From the very beginning, the Bible has taught us that children are a blessing from God. God promised to give Abraham descendants as numerous as the stars in the heavens and the sands on the seashore, who would develop into a great nation (Genesis 15:5, 22:17). Psalm 127 states that “sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them” (Psalm 127:3–5).
King David was blessed of God by being the father of many children. The Scriptures identify 20 of his children by name and tell us that he also had many other sons and daughters.
It is interesting to notice how and when the Bible tells us of David’s children. The first list of David’s children—which occurs in 2 Samuel 3:2–5—comes just after Saul had died and David had been anointed as king over the men of Judah. He had spent many years running away from Saul and his followers, who were trying to kill him. But in a very significant statement, we read that “David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker” (2 Samuel 3:1). This is the statement that introduces us to the first listing of David’s children. In other words, God is telling us here that part of his strengthening of David, and part of David’s growing acceptance as the rightful king of Israel, included the blessing of having many children.
The second time we read a listing of David’s children—in 2 Samuel 5:13–16—follows a section in which David appears in an even more impressive light. Now David had been anointed as king over the entire nation of Israel (not just Judah), and he had just captured Jerusalem. He now knew that “the Lord had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom” (2 Samuel 5:12). Immediately following these inspiring words, we read another listing of David’s sons. Again, children were part of God’s many blessings to David and God’s exalting of his kingdom.
We live in a society today that has declared war upon its children. Many people choose not to have children so that they won’t interfere with their own selfish pleasures. Many other people place their children far down the list of priorities in their lives, after their jobs, houses, cars, vacations, and “self-fulfillment.” Many people abuse their children emotionally by ignoring them or by verbally assaulting them. Many people abuse their children physically by actually beating them or by having sexual relations with them.
All of these things are wrong—horribly wrong! God gives children as great blessings, as gifts to be enjoyed, and as precious trusts to be given back to God. May we have the grace to enjoy our children, to love them, to nurture them, to pray for them, and to thank God for them.
Dr. David Howard
Professor of Old Testament
Prayer Requests:
- Pray that we would faithfully parent and grandparent our families and those the Lord puts in our lives.
- Please continue to pray for our students and faculty/staff as they approach mid-terms.
- Pray that for the Lord’s continued protection on our student’s health as we aim to remain in-person the rest of this semester.
- Please pray that the Lord would grant us wisdom in dealing with the increasingly challenging environment in higher education, especially if the Equality Act gets passed by Congress (please pray that the act doesn’t get enacted into law!).
- And, as always, please keep praying for our school’s finances. We praise the Lord for you and ask that He raise up more generous supporters in the months and years to come.