In A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, Elder LeGrand Richards wrote:
"In ancient Israel it was considered a reproach for a women to be barren." Elder Richards then cited this passage from the Old Testament:" `And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die. . . .
" `And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.
" `And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach.' (Gen. 30:1, 22-23.)"
Elder Richards added: "It will be noted that [theT particular blessing the Lord gave to Abraham and to Sarah made possible the fulfillment of this further promise:
" `And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;
" `Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?' (Gen. 18:17-18.)
"Without a posterity," Elder Richards noted, "the blessings the Lord had in store for Abraham could not have been fully realized. . . . As all nations of the earth were to be blessed in Abraham and his seed, and as Sarah was to become a mother of nations and kings of people were to be of her, so is the new and everlasting covenant of marriage necessary that every faithful man may lay the foundation of his kingdom through his wife and his posterity.
"There are many faithful people who have done all they consistently could to prove themselves worthy of the choicest blessings of the Lord but who have been deprived the privilege of having children in this life, through no fault of their own. On the other hand, there are many who have borne children whose lives have been such that they will be entirely unworthy of them in the eternal worlds. The Lord has provided a millennium, during which time, no doubt, necessary adjustments will be made."