Maranatha Messenger

HOW DOES GOD VIEW CHILDREN?

David tells us that “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 (Psalm 127:3-5).

1. God says that children are a nachalah {heritage} or inheritance from the Lord (v. 3a). This Hebrew word is also translated possessions, property and portion. Children are an inheritance from God! They belong to God! They are His personal possession! To abort an innocent baby is to destroy God’s property.

2. Secondly, God tells us that babies are His special reward to parents (v. 3b). The Hebrew word sakar {reward} gives the idea of being rewarded with pay. Children are like a bonus in addition to our salary. Do you ever receive a Christmas bonus? Children are likened to a special reward from God!

3. Thirdly, God calls children a blessing (v. 5a). The Hebrew word 'esher {happy} means blessed. In other words, blessed is the man that has his quiver full of children. Children are a blessing from the Lord! How do you view children? Do you view them as an inheritance from the Lord? God does! Do you see them as a special reward from above? God does! Do you recognize your children as a blessing of the Lord? God does!


WHO IS THE GREATEST?

In Luke 9:46-48 Jesus taught His disciples a very important lesson on greatness. Evidently there arose a discussion among these ambitious saints concerning which of them should be called the greatest. Perhaps there was a dispute over superiority or seniority? Nonetheless, the omniscient Savior perceived the dialogismos {thoughts} or reasoning in their hearts. In great wisdom, Jesus reached out to a child, and set him next to Himself. What was Jesus doing? What would the Savior do next? He was about to strike a chord concerning the very self-worth of the disciples. In a very deliberate manner, Jesus said to them, “Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great” (Luke 9:48). Their egos were crushed! I can hear the disciples now, “You’ve got to be kidding! That dirty little stinking kid is greater than me?” What was Jesus thinking? What exactly was Jesus saying?

1. First of all, this was a statement of condescending equality. Jesus equated Himself with this poor, dirty child. What humility! The God of the universe lowered Himself to the same level of the least of them all! “Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me.” Sounds like equality to me! Furthermore, this text infers a great truth! How you treat children is a reflection on how you treat Jesus. By the way, murdering an innocent child is the ultimate form of rejection. It’s simply not right!

2. Secondly, this was a statement of exalted equality. In the same sentence that Christ associates Himself with this child, He also equates Himself with God the Father. The second part of the verse says, “whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me.” On a theological realm we see the humility and divinity of Christ together. He is the God-man. Yet on a more practical tone we see Lord’s opinion of children. In order to illustrate a lesson on humility Christ compares Himself to a little child to get His point across. The punch-line of His message is found in the last statement. “He that is least among (children) you all, the same shall be great” (v. 48c). Please keep in mind that Jesus was instructing the “greatest” preachers of all time, the disciples. They soon discovered that they weren’t so great after all.

What do you do when you don’t know what to do? Your sixteen year old daughter is pregnant. Is abortion a viable option for your little girl? It may be convenient, but is it right? Should a child of God consider abortion as an alternative solution to an unwanted pregnancy?We have established that God’s law protects the baby in the mother’s womb (Exodus 21:22-23). Furthermore, we agree the scriptures teach that God has a plan for your unborn child (Psalm 139:13-16). We have read how God called Isaiah, Jeremiah and John the Baptist while they were in their mother’s womb. Additionally, we have discovered how children are an inheritance from the Lord (Psalm 127:3-5). Then finally, we saw how Jesus equated Himself with little children (Luke 9:48). Without a doubt the scriptures forbid abortion as a viable solution for your sixteen year old daughter’s pregnancy.

1. What does God mean when He calls a child an heritage of the Lord?

2. Are children really a reward from God? How?

3. How are children a blessing from the Lord?

4. Who are the greatest?