Psalm 127:4--Arrow Making

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children of one's youth. -Psalm 127:4

This verse calls for a few posts. :-)

At the beginning of the verse, Solomon simply says that children are "like arrows." Many have pointed out that arrows don't simply grow on trees. Warriors have to take twigs--or branches more likely--and diligently work to straighten, whittle, and sharpen pieces of wood they find. It's no accident that Solomon compares children to arrows.

When children arrive in our world, when they are graciously given to parents through birth or adoption, they are like raw gnarly pieces of wood. They have spiritual bends, weak spots, and knots. They are deeply flawed. And if left to themselves, they would be of little use to God's kingdom. They wouldn't even attach to a bow, let alone fly straight or far, or penetrate into any evil strongholds. They need to be worked on and undergo deep-seated change.

So as parents, we have a responsibility to do what we can to make our children useful for God's kingdom. (We must acknowledge of course that ultimately God is the one who will change our children and make them useful for His purposes.) We should whittle away sinful behavior through discipline and correction. We should sharpen them by equipping them with knowledge of God's Word. We should help make them strong internally in character and integrity by setting high expectations. We should make sure they "fly straight" by helping them develop a biblical worldview that helps them make godly decisions.

So let's take these crooked branches God gives us and do our part to turn them into straight and strong arrows that someday we can launch into the world on their own--to fly into the heart of our great enemy's kingdom.