The Blessing Of A Godly Mother (Motherhood Vs. The Machine)

Scripture

1 Samuel 1:24 ESV

24 And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. And the child was young.

Main Idea

Godly mothers’ identities are not found in their ability to birth babies but instead their commitment to the LORD’s provision & care of their children

Introduction- Motherhood Vs. The Machine

President Donald Trump’s $5000 Incentive To Increase the USA’s Birthrate

Pressure Ultra-Orthodox Women Face

Transition To Body

1 Samuel 1:1–2 ESV

1 There was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephrathite. 2 He had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other, Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

Body

Godly Mothers Find Their Refuge In The LORD

Hannah finds refuge in the LORD- through prayer which is the means we have of opening ourselves to God

Peninnah took pleasure in inflicting more pain on Hannah

1 Samuel 1:6 ESV

6 And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb.

Elkanah’s insensitivity & empty words of consolation could not help

1 Samuel 1:8 ESV

8 And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”

Hannah prayed to the LORD

1 Samuel 1:10 ESV

10 She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly.

Hannah continued praying before the LORD

1 Samuel 1:12 ESV

12 As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth.

1 Samuel 1:15–16 ESV

15 But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. 16 Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.”

Hannah went her way & ate , & her face was no longer sad

1 Samuel 1:18 ESV

18 And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.

Godly Mothers Honor Their Commitments To The LORD

Hannah took her own preconception promise seriously

1 Samuel 1:21–23 ESV

21 The man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the Lord and dwell there forever.” 23 Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; only, may the Lord establish his word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him.

Children Are A Heritage From The LORD

Psalm 127:3 ESV

3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.

Hannah nursed Samuel

To suck = Nurture

Isaiah 66:9–11 ESV

9 Shall I bring to the point of birth and not cause to bring forth?” says the Lord; “shall I, who cause to bring forth, shut the womb?” says your God. 10 “Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her; 11 that you may nurse and be satisfied from her consoling breast; that you may drink deeply with delight from her glorious abundance.”

Isaiah 53:2 ESV

2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.

1 Peter 2:1–5 ESV

1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Hannah Weaned Samuel

In 1 Samuel 1:22-24, weaned us mentioned 3X

Weaned = Good Growth = Maturity

“good growth” (Tigré), and “maturity”

K. Seybold, “גָּמַל,” in Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, ed. G. Johannes Botterweck and Helmer Ringgren, trans. John T. Willis and Geoffrey W. Bromiley (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1978) 25.

Ephesians 4:11–16 ESV

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Godly Mothers Place Their Children Before The LORD

Hannah left Samuel with the LORD- and the child was young

1 Samuel 1:24–28 ESV

24 And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. And the child was young. 25 Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. 26 And she said, “Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. 27 For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. 28 Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.

I Am The Woman Who Was Standing Here In Your Presence Praying To The LORD

For This Child I Prayed

The LORD Has Granted Me My Petition I Made To Him

1 Samuel 1:28 ESV

28 Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.

Lent = discipleship 

The name šāʾûl, occurring about 400 times, probably does not mean “lent (to Yahweh)” (cf. “one who is loaned from Yahweh” or “loaned from Yahweh”), but rather “the requested one, the one begged for,” or in view of 1 S. 1:28, “I make him into one who is requested by Yahweh,” i.e., “I give, consecrate him to Yahweh.”

H. F. Fuhs, “שָׁאַל,” in Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, ed. G. Johannes Botterweck, Helmer Ringgren, and Heinz-Josef Fabry, trans. Douglas W. Stott (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2004) 263.

The Priest worshipped the LORD!

1 Samuel 1:28 ESV

28 Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.

Preachers Rejoice Greatly To Find Children Walking In The Truth

2 John 4 ESV

4 I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father.

Transition To Close- The Blessing Of A Godly Mother

A Christmas Story is a movie about the many challenges of a boy named Ralphie. All adults, including Santa Claus, seem to conspire against Ralphie’s desire to acquire a Red Ryder BB gun. His father is constantly irritable. And the school bully torments him almost daily.

After one particularly trying day at school, Ralphie runs into the bully while walking home from school. Tired of being teased, Ralphie lets his rage get the best of him; he pummels the bully and bursts out in a string of obscenities.

Unbeknownst to Ralphie, his mother hears his tirade. She walks Ralphie home and sends him to his room. As Ralphie waits fearfully for his dad to come home, he lies in his darkened room, staring at the ceiling with tears streaming down his cheeks. Ralphie anticipates the worst punishment.

Ralphie’s mother finds the younger brother, Randy, hiding under the sink, crying. She asks, “Randy, what’s the matter? What are you crying for?”

Randy sobs, “Daddy’s gonna kill Ralphie!” Even little Randy is terrified of the impending wrath that awaits Ralphie. Mom assures Randy that everything is going to work out, but he continues to whimper. As Mom walks about the kitchen trying to prepare supper, she, too, seems to be fretting about what may come.

Still locked in his room, Ralphie continues pondering his fate: I heard the car pull up the driveway, and a wave of terror broke over me. He’ll know what I said—the awful things I said!

Hearing his dad’s voice, Ralphie walks downstairs to meet his fate. After some small talk, Dad asks, “What happened today?” Ralphie realizes it’s all about to come out. He looks at his mother with a pained expression.

Surprisingly, his mother responds, “Nothing much. Ralphie had a fight.”

Tension rises as Dad puts down the paper and looks at Ralphie with a stern gaze. “A fight? What kind of fight?”

Mom replies, “Oh, you know how boys are. I gave him a talking to. Oh, I see the Bears are playing the Packers Sunday.”

It dawns on Ralphie that he has just experienced a modern-day Passover. The doom of which he was so certain passed over him as his mother poured out mercy. A smile breaks across Ralphie’s face, and he beams at his mother. Ralphie says to himself, I slowly realized that I was not about to be destroyed. From then on, things were different between me and my mother.

Larson, Craig Brian; Zahn, Andrew. Movie-Based Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching: 101 Clips to Show or Tell (pp. 140-141). (Function). Kindle Edition.

Hannah, also spelled Hanna, Hana, Hanah, or Chana, is a feminine given name of Hebrew origin. It is derived from the root ḥ-n-n, meaning "favour" or "grace". A Dictionary of First Names attributes the name to a word meaning 'He (God) has favoured me with a child

Isaiah 66:13–14 ESV

13 As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. 14 You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice; your bones shall flourish like the grass; and the hand of the Lord shall be known to his servants, and he shall show his indignation against his enemies.

Children Are Like Arrows In The Hand Of A Warrior

Psalm 127:3–5 ESV

3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. 5 Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

Every Good Gift & Every Perfect Gift Is From Above

James 1:16–18 ESV

16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Close- The Inexpressible Gift

For God So Loved The World

John 3:16–17 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Thanks Be To God For His Inexpressible Gift!

2 Corinthians 9:12–15 ESV

12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. 13 By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. 15 Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

Unto Us A Child Is Born

Isaiah 9:6 ESV

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Let Your Soul Magnify The LORD

Luke 1:46–50 ESV

46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

Oh Taste & See That The LORD Is Good!

Psalm 34:1–8 ESV

1 I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. 3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together! 4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. 6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. 8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

Jesus’ Grace Is Sufficient!

2 Corinthians 12:8–10 ESV

8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.