Children: To Have
Or Not To Haveby Ronald E. Williams, Director
Hephzibah House
508 School St., Winona Lake, IN 46590
Hannah (I Samuel 1:11) would be strangely out of place in
the mainstream of contemporary Christian thought because of
her strong, longing desire to bear children. Leah (Genesis 29ff)
would likewise be an object of curiosity and the subject of
animated discussion if she would have borne six sons and one
daughter in modern times. One, or possibly two children is
socially "acceptable," but to have three is to step beyond the
norm and to have four, five, or more is to invite sharp criticism
and rejection.
Humanistic thought, selfishness, and the subtle, blatant,
propaganda of those from Planned Parenthood and Zero
Population Growth has taken its toll in Christendom. Grey heads
of today can well remember the families of many children their
grandparents reared before them, but have somehow not
stopped to ask why their children do not possess the same
Godly desire to "be fruitful and multiply" as their grandparents
had.
Our forebearers took the Scripture seriously, and when God
said in many and sundry ways that children were a blessing
and to be strongly desired, (Genesis 11:30; 15:2; Joshua 24:3;
Judges 13:2; I Samuel 1:2; II Samuel 6:23; II Kings 4:14; Psalm
113:9; 127:3-5; 128:3; Proverbs 17:6; Isaiah 8:18; Luke 1:7; 20:29,
etc.;, they believed Him, and many did just that. Even unsaved,
but charactered individuals agreed it was normal, healthy, and
right to desire and plan for a large family. Children are not an
albatross around the neck of a parent, a curse, a blight, or a
punishment from God, but a blessing and an inheritance from
a God who only gives good and perfect gifts (James 1:17).
"You cannot afford to have a child today," is the retort of
many. May I suggest that if that is what you are waiting for, you
will never have children. We could never afford to have any of
ours, but in inexplicable, enigmatic, and providential ways, God
has met our needs, just as He will for any of His children who
seek to obey and please Him.
Pressure has become so strong in encouraging a young
couple to limit the size of their family to no children, or one
or two, that I am convinced a Satanic conspiracy is involved.
Whatever God commands and promotes as a blessing, Satan
will attempt to confuse, distort, oppose, and prevent. Since an
honest reader of the Scriptures cannot draw any conclusion
but that God is in favor of large families (even our Saviour came
from a family of at least seven children - Matthew 13:55-56),
should not the average believer ask why most Christians are
choosing to limit the size of their family or even have none at
all?
Doing a little simple computation enables one to see why
Satan is desperately trying to convince committed believers in
any way he can to either have no children, or to severely limit
the size of their family. If we were to assume a godly believer
had seven children (after the example of Jesus' family), and that
each of his children would have seven children in each
generation, at the end of three generations, he would have 346
godly descendants. At the end of five generations, he would
have 16,954 descendants to be soldiers of the cross. At the end
of eight generations, he would have the incredible number of
5,815,222 "arrows" fighting for God against Satan's kingdom!
Does this little mathematical model show you why Satan is
pleased with the efforts of Planned Parenthood and the Zero
Population Growth people and why he would bring any pressure
to bear he can on believers to limit their child-bearing?
Believing parents of the 1980's [today] have been so carried away
with this dissimulation to the extent of even seeking tubal
ligations, vasectomies, and other surgical intervention rather
than run the risk of conceiving. These medical procedures are
not implicitly sinful, but a believer must honestly ask before
God, "What is my motive for seeking sterilization?"
Some believers have sought my counsel after having been
surgically sterilized and have finally seen they were deceived
by worldly philosophies, selfishness, or some other wrong
notion. A growing number of successes have been documented
where these procedures have been reversed in both men and
women. Where this is not possible and where the procedure
was not performed under the leadership of the Holy Spirit,
confession of sin is the answer to the nagging guilt (Prov. 28:13).
It has been successfully shown that the entire population
of the world can be comfortably placed with standing room
within the city limits of Jacksonville, Florida. Also, the entire
population of the globe could be placed in Texas and have 2,000
square feet for every individual! Planet Earth is not over-
populated despite the strident claims of Planned Parenthood
and their ilk. In fact, a large population can be a distinct blessing
and advantage to a nation that follows the Lord and His Word.
Witness the continual admonition of the Lord to Israel to bear
children in the Old Testament even in Babylonian captivity!
Of course, there is disease, poverty and even starvation in
certain nations of the world. But demographers are wrong to
lay the blame on "overpopulation." A careful review of each
of these sad situations reveals nations that have rejected God
or have fallen under the domination of a false religion such as
the Roman Church, Muhammadanism, Hinduism, etc. Certain
nations; for example, could feed themselves if they would reject
the unscriptural notions of reincarnation and eat the available
meat-producing animals and institute rodent controls.
Tragically, many believers fail to see the error of their personal
decisions to not bear children until it is too late to reverse their
actions. Many will never personally know the joy of the
statement, "the crown of older men is children's children"
(Proverbs 17:6), because even though they received Christ as
their Saviour, they lived and believed humanistic doctrine, and
never bore children who in turn would produce grandchildren.
Original life from God and the image of God is passed on
in the son (Genesis 5:3; 9:6), and a man achieves social
continuance through his son (Deuteronomy 25:6). A woman
finds great fulfillment in childbearing, nursing, and mothering
(Psalm 113:9), because it is natural, normal, and expected by
God for married women.
Attacks against the family in general and childbearing in
particular are growing in scope and ferocity. Some are sinister.
Witness the growing number of caesarean sections in childbirth.
An adjunct problem with this medical phenomenon of the late
20th century is that women who have had this procedure,
automatically must limit the size of their family, although some
mothers have successfully delivered other children by natural
birth even after a caesarean section.
Liberal lawmakers have even proposed legislation penalizing
families through the tax codes and other penalties [for those] who have
more than "acceptable" numbers of children. Child restraint
laws in many states are formulated with a small family in mind.
A godly family having a goodly number of children must either
break the law because there is not room enough in their vehicle
for all of the car seats, etc., or must purchase a very large
vehicle!
This is not to mention the growing social stigma of bearing
children in society at large, and sadly even among God's people.
Praise God there was no Planned Parenthood or Zero
Population Growth counselor around when Joseph and Mary
discovered she was pregnant with our Saviour. In fact, by
today's standards, the parents of our Saviour would have been
considered eccentric or irresponsible or both for bearing at least
seven children. If Planned Parenthood could have had its way,
there would have been no tribes of Israel, or perhaps one, or
two at the most, but certainly not twelve!
It is certainly no sin to be physically unable to bear children,
but many believers who could have done so, but for reasons
of selfishness, being duped by humanistic teachings, etc.,
chose not to, will be in for a difficult experience at the Judgment
Seat of Christ (II Corinthians 5:10).
The reward and blessing of children may come through
adoption which is a wonderful legal transaction cherished by
every member of the family of God who has been adopted by
God the Father (Romans 8:15, 17; Galatians 1:1-5). Jacob, for
example, adopted Ephraim and Manasseh. However if one is
for some reason (infertility, being single, no adoptive babies
available, etc.) unable to adopt a child, you may be given
spiritual children to adopt. Paul the Apostle illustrates this truth
and the blessing of it for him and his "spiritual sons" (he called
Timothy and Titus his sons in the faith).
Whether or not you space your children through mechanical
means of birth control, rhythm method, etc., is between you
and the Lord. I personally cannot demonstrate from Scripture
that it is sinful to attempt spacing of children. God will guide
you on this as a couple. But would you allow the Scriptures
and the Holy Spirit to speak to you about the blessings of
childbearing, and having numbers of righteous seed?
New Testament Christians do not get their guidance from
the Gallup Poll, friends, relatives, or social pressures, mores
and customs, but from Scripture. There never has been a traffic
jam on the straight and narrow way, but there are many who
are following after a multitude to do evil. Just because most
have bought the lie that the world is overpopulated or that we
should not bring a child into such an evil world of sorrow, does
not mean you have to. Remember, God commanded His people
to bear children under the abject slavery conditions of a
Babylonian captivity and Egyptian bondage. Remember also
it was a [G]odless and Satanic Egyptian government that tried
to practice the barbaric population control measure of
infanticide.
To be more specific, having children would keep Mom at
home instead of being a social butterfly or putting in her forty
hours down at the office. Others could not be as "involved"
as they would desire in church activities, missions, hobbies,
or other interests if they became parents of several children.
My friends, have we not lost sight of the fact that raising up
strong, stable homes with numbers of righteous children (like
arrows in the hand of a mighty man - Psalm 127) is a far more
basic, noble, and higher calling than other pursuits, no matter
how holy. I am obviously speaking to married folks since the
Lord clearly said there are some single persons called to be
eunuchs for the Kingdom's sake. There are many who seek
frenetic, possessing involvements in church, Sunday School,
calling programs, etc., that are right and good in their place,
at the expense of their more basic calling; their family. It is not
enough for me to succeed in my vocation, hobby or charitable
works if I do not succeed at home. God called Abraham a
faithful friend not because of his worldly success or erudite
theological insights, but because he would raise a godly Isaac
(Genesis 18:19). Deuteronomy 6 is a classic admonition to
fathers for their families. Psalm 78:1-8 continues this theme of
strengthening families and raising godly children being a basic
responsibility. Our churches, communities, states, and nations
will only be as strong and charactered as our families and the
children raised in them.
Children are called Arrows (Psalm 127:4-5) in the Bible. Arrows
are used to defend yourself and offend the enemy. All arrows
start as twigs and sticks and must painstakingly be fashioned
with great care into a serviceable arrow. Straight arrows will
be enabled to hit the mark of God's glory[,] whereas crooked, or
bent arrows will miss the mark and may even hit the parent
(Cain, Hophni, Phineas, Absalom, Adonijah, etc.). In other
words, all arrows go in the way they are made and aimed.
Children from large families are less likely to be self-oriented,
selfish individuals because by virtue of living with several
siblings, they have had to learn sharing; whereas an only child
or a child from a small family has often been the center of
attention, and has never learned the valuable lessons of sharing
that are part and parcel of a large family. In my experience,
being a part of a large family is no guarantee of being well
adjusted, but is a decided and marked advantage.
Better than any "Social Security Plan" or retirement program
is having a large number of God-fearing responsible sons and
daughters who were raised to love and honor their parents and
who willingly care for their needs when they become aged and
infirm.
Older children in large families of necessity learn household
and domestic duties and responsibilities and develop all-
important character. There is simply more work and supervision
needed than parents can possibly do alone and the older
children of necessity learn by doing. This prepares them well
for adulthood and coping with future responsibilities.
Mind you, children have to be nurtured, taught, corrected,
disciplined, educated, and prepared for a life of serving God.
If you are unwilling to do this, then please do not bear children
who will break your heart, blaspheme God, and populate
prisons. We already have a world teeming with Canaanites and
do not need any more. But if you want God's best, He equips
many for the seemingly impossible task of not only bearing
children, but raising them to His glory. It can be done, ought
to be done, and I pray you will do it. I believe if you will lay
aside selfish considerations, false philosophies, and social
pressures, you will.Reprints may be obtained from Hephzibah House.
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