“Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them [children]; they shall not

be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies at the gate.”

Hold the phone one more time,…I thought that whole quiver thing

and the having many kids thing was just cultural for Bible times?

Well first of all, the Bible was written by many authors, in different cultures, and over

thousands of years.

With that said, is it mere coincidence that we typically see all the

communities of faith seeking to have many children as blessing from God, and we typically see the communities of disobedience frequently attempting

to get rid of children?

Consider the covenant to Abraham of many descendents, land, and prosperity. Obviously, land and prosperity aren't cultural blessings,

so why would we consider the blessing of many descendants cultural? God determines that all three of these promises are

blessings, regardless of culture.

For now, lets have a closer look at a previous slide

Verily, God’s blessing is not just at the whim of cultural norms,

But we’ll consider that more later…

“Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them [children]; they shall not be ashamed, but they shall

speak with the enemies at the gate.”

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So, does the word ‘happy’ here mean just happy?

And what are we giving up by just not having as many children?

Surely, we just won’t be quite as happy, right?

Shall we look at other Scriptures to see just

what the idea of “happy” is all about?

“Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God”

Ps. 146:5

Is it really optional at all to not have our hope in the Lord?

Is not failing to have one’s hope in the Lord disobedience?

Don’t you agree, how blessed is the man who hopes in the Lord alone?!

“Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.”

Prov. 3:13

Is it really optional at all to not seek wisdom or search out understanding?

Is not failing to seek out wisdom when one can disobedience?

Don’t you agree, how blessed is the man who strives after wisdom and understanding?!

“Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth.” Job 5:17

Is it really optional at all to not want correction from the Lord, or to rebuke it?

Is not failing to want correction from the Lord when one sins disobedience?

Don’t you agree, how blessed is the man who well receives the correction of the Lord?!

“He that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.”

Prov. 14:21

Is it really optional at all to not be merciful to anyone?

Is not failing to show mercy when one can disobedience?

Don’t you agree, how blessed is the man who is merciful?!

“Happy is the man that feareth (God) always, he who hardens his heart will fall...”

Prov. 28:14

Is it really optional at all to not fear the Lord at all times?

Is not failing to fear the Lord whenever one is able to disobedience?

Don’t you agree, how blessed is the man who fears the Lord in all things?!

“Happy are they who keep God’s statutes, and seek Him with all their heart.”

Ps. 119:2

Is it really optional at all to not obey and seek the Lord at all times?

Is not failing to seek the Lord whenever one is able to disobedience?

Don’t you agree, how blessed is the man who seeks and obeys the Lord in all things?!

LIKEWISE…

“Happy is the man whose quiver is full of them (children).”

Ps. 127:5

Is it really optional to not welcome God’s gift of children at all times?

Wouldn’t this make failing to want children whenever God chooses disobedience?

Don’t you agree with the Bible, how blessed is the man that has many children?!

Blessing, are you kidding?Just wait until you have kids!They’re MONSTERS!

Just look at ‘em!

They’re cute terrors!

Does this look like God’s

‘BLESSING’ to you?!

Now, THAT’s more like it!

Now this is the blessing of God

It’s the American dream!

Wouldn’t this be an amazing blessing?

It is true that the blessing of God always exceeds our greatest expectations!

However, the blessing of God is much deeper and much larger

than all the frills.

MOST OFTEN, THE HARD THINGS IN OUR LIVES BRING THE GREATEST

BLESSING BECAUSE THEY DRAW US CLOSER TO GOD

‘Blessing’ as defined by Scripture is not just nice things or happy circumstances,

‘Blessing’ as defined by Scripture is

‘Blessing’ as defined by Scripture is

Miraculous

That means that it never just happens, but is Divine intervention that is

supernaturally obvious and intented by God for a special purpose from Him.

Miraculous

‘Blessing’ as defined by Scripture is

Miraculous

Abundance

That one means God knows the need and always fits the blessing to the situation,

so the blessing is always sufficient for the need. It’s always just right!

Abundance

‘Blessing’ as defined by Scripture is

Miraculous

Abundance

From God

That means as God is called the Blessed in Scripture, He alone can be the One

giving blessing, and the blessing is always a part of who He is: life, love, peace, etc.

From God

‘Blessing’ as defined by Scripture is

Miraculous

Abundance

From God

With God

Sometimes, in the Bible, it says, ‘God blessed so and so, and was with so and so’. God is always present in the blessing, and His presence is actually the blessing itself.

With God

‘Blessing’ as defined by Scripture is

Miraculous

Abundance

From God

With God

For God

That means blessing is always for worship. The whole point is for us to say, ‘Wow, God

is amazing! There is none like Him, and He is so my God! Thank you God! I love you!’

For God

So,

Because God calls children blessings all over the Bible, trying to limit God from blessing us with more children

is a little different than saying, “Dad, I don’t want anymore food, I’m full”.

Whether you know it or not…

By saying,‘I want only so many children’,

we’re also saying,…

Miraculous!I don’t want the extra miracles!

Countering a miracle of God in Scripture was tantamount to blasphemy!

By saying,‘I want only so many children’,

we’re also saying,…

Abundance!I am more aware of my needs than

God, I have no need of more children! Such in God’s Word is pride!

By saying,‘I want only so many children’,

we’re also saying,…

From God!I want to pick and choose God’s attributes in my life; more of his peace, love, etc. less of His life, patience, etc. (which is doubt /

lack of faith in His goodness)!

By saying,‘I want only so many children’,

we’re also saying,…

With God!I desire less of the presence of God. I

wish to experience Him in a way other than He’s chosen (which is rebellion)!

And finally,

By saying,‘I want only so many children’,

we’re also saying,…

For God!I desire less blessing, I desire less worship. I

can choose a different way than God to worship Him

(which is idolatry)!

And such must be true if children are miracles, why else would you turn down a blessing from God!

Using birth control is not just the missing of blessing that we

experience everyday by not asking for it; much worse.

It is the willful interruptive act of preventing God from blessing us; of

holding back God’s hand.

When it comes down to it, Children really are blessings. You’ll not find many

parents regretting they had as many as they did. On the other hand, there are

couples often wishing that they had found it within themselves to have more.