our excuses sound legitimate to our ears and logic. However when we line them up against God's word are they legitimate. Why are large families so rare inside the church? Could it be because the church has embraced the ways of this world. I believe the case could even be made that birth contraceptives are unbiblical. In 1 Corinthians chapter seven, husbands and wives are told not to keep themselves from each other sexually with the only exception being a short time for praying and fasting.
Perhaps because the Lord does not specifically command us in scripture to go and have many children we try to ignore it as a bad suggestion. After all are we not more free to serve the Lord if we are unattached? Is not all scripture good for reproof and doctrine? To have many children is a Biblical principle a pattern, not just an old fashioned idea or the way the culture was then. Who shaped the culture? The Lord. the Lord commands us to obey his principles. Psalms 119: 4 says, Thou has commanded to keep thy precepts diligently. The dictionary defines a precept in this way. A commandment or direction meant as a rule of action or conduct. A rule of moral law, a written order. Is sounds a lot like the definition of a principle which is defined in this way. A fundamental truth, law, doctrine, or motivating force. Thou hast commanded to keep thy precepts diligently. This is a command, God's precepts are not just suggestions, they are to be kept diligently.
In conclusion, should not a disciple of Christ want to run as fast as they can toward the Biblical pattern and not try and get as close to the line without crossing it. Children are a blessing from the Lord, why would you not want his blessing?
