Far too often, the world views children as a burden. In fact, some parents of larger families have been questioned for their strange or foolish behaviour in birthing so many children into the world. God, however, views children differently from that of the world. To the Lord, children are a blessing. They are a reward given by God (Psalm 127:3) and are “as arrows in the hand of a mighty man” (Psalm 127:4). Today, couples are made to feel ashamed for having larger families, but the scriptures teach otherwise. Instead of shame for having children, the Bible says, “Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them” (Psalm 127:5). Not only would this man experience personal happiness, but he would gain such respect that he could “speak with the enemies in the gate” (Psalm 127:5).
The children of Israel were a thorn in the flesh of the Egyptians. The Israelites multiplied and grew stronger with each increase in affliction. In an effort to change this pattern, Pharaoh sent out the edict for the midwives to kill all the Hebrew male children at the time of birth. Because they feared God, the Hebrew midwives refused to obey the command. What would the world have missed out on had the midwives obeyed? In the very next chapter, the Bible tells of the birth of a baby boy. He was hid until he could no longer be hid, and then he was released into the care of the Almighty God. According to the law, this boy should have been killed. His name was Moses (see Exodus 2:1-4).
The Lord took great pains in ensuring that the details of creation were just as He desired. He left nothing to itself in hopes that it would turn out, but knowingly cared for the smallest details. David understood this truth but declared that this care extended beyond the initial creation. Not only had God created and cared for the initial creation, but David proclaimed that he was also “fearfully and wonderfully made.” In order to add some context to his statement, David acknowledged that he spoke of the time when he was in his mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). If this were not enough, several other passages identify the Lord as the One who formed the child within the womb (Isaiah 44:2, 24; Isaiah 49:5; Jeremiah 1:5).
Science frequently uses natural reasoning and ordinary terminology to explain away the hand of God as He interacts with mankind. Without God, the more book learning that people get, the more ignorant they seem to become. It should come as no surprise that the Lord said that the last days would be plagued with people who could not see the truth due to their educated state (1 Timothy 6:20; Daniel 12:4; 2 Timothy 3:7). The reality is that the process of bringing a child into this world is a process that declares the handywork of God. It is God that works in the life and health of an unborn child to ensure that the child grows and matures properly. When men seek natural explanations for God’s work, they dismiss the miraculous involvement of God.
A tremendous spiritual and physical battle wages around the value of life and the determination of when life begins. Unfortunately, Christians have incorporated the unscriptural terminology of the world by allowing the opposition to define these most important matters. This is especially true concerning the birth of a child. According to the Bible, a woman who is expecting is said to be “with child” (Genesis 16:11; Matthew 1:18). Modern terminology removes the direct association of the unborn to life. Sadly, the termination of the unborn life is simply labeled as an “abortion” rather than murder (the ungodly shedding of innocent blood). To abort means the cancellation of a mission. A woman who is “with child” has another living soul “with” her. As time progresses in the child’s development within the womb, the mother becomes “great with child” (Luke 2:5) until she is “ready to be delivered” (Revelation 12:4; see also 1 Samuel 4:19; Isaiah 26:17).
The Bible often speaks of sin as a thing of the past pertaining to the believer’s life prior to salvation. This is not because believers are without sin, but the goal of every believer should be to depart from and avoid the sins which once controlled his life prior to salvation. These past actions which helped us to see our lost condition should be viewed as the friend of our past and the enemy of our present and future. This is exactly how Paul spoke of envy in his epistle to Titus. According to Paul, “we . . . were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.” Concerning the sins of the past, Paul further admonishes: “let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints” (Ephesians 5:3).
Charity is the peak of Christianity (2 Peter 1:5-7). The Bible says that after salvation, charity is to be desired above all other things (1 Peter 4:8) and is the bond of perfectness (Colossians 3:14). Yet far too many people, Christians included, know so little about charity. God has not left man without answers, both simple and profound. First Corinthians chapter 13 offers the most vivid description of charity: charity suffereth long and is kind (1 Corinthians 13:4). It rejoiceth not in iniquity but in the truth (1 Corinthians 13:6). It beareth, believeth, hopeth, and endureth all things (1 Corinthians 13:7). Out of all the wonderful things associated to charity, the Bible makes it clear that charity will have no part with envy.
As the apostle Paul boldly preached the word of God, his most receptive audience consisted of the common people. Both Jews and Gentiles were intrigued by his message and desired to hear more. From week to week, the numbers continued to grow. The multitudes simply wanted to hear what this former blasphemer had to say about the faith he had once sought to exterminate. As the fame of Paul’s message increased, so did the opposition from the religious leaders of his day. The success of the gospel message caused many of the Jews to be filled with envy. They began contradicting and blaspheming Paul’s message. When their efforts failed to hinder the message, they stirred up the people in the cities against the truth. These groups began to assault the believers (Acts 17:1-9).
During the Lord’s earthly ministry, His most malicious enemies were not common men or even the Roman government. His greatest enemies were the religious leaders charged with maintaining the spiritual purity of the people of God. How could those most religious create discord with the very One who gave them the dictates for the Jewish religion they claimed to defend? The answer is simple. It was envy! According to John 11:48, the religious leadership of Israel determined that they could not allow Jesus to continue teaching, preaching, and ministering to others. These leaders realized that all men would believe on Him causing the Romans to demote them. They would not allow this to happen. How far would they go to keep their place and nation? The Bible reveals that they would even cause the crucifixion of the innocent Son of God.
The book of Proverbs offers many profound truths and sometimes conveys these truths through the implementation of comparisons and contrasts. Today’s proverb is a case in point. The Lord uses this structure to assist man’s venturing from the familiar to that which is unfamiliar. Those concepts recognizable to mankind can be used to help convey and explain deeper truths known only to the Lord. For instance, man easily understands what is meant by saying that a stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but the Lord wants man to comprehend the heaviness of a fool’s wrath. Man knows that wrath is cruel and anger is outrageous, but God wants man to realize that envy is crueler and more outrageous than both wrath and anger. During times of anger and wrath, merciful moments might be displayed; however, envy relentlessly pursues its victim without mercy.
