Bring The Boy To Me

And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring.

MALACHI 2:15

THE ROYAL SERVANT OBADIAH TOLD THE PROPHET ELIJAH, “I your servant have worshiped the LORD since my youth” (1 Kings 18:12). It seems likely from this confession, and from his name, that Obadiah must have had believing parents. Obadiah means “servant of Yahweh [the LORD]”—this in a time when Ahab and Jezebel made killing the Lord’s prophets a royal blood sport. Any parent wanting to curry favor with the prevailing royal court wouldn’t have dared to label their son with such a name. Instead, they’d choose “servant of Baal” or “follower of Chemosh” (or some other false god touted by Jezebel). But Obadiah’s parents chose “servant of Yahweh,” and their boy proved it was more than just a name. During the great persecution, Obadiah used his influence to courageously hide a hundred prophets of the living God, whom he fed and gave water to until the pogrom had passed.^a

Obadiah’s life provides a true parable of the prophetic nature behind having kids. People choose to have children (or not to have children) for the flimsiest of reasons: carrying on the family name, a desire to experience the intimate parent-child relationship, because we want someone there for us in our old age, because we fear we would feel lonely without children—and our future actions as parents will be shaped by these purposes. If my goal is simply to raise “happy” children, I’ll buy them whatever they want instead of teaching them to be responsible and caring with money. If my goal is to have “successful” children, I will spare no expense helping them to rise above others—they’ll get the best coaching, the best equipment, maybe even the services of a sports psychologist. I’ll act as if the most important thing in the world is that they get in the right school, with the right classes and the right diplomas, so they can get a job with the right company in the right industry.

But Christian parenting calls us to a much different purpose and motivation: raising servants of Yahweh. Malachi tells us that God became angry with the people of Israel and refused to accept their prayers or offerings because they were breaking the covenant of marriage. And yet, in the context of Malachi’s words, it doesn’t appear God had in mind the preservation of marriage for marriage’s sake; in this instance, marriage seems to be the means to another end: “Has not the one God made you? You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth” (Malachi 2:15, emphasis added).

God wants us to maintain our marriages because he desires that we have godly offspring. Having children isn’t the only purpose of marriage, of course, but it is certainly a primary one. God wants us to keep our marriages together so we don’t sabotage this aim. Godly marriages are far more likely to produce godly children. Unstable, chaotic, and “serial” marriages often produce troubled kids—and that’s not the kind of offering God wants from us.

Malachi also gives us a picture of what a godly child is: “[Levi] revered me and stood in awe of my name. True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin” (Malachi 2:5–6).

According to this passage, God wants us to maintain families that teach our daughters and sons to

• live in awe of him;
• revere his Word;
• walk with him in fellowship;
• live peacefully with others; and
• turn others from their sins.

In other words, God wants us to raise faithful servants.

When I seek to raise children for the glory of God, when I figuratively declare my children “Obadiahs”—servants of the Lord—I’ll be willing to face the difficult realities of training, correcting, encouraging, praying, and so forth, because I know there’s no higher end, no more important use of my time, no greater good, than that I should raise godly children. While I’ll still want my children to develop their abilities, I’ll be equally concerned about their characters and their passion for God’s work. Almost five hundred years ago, Martin Luther wrote, “But the greatest good in married life, that which makes all suffering and labor worthwhile, is that God grants offspring and commands that they be brought up to worship and serve him. In all the world this is the noblest and most precious work, because to God there can be nothing dearer than the salvation of souls.”^b

I’ll be honest, I didn’t know this when I first had kids. But whatever our initial reasons, what matters now is our current motivation. What is the grand scheme behind your family? What will motivate you to train and instruct your children instead of ignoring something because you’re too tired, too distracted, or too fearful to address it? What greater end will fuel your efforts?

On one occasion in the New Testament a deeply troubled boy proved too difficult for the disciples to handle. His father appealed directly to Jesus, and Jesus said, with all his authority, “Bring the boy to me” (Mark 9:19).

That, in a nutshell, is what we are called to do as parents: bring the boy, bring the girl, to Jesus. Receive these tiny sinners into your home, by faith label them “Obadiah,” and instruct them accordingly. Our highest good, our most reverent charge, is to make the most of every day in the hope that our son or daughter, whether he or she serves the king or cleans toilets, can be labeled a “servant of Yahweh.”

Some children will follow eagerly; others will overwhelm us with their resistance. But our ultimate aim, our end goal, is this: “Bring the boy to [Jesus].”

May the prayer of our hearts be, “Lord, refine my motivations, purify my actions, and energize my heart so that I do all I can to help my children find their greatest joy and their highest aim in serving you.”

Heavenly Father, give us new hearts, new minds, and new perspective so that we can refocus on raising children who, first and foremost, will worship and serve you. Guide us as we seek to introduce them to who you are, and help us to find the best way to lead them to a sincere and true faith in Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.