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Abraham’s children eventually became slaves in Egypt where God was blessing them with so many children that Pharaoh became worried and tried to destroy them. But God delivered them. He brought them into the Promised Land where he said he would again bless the fruit of their wombs if they would love and serve him.
David & Sons
David wrote, “Let our sons in their youth be as grown-up plants, and our daughters as corner pillars fashioned as for a palace… How blessed are the people who are so situated; how blessed are the people whose God is the Lord” (Ps. 144:12, 15). Again, the blessing of God is linked to childbearing. In Psalm 128 the greatest evidence of the happiness of a God-fearing man is that his wife will be like a fruitful vine and his children like olive shoots around his table. And it is unlikely that a Jewish man in an arid, Middle-eastern climate would complain about having too many olive shoots.
Solomon in Psalm 127 called children a heritage from the Lord, a reward, like arrows in the hands of a warrior, especially when you have them “in your youth” (v. 4). We’ve all heard preachers wax eloquent about how sharp our arrows must be, or how well-aimed, and how once we’ve released our arrows, they’re gone forever. But Solomon’s main point in these verses is a little more obvious than that: he is saying that the most important thing for a warrior is simply to have arrows, not to have an empty quiver and be caught unprepared for battle.
Notice also that Solomon also says “sons born in one’s youth” (Ps. 127:4). Most Christian young couples today are shocked to hear that the Bible actually recommends having children while you are still young. Too often we miss these truths if we are shaped more by the culture than by Scripture.
Michelle and I have already been immensely blessed by our young children. I remember when I first held each of them. It was so amazing to finally see that little person who had been formed in secret for nine months. Each was a complete surprise: dark hair, light hair, red hair; brown eyes, hazel eyes, blue eyes. Each one looked like us but in a different way. Each one has a soul that will live forever! What an unspeakable privilege to work with God to create.