Infantile Holy War

“…And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?” — Matthew 21:16 KJV

When we look at the face of our children, or of children in our churches, what do we typically see? Usually, we see faces full of joy and innocence — we see those who are weak and in need of protection. We don’t usually look the children in our midst as soldiers, or as a powerful force against the forces of Hell. Yet that’s exactly how the Scriptures speak of them.

Take one glance at the majority of churches in your area. Each Sunday when the saints join to worship what does it look like? Hopefully, you will see a diverse group of men and women of varying ages and backgrounds. What you will be hard-pressed to find, however, is the abundant inclusion of our little ones. Why is this? I think if we’re honest, we tend to embody the demeanor of the Apostles in Matthew 18 and 19. We think our children either have nothing to offer in the liturgy or are a distraction from the important event taking place. Yet, the Scriptures, again and again, confront our wisdom and reveal it to truly be the folly of man.

In Psalm 8, David praises God for the works of creation that manifest and reveal divine glory. It is in this that David declares:

“Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.” — Psalm 8:2 KJV

One of the manifold works of God that David, and the whole congregation of Israel, takes glory in is the praises issued forth from the children (and infants!) in our midst each week. Jesus cites this Psalm as a rebuke to the Chief Priests and Scribes who tried to silence the children from singing out “Hosanna to the son of David” after He had healed the blind and lame in the temple.

Far too often we undervalue the children in our midst. We forget that God has given us covenant children to be a blessing not only to their parents but to the entire congregation. What does this blessing look like? It’s multi-faceted, but I think we can sum it up by looking at the end for which God has placed praise in the mouths of our infants.

At the end of verse 2, we see that God has ordained the praises of our children so that the enemy would be stilled, or silenced. That is the power of our children’s praise. When they sing praises to their God it is an earth-shaking event in which the enemies of Christ are stopped in their tracks. It should not surprise us then why the world at large is so opposed to indoctrinating our children in the Bible. They’re afraid! This is one of the blessings that come from our children worshipping in our midst. It is far too common to hear stories of parents with a babbling infant or a toddler singing off-pitch receiving harsh comments from others in the congregation about how their child was a distraction. Rather, our response ought to be that when we hear that infant babbling along during the service, or that child singing loudly (albeit in a pitch higher than everyone else), we rejoice and praise God alongside them; thanking God for their presence and inclusion in His kingdom.

Alongside this comes the necessity of godly parenting: Reading and teaching scripture, catechizing biblical truth to them, and praying and singing praises to the God that has called their family apart to be a military outpost for the kingdom of God. The results of this will be children who have sung praises to the Lord Jesus that have now grown up strong in the faith of their parents.

When we exclude our children from doing that which God has ordained them to do (sing His praise!) it should be of no surprise when we find them running far from the God who called them to Himself but were held back by those who felt they had nothing to offer in Jesus’ kingdom.

“But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” — Matthew 18:6