Motherhood in Proverbs
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Intro:
Intro:
Good morning!
I want to wish all of our mother’s and grandmother’s in the audience a very special Happy Mother’s Day.
If you still have your mother, your grandmother, or perhaps a great-grandmother even, consider yourself blessed and do me a favor if you will …
Give her a call today and let her know you love her!
One of the most foundational principles found in the Bible, a principle that is foundational for the home, for society, and for the church, is that of HONORING our parents and those who have gone before us.
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”
4. That’s the promise attached to the commandment!
The commandment is given in v. 2 - Honor your father and mother.
And the promise is found in v. 3 - “That it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”
5. Families who honor their parents, societies and nations who honor their parents, and congregations that honor their parents are blessed by God, and the opposite is true for those who do not!
6. We certainly wish to give the highest esteem and honor to all mothers who are present today! And in a few weeks we hope to do the same for our fathers on Father’s Day.
7. “Honor to whom honor is due,” as it says in Romans 13:7!
8. In keeping with this theme today, if you have your Bibles, please open them to the book of Proverbs.
If you’ve been with us for Sunday morning and Wednesday night Bible classes recently, this will be fresh on your mind!
We’re going to look at “Motherhood in Proverbs” this morning.
9. The first thing I want to do as we begin is to break this topic down into …
5 Main Ideas on Motherhood Found in Proverbs:
5 Main Ideas on Motherhood Found in Proverbs:
And they are …
Affection
Honoring
Gladness
Consequences
Teaching.
That’s the order I’d like to go in, and I hope that this will be an encouragement for all our mother’s present today, and for all of us who are not mother’s as well — Encouragement to cherish our mothers, our grandmother’s, the mothers of our children and grandchildren, etc.
Motherhood is an absolutely critical role in the home — “The hand that rocks the cradle makes the world go round!”
Without godly mothers, then, we would be in a world of hurt!
Affection:
Affection:
I have just one Proverb for this first sub point, and it’s found in Prov. 4:3
When I was my father’s son, Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother,
2. “Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother!”
3. There is something special about the tender affections of a mother!
In fact, it is a gift from God!
The Bible perhaps describes it best when it terms it “natural affection” — Unfortunately 2 Tim. 3:3 describes those who are “without natural affection.”
When I think of natural affection, I think about the times when my children have just been born.
I think about when the baby is placed on his mother’s chest, he begins to nurse for the very first time, his mama looks down into those soft new eyes that are looking up outside the womb for the first time, and to me, that’s the definition of love!
The Bible describes love in several passages as that characterized by a mother!
Even the love of God is described like a mother’s love:
Most verses in the Bible assign masculine attributes to God, and God is referred to as a He.
But occasionally, His love is described in a maternal way as well.
Isaiah 49:15 - “Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you,” says God.
Hosea 11:3–4 (This one could describe both a mother and a father’s love, but I can certainly see a mother acting this way) - “I taught Ephraim to walk, Taking them by their arms; But they did not know that I healed them. I drew them with gentle cords, With bands of love, And I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck (One version says “who lifts a little child to the cheek”). I stooped and fed them.”
Matthew 23:37 - Jesus says, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!”
And one more - Isaiah 66:13 - “As one whom his mother comforts, So I will comfort you; And you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”
4. So Proverbs tells us something about the affection of a mother, but let’s move on …
Honoring:
Honoring:
There’s just one Proverb for this one as well, and it’s found in Prov. 23:22
Listen to your father who begot you, And do not despise your mother when she is old.
2. Again, honoring one’s parents is commanded by God in both the Old Testament (in the 10 Commandments) and the New Testament (Eph. 6:1-3).
3. And this verse in Proverbs reminds us to not despise our mothers when they are old:
How might one become guilty of that?
Well, probably a lot of ways, but I immediately think of health problems that come with old age.
Do our elderly need help sometimes (perhaps a lot of help) when they start struggling with living on their own? (Yes)
Can that, at times, cause some inconvenience as far as schedules go and “Well, I thought I was going to do this today, but mother fell, so we are at the ER with her?” (Yes)
But does that diminish in any way the importance of or excuse away our duty to honoring our parents?
4. No, we MUST honor our parents — It is a commandment of God, and one God takes very seriously.
5. There are countless verses that talk about how God feels about those who abuse and mistreat orphans and widows.
6. Certainly, equally strong language is given regarding those who do not take care of those of their household — 1 Timothy 5:8 - “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
What is primarily in view there?
It’s in the context of widows (Someone has a mother - The father has already died - You’re supposed to take care of your mother).
(Read with me quickly 1 Tim. 5:3-8).
7. Matthew 15:5–6 - “But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”— then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.”
8. The Pharisees were guilty of excusing away taking care of their parents, saying, “Well, I’ve got to give to God, so I’m not going to help my parents.”
9. The principle of honoring our parents, especially as they age …
Gladness:
Gladness:
One Proverb for this one as well … Prov. 23:25
Let your father and your mother be glad, And let her who bore you rejoice.
2. There is an initial rejoicing that always takes place when a baby is born and is safe and well, no complications, then there is an immediate rejoicing:
3. John 16:21 - “A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.”
4. A mother is described with utmost gladness when her child is born — Some of the most tremendous and God-approved happiness that ever takes place in this life is that of childbearing!
5. The happiness that comes from it is indescribable!
6. “Let her who bore you rejoice!”
7. A wise child ... a faithful child will be reason for continued rejoicing of both his mother and father!
8. But unfortunately, we now come to this word …
Consequences:
Consequences:
This is by far the biggest topic on motherhood in the book of Proverbs — the topic of bad consequences for the one who is foolish, the one who mistreats his family, the one who brings shame to his mother!
Since there are so many, we will just go quickly through these verses, with just occasional comment:
The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son makes a glad father, But a foolish son is the grief of his mother.
A wise son makes a father glad, But a foolish man despises his mother.
He who mistreats his father and chases away his mother Is a son who causes shame and brings reproach.
Whoever curses his father or his mother, His lamp will be put out in deep darkness.
Whoever robs his father or his mother, And says, “It is no transgression,” The same is companion to a destroyer.
The rod and rebuke give wisdom, But a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.
There is a generation that curses its father, And does not bless its mother.
The eye that mocks his father, And scorns obedience to his mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young eagles will eat it.
3. Finally, let’s look at …
Teaching:
Teaching:
It is of tremendous importance to the home as God would have it that there be both a father and a mother who faithfully fulfill their roles in the home, as described in the Bible.
And in the Bible, both father and mother are told that they should teach their children the things of God!
I’m reminded of two individuals in the New Testament that took that very seriously — Timothy’s mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois!
Let’s look at this in Proverbs:
My son, hear the instruction of your father, And do not forsake the law of your mother;
My son, keep your father’s command, And do not forsake the law of your mother.
The words of King Lemuel, the utterance which his mother taught him:
(If we have time, read very quickly the chapter — If less time, only Prov. 31:10-31, If not enough time at all, suggest this chapter for further reading).
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
This morning we have looked at motherhood from the perspectives given in the book of Proverbs.
Those 5 perspectives again are:
Affection
Gladness
Honoring
Consequences
And Teaching!
May we all be thankful for godly Christian mothers!
May we encourage them to keep doing what they do!
And again, we hope that all our mother’s and grandmothers here today have a great day, and know how much you mean to all of us!
(Offer invitation).
