Topical Bible: Children: Treatment of, After Birth, Noticed

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In the biblical context, the treatment of children after birth is a subject that reflects the values and societal norms of ancient Israelite culture, as well as the broader biblical narrative. Children were considered a blessing from God, and their birth was often met with joy and celebration. The Bible provides various insights into how children were to be treated and the responsibilities of parents and the community towards them.

Valuation of Children:

Children were highly valued in biblical times, seen as a heritage from the Lord. Psalm 127:3 states, "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, entrusted to parents by God.

Parental Responsibilities:

Parents were charged with the responsibility of raising their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Proverbs 22:6 advises, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." This training involved teaching children the commandments and statutes of God, as seen in Deuteronomy 6:6-7 : "These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

Community Involvement:

The community also played a role in the upbringing of children. The Israelites were instructed to care for the vulnerable, including children, as part of their covenantal obligations. James 1:27 echoes this sentiment in the New Testament, stating, "Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

Rituals and Ceremonies:

After birth, children were often dedicated to the Lord through various rituals. For example, the presentation of Jesus at the temple, as described in Luke 2:22-24 , follows the Jewish custom of presenting the firstborn male to the Lord. This act of dedication was a way of acknowledging God's sovereignty over the child's life.

Discipline and Instruction:

Discipline was considered an essential aspect of child-rearing. Proverbs 13:24 states, "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently." This proverb highlights the belief that loving discipline is necessary for the proper development of a child.

Protection and Care:

The protection and care of children were paramount. Jesus Himself emphasized the importance of caring for children, as seen in 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.'" This statement reflects the high regard in which children were held and the necessity of nurturing their spiritual growth.

In summary, the treatment of children after birth in the Bible is characterized by a deep sense of responsibility, love, and reverence for the divine gift of life. Parents and the community were expected to provide for the physical, spiritual, and moral development of children, ensuring they were raised in accordance with God's commandments and principles.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Ezekiel 16:4
And as for your nativity, in the day you were born your navel was not cut, neither were you washed in water to supple you; you were not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Scaffolding Left in the Body
... All children before birth display the most ordinary form ... the same diseases; he yields
to the same treatment. ... produce conviction on a point which, after all, is ...
/.../the lowell lectures on the ascent of man/chapter ii the scaffolding left.htm

On the Feast of the Epiphany, iv.
... and in nought different to the generality of human children. ... of His power, not of
His ill-treatment, and it is ... to that creature which He had made after His own ...
/.../leo/writings of leo the great/sermon xxxiv on the feast.htm

Our Manifesto
... they have lived has been prophetic of the treatment of their ... is very fond of doing
it, like children making toys ... Again, it is not after men, because it does not ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 37 1891/our manifesto.htm

The Gospel According to St. Matthew
... A. Winter AD26 till after Pentecost 27. The ... xvii.). Treatment of children, Christ
saving lost sheep, forgiveness (xviii.). D. Tabernacles ...
/.../pullan/the books of the new testament/chapter iii the gospel according.htm

The Immaculate Conception
... saw that it was Jesus who suffered this ill-treatment. ... five days earlier than with
other children, and that ... [56] Two hundred and fifty years after the death of ...
/.../emmerich/the life of the blessed virgin mary/ii the immaculate conception.htm

The Flight into Egypt and St. John the Baptist in the Desert
... The old man was here subjected to ill-treatment and even ... to the settlement with other
Jewish children, and when ... was of the tribe of Peleg: after many adventures ...
/.../emmerich/the life of the blessed virgin mary/xvi the flight into egypt.htm

The Gospel According to St. John
... and would repeat again and again, "Little children, love one ... So far as can be tested,
his treatment of the ... and His death, and the other after the outpouring of ...
/.../pullan/the books of the new testament/chapter vi the gospel according.htm

Penitence
... Coarse treatment never wins souls ... which was more than voice or language through all
his after life ... a long-dead mother's face; the echo of a children's hymn laden ...
//christianbookshelf.org/drummond/the ideal life/penitence.htm

Book x. It is Manifest that There is Nothing which Men have ever ...
... His hands: why, pray, did not the children fear the ... Then when God the Word, after
this extension, was ... birth I will not yet touch upon: its treatment demands an ...
/.../hilary/the life and writings of st hilary of poitiers/book x it is manifest.htm

The Recall to Religion in the Hymns of Charles Wesley
... fellows appear at once as mere children and bunglers ... treatment of a theme with Wesley's
treatment of the ... After presenting in awful language the theology of the ...
/.../manning/the hymns of wesley and watts five papers/the recall to religion in.htm