Dad’s We Need to Shoot Straight
Psalms 127
A Song of Ascents; of Solomon. 1Except Jehovah build the house,
They labor in vain that build it: Except Jehovah keep the city,
The watchman waketh but in vain. 2It is vain for you to rise up early,
To take rest late, To eat the bread of toil; For so he giveth unto his beloved sleep.
3Lo, children are a heritage of Jehovah; And the fruit of the womb is his reward.
4As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, So are the children of youth. 5Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: They shall not be put to shame, When they speak with their enemies in the gate.
“As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them.”
There is a war going on against the family.
Gloria Steinem said years ago, and her idea has just snowballed and it is worst than ever. She was a former Playboy bunny who was one of the chief spokespersons for the feminist movement. She is recognized by feminists as being a leader. I want you to listen to what she says, and I’m going to give you a quotation: “Marriage has existed for the benefit of men and is a legalized, sanctioned control of women. The end of the institution of marriage is a necessary condition for the liberation of women.” She says, “Let’s just do away with marriage.” And then, she goes on to say, “It is important for us to encourage women to leave their husbands. We must work to destroy marriage. The nuclear family must be replaced with a new form of family, where individuals live together to meet the need of all people. There must come a new way of looking at children. Children must be seen as the responsibility of the entire society rather than their parents”—just another way of saying, “It takes a village”; just another way of saying that marriage, as we know it, is obsolete. Now, that would be laughable, and no one would pay any attention to that, except to say that this particular woman has a large following. And, there are many who see her as the patron saint of a new movement in our world.
That’s a very frontal attack on the family. Most of the attack on the family is subtler.
Psalm 127, “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate” (Psalm 127:1–5). Now, what he is saying is this—that children are like arrows and dads are like archers. Dads are to be mighty warriors, and children are to be arrows in the hand of the father. And, the implication of this psalm is that when dads learn to shoot straight, the kids are going to hit the mark. You see, an arrow is no more effective than the warrior who shoots it, and the bow is not much better than the man that holds that bow in his hand.
The Strong Archer
If you would to have a successful family and good kids, the archer must be strong.
There’s more than casually picking up a bow and an arrow. No matter how fine the arrow and how strong the bow, it takes an incredible amount of skill. There must be good aim. There must be a full draw. And, there’s got to be a smooth release to make that arrow go where you want it to be. Needless to say, it takes skill. It takes practice. It takes determination. The same is true to be a good dad; the same is true of fatherhood. To be a good man is difficult; to be a good husband is more difficult, but to be a good father is the most difficult of all.
Now, when the arrow misses its target, there may be many reasons. There may be some bad arrows. Indeed, there may be some moving targets. Indeed, there may be some unforeseen wind that blows the arrow away from the target. But, this does not diminish the warrior’s responsibility. It really only increases it, that we might reshoot with skill, point those arrows. God has given us these children like arrows. My responsibility is to shape, to sharpen, and to shoot those arrows at the enemy. (Psalm 127:4).
Every fathers goal in this life should be to be a good husband and a good father. (1 Timothy 3:4)
“As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man” (Psalm 127:4). Now, its not talking about physical strength here, because some of us could not qualify, but we’re talking about spiritual strength. And, any man can qualify,
The Arrows Must Be Straight
The archer must be straight, but the arrows must be straight. Children are not born straight arrows. Sticks are not arrows; twigs are not arrows. Children are not, by nature, arrows; they have to be made into arrows. And, you cannot shoot straight with crooked arrows. And so, your job as a dad is shaping, it is sharpening, and it is shooting the arrows that God has put in your hand.
Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 4: “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and [the] admonition of the Lord”. The word nurture literally means the “discipline,” and the admonition means the “teaching of the Lord.”
Colossians 3:21: “Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged”. The challenge of any man is not how much money he can accumulate, but whether or not his kids are spiritually sharp and emotionally straight.
There is a time, dads, when the arrows are in your hand, and there will come a time when they will be out of your hand. When the arrow is in your hand, you have a responsibility. So many of us want to give that responsibility over to professionals today. “Somebody else can handle the job for us,”
To Shoot Straight You Must Prepare Early
Now, when you have a twig, then you can begin to shape it when it’s soft and pliable. That’s the reason the Bible says in Proverbs 22 and verse 6: “Train up a child in the way [that] he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). Little children can be shaped and molded so very easy.
They are Curious When They are Young
“Why, Daddy? Why?” that’s a teaching moment. Don’t say, “Stop asking, ‘Why?’ ” Say, “Keep asking, ‘Why?’ ” And, answer those questions the little ones and the big ones.
They Can Memorize Easily
They Trust Easier
The trust factor is at the highest point. Little children trust. That’s the reason the Bible says that adults have to become like little children to enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 18:3).
They are Not Prideful Yet
Little children are not too proud to learn they can take advice, and they have an innate ability to believe.
Be Creative
When God told the Jews how to train their children, He told them in Deuteronomy chapter 6, verses 6 and 7: “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart”—not just in your head, but in thine heart—“And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (Deuteronomy 6:6–7).
Work to Build Character
Work to build character, Character is integrity. When you compliment your kids, compliment them for character qualities, not just for the home run, not just for the good grades, but compliment them for character qualities.
Learn to Set Limits
“For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not” (1 Samuel 3:13), he did not set some limits. “Well, I don’t want to set limits on my child.” God had two children, put them in the Garden of Eden, and God set some limits upon them. Do you know that if you don’t set limits on your children, it’s a sign that you have rejected them. No limitation implies to a child rejection, and if you don’t conquer them, they will allow somebody else to conquer them. Every child needs some limits.
Assign Responsibilities
Teach your child that one of the greatest abilities is responsibility. Give him regular work assignments. He doesn’t need so many freebies. Most of you have no idea what your child can do because he’s never been challenged to do it. Teach him that there’s a link between success and work.
As You Shape Them Laugh with Them
Let your home be filled with laughter. Your home ought to be the happiest place in the town. It ought to be the place where he wants to bring his friends there. “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken” (Proverbs 15:13).
They Need to See God Working in Your Family
Let your kids see God at work in your family—let them see God at work. The home is the classroom. The home is the laboratory. Let them see God at work.
They’re going to see God in your worship. They’re going to watch you when company comes, whether you strayed from church missed church. You say, “Well, Pastor, we weren’t there Sunday. We had company to drop in.” Tell your boss, tomorrow morning, “I didn’t come to work. I had company to drop in.” See how that goes. They’re going to be watching—they’re going to be watching your priorities in your worship.
Cover Your Kids with Prayer
if you are the archer and the children are the arrows, the bow is prayer. That’s what sends them forth
The Aim Must Be Good, You Need a Goal, a Target
If you’ve got a good archer and you’ve got a good arrow, you still need a good aim. You’ve got to have a goal. “As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are the children of [one’s] youth” (Psalm 127:4). Verse 5 says, “They shall speak with the enemies in the gate” (Psalm 127:5).
. There are enemies against the home. How are we going to take the institution of the family back? By our kids—a godly seed. How are we going to shoot down the of those who speak against the Family” With our arrows. They’re going to speak with the enemies. They’re going to say, “That’s a lie. That’s not right. Here’s the truth. My father taught me the truth. My mother taught me the truth. They got it from the Word of God.” Now, many times, we’re trying to keep our children from the enemy. We ought to aim our children at the enemy—we ought to aim them at the enemy. They are our arsenal. “They shall speak with the enemies in the gate” (Psalm 127:5).
The Apostle John: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in [the] truth” (3 John 1:4)
I have goals for myself; I have desires for my children.
Dad, are you serious about your responsibility?
Would you ask God to make you a mighty man?
Would you start working, shaping, sharpening, and seasoning your arrows?
Would you work on your skills at being an archer?
Would you rethink what your goals and desires are for you and your family?