Thoughts on Psalm 127

Psalm 127: 3-5 (KJV)
3Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
4As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
5Happy 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.

Other translations of this verse call children a blessing of the Lord, but what does that really mean? Sure my children make me happy and I love them so very much. Sure I feel blessed to have them, but is that it? I don't think so.

When God blesses us, whether it be with children, money, a bountiful harvest, anything, He wants us to use that blessing to glorify Him. With knowledge comes wisdom. HE desires for us to be wise with His blessings. He doesn't want us to squander our money on frivolous things that don't bring glory to Him in the least, He doesn't want our harvest to go to waste, and He doesn't want our children to fall to the weigh side, either.

So how do we move the focus of raising up children from us to God? We are to "6Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6 KJV) Sure we can teach them to be productive, well-adjusted adults, but that is not the ultimate goal. That stops short of the real reason God gives us the blessing of children. The "way" our children should go is on the path of righteousness, which leads to God. Again, it's all about God and bringing glory to Him. Our ultimate goal for our children is to be a soldier in God's mighty Army. To be "salt and light" (Matthew 5: 13-15), to be set apart and shine for the glory of God.

Now, what are we supposed to do? The Word of God is very clear. We teach the Word to our children, diligently. This is way more than making them memorize a few key verses. This is teaching them the truths found in the Bible, teaching them obedience to His word, teaching them about the love of Jesus and what His Sacrifice means. In everything we do, we need to put a Biblical emphasis on it. Why do we want our children to obey us? Not because it makes our lives easier as parents (though it does, but that is not the point), but because God calls us to be obedient. Not only to our parents, but also to Him and His Commandments. Our children need to know that when they obey us, they are obeying God. Think about the story of Jonah. It is way more than a story about a guy who was swallowed by a big fish. It is more than a story about prayer. It is a story about disobedience, repentance, and God's Grace and Mercy. There are so many lessons to be learned and taught. It is so important that our children know more than the stories of the Bible, they must be taught their implications.

Our children must be taught the authority of God's Word. It is OUR responsibility. Not the church's, not Christian media, and certainly not any school system, whether public or private (and yes, I mean private Christian schools). WE are commanded to teach the Word to our children (Deuteronomy 6:5-9). It is a huge job for us, and needs to be taken very seriously. But God is good and He gave us His written Word. Use it. Increase in your own knowledge so you can increase that knowledge in your children.

When our children "speak with the enemies at the gate" they need to speak truth. They need to use the Word as a sword to defeat the Enemy. And it is our job to teach it to them.