Re: Verse reading–Psalm 127:3-5; Proverbs 22:6; Deuteronomy 6:1-9 (day seven)
“Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are the sons born in one’s youth.”–Psalm 127:3-4. These words stand in stark contrast to the way moderns think and speak. Children to the ancients were possessions (heritage), wages (reward) and weapons (arrows). Our fathers in the faith perceived, sometimes more honestly than we do, the conflict and struggle that life is. . .between good and evil. . .between God’s kingdom and man’s pride. And children are our secret weapon. No single factor has influenced history more than the Jewish (and then Christian) home. Parents who carefully and prayerfully shape children for the service of God do, indeed, send them out as arrows aimed at “enemies in the gate.”–v 5. Like the old baseball manager said after an away game defeat. “They got the best of us tonight, but we will beat them at home.”
