I hear people say a child is a blessing. Does it mean the child born out of wedlock is a blessing?
Let us start off by reading Psalm 127:3-5, “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 shall speak with the enemies in the gate.”
Children do not simply come from the power of nature. They come from God’s blessing; even as an inheritance is not the fruit of a man’s own labor, but the gift of his father. Let us consider the words of David in relation to his existence. We read in Psalm 139:13-18, “For You created my innermost parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, because I am awesomely and wonderfully made Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, and skillfully formed in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my formless substance; and in Your book were written all the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are Your thoughts for me, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.” David realized that his existence was the work of God. God formed him while he was still inside his mother and he was skillfully formed. Even the days that he would be alive were known of God. Indeed, each life is precious to the Lord.
What about one born out of wedlock? Is he also a blessing of the Lord? Having children outside of a proper marriage between two people is a sin (the act of fornication), the Bible is clear on that. But are the children somehow less important than others, or are they cursed. Are they bastards?
The Bible uses the word ‘bastard’ two times in the Old Testament. Let us look at one of them. Deuteronomy 23:2 says, “A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.” This same Hebrew word is used again in Zechariah 9:6. In both cases, the Hebrew word is ‘mamzer’ and it refers to one ‘born of a Jewish father and a heathen mother.’ We have a case of a bastard in Judges 11:1-2, “Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the SON OF AN HARLOT: and Gilead begat Jephthah. And Gilead’s wife bare him sons; and his wife’s sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father’s house; for thou art the son of a STRANGE WOMAN.” Gilead fathered Jephthah through a harlot. Because of this, Jephthah was denied any of Gilead’s heritage because he was the son of a ‘strange woman.’ We see, then, that the word bastard does not necessarily refer to one born out of wedlock. In today’s language, bastard is used to refer to one who is born out of wedlock, or is illegitimate, but that was not the case in the Bible. In the New Testament the Greek word ‘nothos’ is translated ‘bastard’ and that word actually does refer to one born out of wedlock. Hebrews 12:8 says, “But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.” This simply speaks of one who is not a true child of God.
Each life is precious to the Lord, no matter the circumstances of their existence. The Lord offers salvation to EVERYONE, no one is left out of His offer. 2 Corinthians 5:14 teaches us that, “Christ…died for ALL.” He wants all to be saved. I dare say that a person’s beginning of life is not nearly as important as his ending of life. To those who continuously reject the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior, the Lord says, “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” (John 8:24). (449.2)