Children Matter to God

Children in God's Assembly

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When Jesus welcomed the children, He was showing the heart God has always had. Long before, God told His people to bring their little ones with them when they gathered to meet with Him.

Bring the children. Moses told the priests and elders to read God's law to all Israel every seven years. Men, women, little ones and visitors were all to come and listen (Deuteronomy 31:10-12).

So the children learn. God said the children who did not yet know His law should hear it too. Then they would learn to honor the Lord their God (Deuteronomy 31:13).

Every word. Later Joshua read the whole law to the people. “There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, with the women, the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them” (Joshua 8:35).

The little ones too. An assembly is a big gathering of God's people. The little ones were not left at home. They heard God's Word with everyone else.

Praying together. When a huge army came against King Jehoshaphat, the people gathered to pray. All Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives and their children (2 Chronicles 20:13).

God answered. God told them not to be afraid, because the battle was His. The children were there to hear God's answer.

Rejoicing together. When the wall of Jerusalem was finished, the people held a great celebration. The women and the children rejoiced too, and the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away (Nehemiah 12:43).

Turning back together. When God called His people to turn back to Him, the prophet Joel said to gather everyone, even the children and the nursing babies (Joel 2:16). Children were part of God's people when they prayed and when they were sorry for sin.

A happy promise. God also promised a day when the streets of Jerusalem would be full of boys and girls playing (Zechariah 8:5). In God's plan, children are a sign of peace and joy.

Jesus shows us. When Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me” (Mark 10:14), He was showing the same heart. Children belong with God's people, and they belong with Jesus.

What we learn. You are not too young for church, for prayer or for God's Word. When God's people gather, you are part of the family.

What to do. When you go to church this week, sing, pray and listen as someone who belongs. Thank God that His family includes you.

Jesus' welcome to the children in Mark 10 was not a new idea. Again and again in the Old Testament, God told His people to bring their children with them when they gathered before Him.

Qahal. The Hebrew word for the assembly of God's people is qahal (say: kah-HAHL), the whole people called together. It is the word behind “assembly” in Joshua 8:35 and “congregation” in Joel 2:16. Children were counted in it.

Every seven years (Deuteronomy 31:10-13). Moses commanded that at the Feast of Tabernacles the law be read to men, women, little ones and strangers alike, so that their children, who had not known it, might hear and learn to fear the Lord. God planned for the next generation from the start.

Not one word left out (Joshua 8:35). “There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, with the women, the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them.” The children heard the whole Word, not a shortened version for later.

In danger (2 Chronicles 20:13). Facing a vast army, Jehoshaphat called a fast. All Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives and their children. Families brought their children into the place of prayer, just as the families in Mark 10 brought theirs to Jesus.

In joy (Nehemiah 12:43). At the dedication of the rebuilt wall, the women and the children also rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away. Children shared in the worship and in the celebration.

In repentance (Joel 2:16). When Joel called the nation to turn back to God, he said to gather the elders, the children and even the nursing babies. From the oldest to the youngest, everyone stood before God together.

In hope (Zechariah 8:5). God promised that Jerusalem's streets would one day be full of boys and girls playing. Children playing safely in the streets is God's picture of a city at peace under His blessing.

Fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus is God the Son. When He took the children in His arms (Mark 10:16), He welcomed them in person, just as God had always welcomed them into His assembly.

Application. Church is not a grown-ups' meeting that children wait through. Take your place in God's family now. And when younger children are present, help them feel that they belong too.

Hands of Blessing

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Jesus “laid His hands on them, and blessed them” (Mark 10:16). Long before, God's people had brought children close to bless them too.

An old man's request. When Jacob was very old, his son Joseph brought his two boys, Ephraim and Manasseh, to see him. Jacob said, “Please bring them to me, and I will bless them” (Genesis 48:9).

A hug first. Jacob's eyes were weak because he was so old, so Joseph brought the boys close. Jacob “kissed them and embraced them” (Genesis 48:10). Embraced means hugged.

A happy grandfather. Jacob told Joseph, “I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!” (Genesis 48:11). Offspring means children. Jacob saw his grandsons as a gift from God.

Hands on their heads. Jacob “stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim’s head” (Genesis 48:14). He put his left hand on Manasseh's head.

The blessing. Jacob spoke of “The God who has fed me all my life long to this day” (Genesis 48:15). Then he asked, “Bless the lads” (Genesis 48:16).

Pointing to God. Jacob knew that only God could truly bless his grandsons. A blessing is asking God to give His good to someone.

A promise for children. On the day of Pentecost, Peter told the crowd that God's promise of forgiveness and the Holy Spirit was for them: “For the promise is to you and to your children” (Acts 2:39).

Near and far. Peter went on, “and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:39). God's good news is for children and grown-ups, near and far.

Families who teach. Paul told fathers to “bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). Admonition means loving warning and correction. God gives families the job of helping children know Him.

A greater blessing. Jacob could only ask God to bless. Jesus is God the Son, so when He blessed the children, God Himself was blessing them. In Christ, God “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing” (Ephesians 1:3).

For you. If you trust Jesus, you share in that blessing. Your sins are forgiven, God's Spirit lives in you, and you belong to God's family.

Not earned. Ephraim and Manasseh did nothing to earn their blessing. In the same way, God's blessings in Jesus come by grace, not by being good enough.

What to do. Thank God for the people who pray for you. Ask a parent or grandparent to pray a blessing over you this week, and pray for them too.

Mark says Jesus “laid His hands on them, and blessed them” (Mark 10:16). Laying hands on a child and asking God's blessing has deep roots in Israel's story.

Jacob and the two boys (Genesis 48:8-10). Near the end of his life, Jacob saw Joseph's sons and asked, “Who are these?” Joseph answered, “They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place.” Jacob said, “Please bring them to me, and I will bless them,” and he “kissed them and embraced them.”

A gift from God (Genesis 48:11-12). Jacob said, “I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!” Jacob had once believed Joseph was dead. Now he held Joseph's sons. Joseph, the second ruler of Egypt, “bowed down with his face to the earth.” Both men treated these boys as God's gift.

Crossed hands (Genesis 48:14). Joseph set the older boy at Jacob's right hand, but Jacob “stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger.” He was “guiding his hands knowingly.” God's blessing does not follow human ranking; again and again in Genesis God chooses the younger.

Berakah. The Hebrew word for a blessing is berakah (say: beh-rah-KHAH). A biblical blessing is not a wish for luck. It calls on God by name to give His good. Jacob blessed the boys in the name of “The God who has fed me all my life long to this day, The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil” (Genesis 48:15-16).

The promise to children (Acts 2:39). At Pentecost Peter told the crowd, “For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” Forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit are offered to every generation.

Families (Ephesians 6:4). Fathers are told to “bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” God gives parents the task of bringing children near to Him, much as the families in Mark 10 did.

The Blesser Himself. Jacob could ask for a blessing. Jesus gave it with His own hands, because He is God the Son. God “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).

Grace. The boys earned nothing; the younger was even placed first. God's blessings in Christ are received the same way, by grace.

Application. Pray for the children around you, and do not be shy to ask an older believer to pray God's blessing over you.

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