Topical Bible: Children: Not to Have: Considered an Affliction

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Topical Encyclopedia

In the biblical context, the absence of children was often viewed as a significant affliction or misfortune. This perspective is deeply rooted in the cultural and theological understanding of the ancient Near East, where children were seen as a blessing from God and a sign of His favor. The inability to bear children was frequently perceived as a source of personal and social distress.

Old Testament Context

The Old Testament provides numerous examples where childlessness is depicted as a cause of sorrow and a situation warranting divine intervention. One of the most poignant accounts is that of Hannah, the mother of Samuel. In 1 Samuel 1:5-6 , it is noted, "But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved her even though the LORD had closed her womb. And her rival would taunt her and provoke her bitterly to irritate her, because the LORD had closed her womb." Hannah's deep anguish over her childlessness led her to fervent prayer, and God eventually granted her a son, Samuel.

Similarly, Sarah, the wife of Abraham, experienced the pain of barrenness. In Genesis 16:1-2 , Sarah expresses her distress: "Now Abram’s wife Sarai had borne him no children, but she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, 'Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go to my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family by her.'" Sarah's desperation highlights the cultural importance placed on having offspring.

Theological Implications

Theologically, children were seen as a heritage from the Lord, as expressed in Psalm 127:3 : "Children are indeed a heritage from the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is His reward." This verse underscores the belief that children are a divine gift, and their absence could be interpreted as a lack of divine blessing.

The affliction of childlessness was not only a personal burden but also had broader implications for family lineage and inheritance. In a patriarchal society, the continuation of one's family line was of utmost importance, and childlessness threatened the perpetuation of family heritage and property.

New Testament Perspective

While the New Testament does not focus extensively on the issue of childlessness, it continues to affirm the value of children and family. Jesus' welcoming of children, as seen in passages like Matthew 19:14 , "But Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these,'" reflects the continued importance of children within the Christian community.

Cultural and Social Considerations

In biblical times, the absence of children could also lead to social stigma and marginalization. Women, in particular, bore the brunt of this societal pressure, as fertility was often seen as a measure of a woman's worth and fulfillment of her role within the family and community.

Conclusion

The biblical narrative reflects a worldview where children are a divine blessing, and their absence is a source of deep personal and communal affliction. This perspective is woven throughout the Scriptures, highlighting the cultural, theological, and social dimensions of childlessness in the biblical era.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 15:2,3
And Abram said, LORD God, what will you give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Jeremiah 22:30
Thus said the LORD, Write you this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting on the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Mission of Little Children
... upon to mourn the loss of children realize it ... for us, perhaps, what he could not
accomplish by ... affections which he has awakened, we have considered how strong ...
/.../chapin/the crown of thorns/the mission of little children.htm

Here Followeth the History of Job
... so that on a certain day when the children of God ... To whom Satan answered: I have
gone round the earth ... And God said to Satan, Hast thou not considered my servant ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/here followeth the history of.htm

Heaviness through Manifold Temptations
... more or less, are usually the portion of his dearest children. ... But we need not be
solicitous how to avoid so ... Whenever it comes, let us have an eye to these ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 47 heaviness through manifold.htm

Christ as Light; How He, and How his Disciples are the Light of ...
... the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. ... it
is against her nature to be subject to vanity, and not to have the best ...
/.../origen/origens commentary on the gospel of john/24 christ as light how.htm

That it was Before Predicted that the World Would Hold us in ...
... to God by the virtue of her eyes, as her children had given ... mother of seven sons,
if it should happen to her to have brought forth seven sons, not to the ...
/.../cyprian/the treatises of cyprian/11 that it was before.htm

The Lord's Supper
... It is not surprising that the children of Israel, through all their generations,
should have kept that ... They could not possibly have considered him as ...
/.../newton/the life of jesus christ for the young/the lords supper.htm

The Faith of Little Children.
... At last, the head of the family, unable to endure the agony of beholding his wife
and children starving to death before his face ... You ought not to have done so ...
/.../various/the wonders of prayer/the faith of little children.htm

The Fifth Season,
... Not the first: for my Father knows what I have need of. ... Not the last: for as a Father
pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him; the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/flavel/on keeping the heart/v the fifth season.htm

Blessed Adversity.
... concerned: it matters not who is the messenger"it is with GOD that His children
have to do. ... Job's trial, however, was not completed, as we have seen, when ...
//christianbookshelf.org/taylor/a ribband of blue/blessed adversity.htm

Childhood and Early Impressions. The Blessing of Pious Parents. ...
... Teresa may not have intended to quit Spain, because all the Moors were not at that ...
5. The two children set out on their strange journey"one of them ...
/.../teresa/the life of st teresa of jesus/chapter i childhood and early.htm