Psalm 127:1 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.

Introduction

The greatest blessing that you will ever come into your home is the children that God will bring into your home.

Lo or Behold - is a very important word in the Bible. Behold is like the finger of the LORD pointing to this verse. Look at this; pay attention; don't miss this; 

Psalm 127:3 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.

Three metaphors here in these verses, namely, gift, reward, and arrows - these are the three pictures of your children. These speak of the blessing that they are. 

It has been said that children will make a rich man poor. Nope, children will make a poor man rich. This is the greatest treasure apart form your relationship to God and your relationship to your spouse that you will enjoy in your life. 

I - Gift

Psalm 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. 

The word heritage or gift signifies your children come directly from God. God is the only One Who can ultimately create a child. That child is a gift from God to you. You did not create that child. Only God can create a human life. Our children that we have are a gift from God. 

It does not say that some children are gift of the LORD; it does not say that most children are gift of the LORD; but simply children, implying all children. There is no such thing as an accidental birth or a surprise pregnancy from God’s viewpoint. Wise are the parents who acknowledged that their child is a special gift form God. That child that you hold in your arms today is one of the most precious gifts that God has ever put into your life. 

They are so precious because of the Giver of this gift. Any thing that God would bestow to us is special because it comes from God, how much more our children.

II - Reward

Psalm 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. The reward here is is the idea of God’s positive blessing upon our lives rewarding us. God is a good God He pours His favor and grace and mercy upon us. In most situations He bestows children to be a reward. 

Children are never to viewed as a burden but as a blessing. Children are reward from LORD; they bring joy; they bring you pleasure; they bring you happiness; they are like a trophy; they are like a prize. They are an expression of God’s mercy and His love to you. 

III - Arrows

The imagery returns to the imagery in verse one which the  imagery of warfare.

Psalm 127:1 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.

The context was warfare in verse one. The watchman would be on the wall for the city throughout the night looking for enemy’s armies that would arise and advance against the city and would sound the alarm. As we come to verse 4 and 5 we return to this imagery of the encroachment of the enemy.

Psalm 127:4 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.

Mom and dad will face some enemies and mom and dad will be confronted by some enemies. And children are like arrows to be used in the context of warfare. Your children are to be an extension of you, to carry out the fight in you are involved. 

What is this suggesting? Arrows must be carefully shaped

Arrows don’t begin straight; arrows begin crooked. They are just branches; they are limbs that must be taken and cut down and whittled and shaped and formed until they become what they should be; until they become straight. And so it is with parents; parents must shape their children. 

Arrows do not shape themselves; arrows must be shaped. And as parents our first ministry to our children is to shape them; to give direction to them. 

Sometimes I hear parents say like this, “I don’t want to force my religion upon them, I want them to make their little decision.” Let me just tell you something, the devil has not bought into that; the devil is after your child. The devil is not going to leave your child alone. The world is not going to leave your child alone; the other kids in their school they are not going to leave you kids alone. The cults are not going to leave your children alone. And when you turn on your television I promise you NBC, ABC, CBS, KPBS, Disney, MTV, is not going to leave your children alone. You will be a fool to just sit back and say, “I will just let them make their own little decision.” You need to be an evangelist at home. You need to be one who aggressively start early in indoctrinating your children with truth of the Word of God.

Your children were born into this world crooked and do you know where they got it? They got it from you. 

Psalm 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Every child is born with a crooked sinful nature. That little darling that is sitting next to you has a bad heart. And so therefore you must do something about it.

Psalm 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.

They would cry, they have just been fed, they just want to be held. They give that impression to us. They can do it very naturally. 

Proverbs 22:15 Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

What is in the heart of the child? Foolishness, not wisdom. How are you going to get those foolishness out? The rod of discipline will remove it far from him. Some good old-fashioned discipline is need to pull the plug on that heart to get the foolishness to drain out.

Provers 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.

You just let your child go with the flow and he will grow up to bring shame to the name of your household. 

Some kids would say to their parents but so and so is doing that! But we are not doing what so and so does; we are doing what we believe God would have us to do. And left to go to your own way you will bring shame to your mother’s name.

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

This is a principle not a promise. That is a general observation; it is not an absolute guarantee.

If they are not shaped at home they probably are not going You are going to have to shape Christian values and virtuous in the lives of your children or when you send them out from your home they are going to go in the wrong direction. They may even boomerang and come back and nail you.

Arrows must be carefully shaped.

Closing Thoughts

Is God building your home? It is not automatic. It will not build it self just like any other building. Except the LORD build the house …

Life is so short. You get one shot at this. It’s got to coutn. It’s got to have God soeverignly and gracious building your home.

AMEN!