“Unless the Lord builds the house,

                        they labor in vain who build it…

                        Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,

                        So are the children of one’s youth.”    PS 127:1,4

Until recently I did not see the relationship between building and having children who are like “arrows in the hand”.  But when this Psalm was read during a time prophetic words were being spoken as we waited on the Lord, I saw it so clearly.  A warrior who goes out into battle and forgets his arrows has certainly done a vain thing!  A builder who does not take into account the next generation is the same.  His work will not last.

The Bible has so many examples of people on either side of this equation.  Some invested in the next generation; some did not.  Did you ever wonder why Joseph is the only one of the 12 sons of Jacob who brought his own children to the bedside of their dying grandfather to receive blessing and an impartation of prophetic destiny?  Joseph was a wise man, to whom God and man (i.e. Potiphar, Pharoah) entrusted great responsibility.  He showed this wisdom in preparing his sons, yes, both natural and spiritual, to continue to build upon his legacy.  He preserved and provided for his whole family when he established them in Goshen.  He bounced his great-great grandchildren on his knees, and he spoke hope and promise to the children of Israel that God would “surely visit you” and restore them to their own land, which of course He did.

Was Elijah the only prophet to prepare a “mantle”, and impart a double portion of anointing on to the next generation?  Why don’t we see this happening among the other prophets?  Or was it only Elijah who placed a priority on making himself available to a spiritual son?  Even his own prophetic “son” Elisha failed.  The man to whom he had committed his ministry, Gehazi, fell prey to greed and spent the rest of his days as a forlorn leper.

Very few kings of Israel’s kings prepared their sons to rule.  The results were catastrophic.  How could Hezekiah, one of Judah’s brightest stars, raise a Manasseh, a king whose evil included such abominations as returning to witchcraft, mediums, Baal worship, and sacrificing his own son to the false god Molech!  Even David appeared headed for a train wreck when Amnon his first son raped his half-sister, only to be killed by his brother Absalom out of revenge, who later led a full-blown rebellion against David, his father the king.  David’s problems continued when he foolishly refused to name an heir, bringing more confusion and even treason in its wings, until he finally established Solomon as his true successor.  David somewhat redeemed himself when he not only crowned Solomon as his heir, but passed PROMISE and PURPOSE to him, gave him PLANS for building the temple, PROVIDED gold and timber and all needed materials to build, and established PEOPLE of skill, wisdom, and authority to complete the work.  At the end of his life, then, David became an example to us all of the importance which must be placed on the next generation.  The temple which was built stood as the symbol and center or Jewish life for the next 400 years.

A Chinese proverb says, “one generation plants the trees and the next generation gets the shade”.  Actually, they get more than shade.  They get fruit, and furniture, and, if you are from Vermont, maple syrup!   But the point is that many are so absorbed in the “important” things they are doing now, that they fail to cast a vision for and therefore prepare for the future.  What a contrast was the ministry of Jesus.  His plan to change the world was focused squarely on 12 men to whom he could pass on promises and power, and then commission to take his message of hope and redemption to the ends of the earth.

Paul appeared headed for the fate of many who had stumbled over this fatal flaw during the initial years of his ministry.  Going it alone, his first attempts in Damascus and Jerusalem ended poorly.  And while there was some fruit from his first missionary journey, it was during his second tour that he realized Jesus’ method was second to none.  He began to assemble a team of young men around him, pouring into them daily for two years with remarkable results, “so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 19:10).  These young men included:

• Gaius (Derbe)
• Timothy (Lystra)
• Aristarchus & Secondus (Thessalonica)
• Sopater (Berea)
• Erastus (Corinth)
• Tychicus & Trophimus (Ephesus)
• Titus & Luke (Antioch)

The Psalmist said, “Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the King’s enemies” (45:5).  A warrior dared not go to battle without sharpened, polished (IS 49:2) arrows in his quiver.  For him, it was a matter of life and death.  May God help us to also realize the urgency of our having our quiver’s full.  Yes, God, help us to prioritize, and then raise up the next generation.  Amen.