Children As Arrows (Ps 127.3-5)

Psalms 127:3-5 Lo, children are an 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.

In verses 3-5 the psalmist tells us that children are:

1. An heritage from the Lord
2. His reward
3. As arrows in the hand of a mighty man
4. A source of happiness
5. Fellow soldiers in the battle

I want to take verse four, and expand on the comparison of children to arrows.

1. Children like arrows are made of men.

In the psalmist’s day the archer started with a rough, twisted, mangled, knotty stick or branch, and by investing time and labor in removing its imperfections, smoothing its rough surfaces, truing its straightness he makes an arrow that will be of value somewhere in the future. It is no different with godly children. Parents must invest time, energy, and labor developing their children into useful instruments for God.

1. Children like arrows are to be kept close at hand!

How foolish would it be for an archer to invest his time and energy into making flawless arrows only to place them somewhere besides his quiver? When time arrives for the arrow to be used, it would not be available and thus of no value to him! The godly parent must keep his children close at hand. Then when opportunity arises he can reach into his quiver of protection, and draw them out positioning them for the Lord’s work.

1. Children like arrows must be given direction for effectiveness.

An arrow, even if perfect in its design, is only as effective as its given direction from the archer. If pointed in the wrong direction it will become a wasted arrow. It is only as good as the archer’s aim. So is it with children. They must receive direction from their parents, and they will only be as effective as their parents are skillful in pointing them in the right spiritual way!

1. Children like arrows must one day be released if they are to be of any value!

What good would an arrow be to an archer if he would not place it in the bow, take aim, and then shoot it? It would be of no value. Many parents treat their children this way! They don’t want to, and some refuse to turn loose of their children refusing to accept the fact that there comes a time in their child’s life that the next step in their maturity is to venture from home! Therefore they hold them close, and refuse to place them in the bow, direct them, and shoot them into the world for the glory of God. They rob their children of a spiritually fulfilling life, and the joy of being used by God.

Don’t be guilty of robbing your child of his spiritual purpose in life!