Blog
“Arrows in the Hands of a Mighty Man”
Arrows in the Hands of a Mighty Man
Wade Webster
In the long ago, Solomon wrote, "Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. 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 will speak with the enemies in the gate" (Psa. 127:3-5). Let's take Solomon's metaphor and apply it to parenting. There are at least five similarities between being a great archer and a great parent.
Knowledge: The better you understand the workings of the bow and the arrow, the better you will be at hitting the target. For example, the arrow has to be put on the string in a certain way. In like manner, in parenting, knowledge is essential to hitting the target. Although the knowledge of many things is important in parenting, no knowledge is as important as knowing God's word (2 Tim. 2:15; John 5:39). A few years ago, a devastating hurricane hit the coast of Florida. The hurricane left in its wake broken hearts and battered homes. A reporter who was covering the damage noticed that in one of the communities hardest hit, one house had survived the storm with very little damage. In interviewing the resident of the house, the reporter asked how the man explained the fact that others had lost their homes but his had weathered the storm. He explained that he built his house according to the hurricane code of Florida. His house was still standing because it was built according to the code. In like manner, parents must build their homes according to the code found in God's word (Mt. 7:24-27).
Time: A few years ago, I taught archery at a Christian camp. It was obvious which of the campers had spent time at home practicing and which ones had not. For one thing, those who had practiced didn't point their arrows at you while asking how you fire them. For another thing, they usually hit the target. In like manner, time is essential in parenting. Sadly, many parents today aren't spending the time that they need to with their children. You might say that they are trying to hit the target without practicing. Fathers and mothers must redeem or buy up the time that they have been given (Eph. 5:16; Col. 4:5; Deut. 6:7). Like John the Baptist, we must turn the hearts of fathers back to their children (Lk. 1:17; cf. Mal. 4:6). If we do not turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, then "one day the United States will be known as the country of the founding fathers...with no fathers to be found" (Farrar 23).
Strength: Although pulling back a bow looks easy, it isn't. Many bows require great strength to use. Although compound bows are a relatively new invention, some of the bows of the past had an equal or greater pull weight. It took "mighty men" to use them well (Psa. 127:4). In like manner, it takes mighty men and mighty women today to guide children in the right direction. As James Dobson often says, "Parenting isn't for cowards." Nor, for that matter, is it for weaklings. We need strong fathers and mothers (Heb. 11:23; Josh. 24:15; Eph. 6:10).
Vision: To be a good archer, you must have good vision. You must learn to look down the arrow and see the target. In like manner, in order to be a great parent, fathers and mothers must have vision. If they don't have the target in sight, then they are not very likely to hit the target. Parents must have their eyes on heaven if they are going to get their children there (Mt. 6:33; Col. 3:2; Phil. 3:14). If they do not have their eyes on heaven, then they will miss the mark. Interestingly, the Greek word (harmatia) which is translated as sin means "to miss the mark." We need parents who have the vision of King Henry V's soldiers in the Battle of Agincourt. The battle was fought on October 25, 1415 between the French and the English. In spite of being greatly outnumbered by the French, and decimated by disease, the English soldiers won one of the greatest battles in military history. In the Battle of Agincourt 10,000 Frenchmen lost their lives in comparison to only 113 Englishmen. Why were the English so successful? The answer is found in their archers. The French were used to fighting a hand to hand battle. However, the English archers never let them get close enough to do so. In fact, historians record that the archers had such great aim that if a knight lifted his visor on the field of battle at a distance of 350 yards or less, he never lived to put it down again. The English archers had great vision. I believe that you will agree that we need fathers and mothers who have as great of vision in guiding their children to heaven as these English archers did in guiding their arrows to French knights. The problem is that many parents today are near-sighted. They get so caught up in the here and now that they forget about the here and the hereafter. Consider the great painter Michelangelo and the vision that he had for the Sistine Chapel as an example of the vision that parents must have for their children.
Patience: A person cannot realistically expect to pick up a bow and begin to immediately hitting the target time after time. No where is this patience seen more than in hunting. The archer must wait patiently as the animal moves into range. In like manner, parents must have patience. It is in patience that they possess their own souls, as well as, the souls of their children (Lk. 21:19). Children do not become mature adults overnight. Daily shaping and molding of character must take place. Although parents may not be able to see the results of their labor immediately, they will be seen after many years. A very valuable strain of Malaysian bamboo illustrates the importance of patience. Consider what it takes to produce this precious bamboo. In the first year, the seed is planted, watered, and fertilized. However, nothing much happens. In the second year, the plant is carefully watered and fertilized. Yet, nothing much happens. In the third year, watering and fertilizing become even more important. However, nothing much happens. In the fourth year, water and fertilizer are again applied in the right amounts and at the right time. Guess what happens? You guessed it, nothing. In the fifth year, the unseen plant is again watered and fertilized. What happens? Amazingly, the bamboo grows ninety feet in thirty days (Farrar 17-18).
Where will your arrows land? Will they hit the target or will they fall short of it? The answers to these questions depend largely on you. Do you possess the knowledge, time, vision, strength and patience need to be a great archer?
