Children
Psalms 127
1
A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except
the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD
keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
2
It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of
sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
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.
Psalms 127 links the welfare of the family to
the welfare of the city, and connects both of their welfares to God.
God is the ultimate source of strength to homebuilders, city
planners, watchmen, and families.
Those who build their
home according to God’s power and wisdom, upon God’s Word, will have the
inheritance of children who can “speak with their enemies in the gate”
– that is, in the public areas of the city.
In today’s world, we would say children who can speak out well at a
city council meeting, or in Congress, or the legislature.
One objective of raising Godly children is therefore to produce Godly
people who can be leaders in public discussion and discourse about what is
right, and wrong, what is Godly, or ungodly.
Psalms 128
1
A Song of degrees. Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in
his ways.
2
For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it
shall be well with thee.
3
Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy
children like olive plants round about thy table.
4
Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD.
To be blessed by God parents must do what they
believe is best for their children, and what is right before the Lord.
Mat 5:15-16
15
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a
candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is
in heaven.
God’s
people are not to hide God’s light under a bushel basket; they have a civic
duty to be part of the public debate. Our
nation’s Founding Fathers knew this. They
warned that there is no place for believers to withdraw from the world.
Psalms 127:5 tells us to engage our enemies, and presumably our
friends, “in the gate.”
We should stand for what is Godly, what is right in the Lord’s
judgment, standing against what is wrong.
Psalms 127:3 tells us that
children are a blessing from the Lord. But
we all know that they will tend towards foolish mischief if left to their own
nature. Proverbs 22:15-
“Foolishness is bound in the heart of a
child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.”
Discipline is intended
to purge children of the foolishness that is bound within them.
For that reason, the Word says that parents are to discipline their
children.
Proverbs 19:18 further
instructs us to do so when your son is young, while there is still hope:
“Chasten thy son while there is hope, and
let not thy soul spare for his crying.”
If
we fail to do so, we will live to regret it.
If we do, we shall live to enjoy it.
Proverbs
29:15, 17
15
The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his
mother to shame.
17 Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall
give delight unto thy soul.
Opinions may vary as to the best way to
discipline children, but disagreements about means must never lose sight of
what the Word says are the ends – to bring a child into adulthood with
strong character and the ability to make wise choices.
Proverbs 29:15- “The
rod and reproof give wisdom:”
Whatever the term “rod” means to you as a
parent, Proverbs 23:12-14 encourages you to use discipline in raising your
children:
12
Apply thine heart unto instruction,
and thine ears to the words of knowledge. 13
Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him
with the rod, he shall not die. 14
Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from
hell.
However, don’t
go too far. The Word also
tells us to not provoke our children to wrath.
Eph 6:4- “And,
ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
Don’t take discipline too far; only so far as it needed for immediate
and long term correction, coupled with instruction in righteousness, or
“right believing.”
A child needs far more
than discipline. Discipline is
only one part of a broader home environment, which is needed to set a child on
the path towards love, wisdom, self-appreciation, understanding, long life,
and humility. See Proverbs
2:1-22, 4:3-9 and 15:29-33.
Punishment for
wrongdoing is not only to be corrective.
It is also meant to be preventive, in that it can steer a young person
away from more powerful forms of evil and ultimate destruction.
See Proverbs 5:7-14 and 23:14.
Never forget that the
rod of correction is to be used to demonstrate love.
Lack of loving discipline can be a form of ignorance, or hate.
Proverbs 13:24- “He
that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him
betimes [from time to time].”
When all is said and
done, there still are no guarantees as to how a child will turn out.
Although Proverbs 22:6 says “train up a
child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from
it,” this is not so much an absolute promise as an observation about
proper child rearing. Children have the gift of free will and may receive excellent
discipline, yet still refuse the path shown them by their parents.
Given this sobering reality, God calls us as parents to demonstrate
lives of wisdom, truth, love, and service to our children -- knowing that they
may, or may not, choose to follow our path.
Ultimately, no parent can force a child to honor either them or God;
that is a choice that each child makes on his or her own.
As parents, we
are simply called to do our best -- and leave the results to God.
