The Creation of the Mother

(Open with Skit Guys video) HONOR THE MOTHERS! Then post the slide of all the things that moms do and elaborate!

I know that in the years past, I have mentioned on Mother’s Day, the situation of how that many people overlook and take for granted all the things that a woman, a wife and especially a mother, do for us in our lives and for our families!

In all of the areas that you see on the slide before you, if she were payed for all of these areas, (PLUS MANY MORE), it would look something like this estimate. (SHOW SLIDES OF STAY AT HOME AND WORKING MOMS!)

So, who treated their wife/mom to something special today, or are going to do something special with/for her after church?

Stats say that about 84% of us will be celebrating Mother’s Day

Stats also say that about 27% of the country bought their mother/wife, something online. How many of you shopped online for something in here? (The other 33% were store shoppers, so that is you then, right?)

78% of American buy greeting cards for their moms; what about in here, who all bought or recieved a Mother’s Day card?

There are a lot of mothers who get some rather “UNIQUE” things on this very special day, if you know what I am talking about!

A four-year-old and a six-year-old presented their Mom with a house plant. They had used their own money and she was thrilled. The older of them said with a sad face, “There was a bouquet that we wanted to give you at the flower shop. It was real pretty, but it was too expensive. We know how that you are always saying that you would like some peace in this house so that you can rest and this bouquet was perfect for you! It even had a ribbon on it that said, ‘Rest in Peace!”

If any of you are planning to run out today and grab the MRS. something, here is some advice gentlemen:

MOTHER'S DAY GIFTS What NOT to Buy Your Wife: Although the only person a man usually shops for is his wife, the whole experience is a stressful one. Many a man has felt extreme frigid temperatures for a long period based on a poor present decision. So, here are a few helpful hints of things to avoid! 1. Don’t buy anything that plugs in. Anything that requires electricity is seen as utilitarian. 2. Don’t buy clothing that involves sizes. The chances are one in seven thousand that you will get her size right, and your wife will be offended the other 6999 times. "Do I look like a size 16?" she’ll say. Too small a size doesn’t cut it either: "I haven’t worn a size 8 in 20 years!" 3. Avoid all things useful. The new silver polish advertised to save hundreds of hours is not going to win you any brownie points. 4. Don’t buy anything that involves weight loss or self-improvement. She’ll perceive a six-month membership to a diet center as a suggestion that’s she’s overweight. 5. Don’t buy jewelry. The jewelry your wife wants, you can’t afford. And the jewelry you can afford, she doesn’t want. 6. And, guys, do not fall into the traditional trap of buying her frilly undergarments. Your idea of the kind your wife should wear and what she actually wears are light years apart. 7. Finally, don’t spend too much. "How do you think we’re going to afford that?" she’ll ask. But don’t spend too little. She won’t say anything, but she’ll think, "Is that all I’m worth?"

I believe that no one, until they have walked in the shoes of a seasoned mother, can completely understand what all a mother deals with, or have dealt with! AMEN?!

A 15 year old boy came bounding into the house and found his mom in bed. He asked if she was sick or something. He was truly concerned! Mom replied that, as a matter of fact, she didn’t feel too well. The son replied, “Well, don’t worry about dinner, I’ll be happy to carry you down to the stove”

You know, when we look and/or talk about the father or the mother, we can see the work and design of God, our heavenly Father and creator all around and within each of them. This morning though, I want to briefly look at the splendor of the that most blessed creation, which is the mother!

The creation of the mother, to me, is one of the closest images to what the love of our heavenly Father looks like! And in a minute, I am going to show you a brief, a very brief look at how much detail he put into making the woman, the wife, the MOTHER!

Years ago, the writer and columnist, Erma Bombeck, wrote this account:

When God Made Mothers

By the time the Lord made mothers, he was into the sixth day working overtime. An Angel appeared and said "Why are you spending so much time on this one?"

And the Lord answered and said, "Have you read the spec sheet on her? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic; have 200 movable parts, all replaceable; run on black coffee and leftovers; have a lap that can hold three children at one time and that disappears when she stands up; have a kiss that can cure anything from a scrape knee to a broken heart; and have six pairs of hands."

The Angel was astounded at the requirements for this one. "Six pairs of hands! No Way!" said the Angel.

The Lord replied, “Oh, it's not the hands that are the problem. It's the three pairs of eyes that mothers must have!"

"And that's on the standard model?" the Angel asked. The Lord nodded in agreement, "Yep, one pair of eyes are to see through the closed door as she asks her children what they are doing even though she already knows. Another pair in the back of her head, are to see what she needs to know even though no one thinks she can. And the third pair are here in the front of her head. They are for looking at an errant child and saying that she understands and loves him or her without even saying a single word."

The Angel tried to stop the Lord. "This is too much work for one day. Wait until tomorrow to finish."

"But I can't!" The Lord said, "I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my own heart. She already heals herself when she is sick and can feed a family of six on a pound of hamburger and can get a nine year old to stand in the shower."

The Angel moved closer and touched the woman, "But you have made her so soft, Lord."

"She is soft," the Lord agreed, "but I have also made her tough. You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish."

"Will she be able to think?" Asked the angel.

The Lord replied, "Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason, and negotiate."

The Angel then noticed something and reached out and touched the woman's cheek. "Oops, it looks like you have a leak with this model. I told you that you were trying to put too much into this one."

"That's not a leak." the Lord objected. "That's a tear!"

"What's the tear for?" the Angel asked.

The Lord said, "The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her disappointment, her pain, her loneliness, her grief, and her pride."

The Angel was impressed. "You are a genius, Lord. You thought of everything for this one. You even created the tear!"

The Lord looked at the Angel and smiled and said, "I created the woman, but she created the tear!" Author Erma Bombeck

Probably one of the most taught on and recognized passages in the Bible, that preachers use for a Mother’s Day sermon, is that from .

Most of us that have read or heard this passage taught on, often refer to it as the “Virtuous Woman” passage, right?

I am going to start here, at and the title, “The Virtuous Woman”, and then basically, jump all of the way back to the creation scene and look at the creation, known as the ishshah (woman).

In Hebrew, the phrase Virtuous Woman, is eshet chayil (eshet hi-eel). And for the majority of my life, this is how I have always heard the phrase used in conjunction with this passage in Proverbs, that is, a VIRTUOUS WOMAN.

Eschet, is a derivative from the ancient Hebrew word, ishshah, which does mean, woman, or wife. It is the word chayil, that throws us the curve in this phrase.

Chayil, in the Strong’s concordance, does have the meaning of virtuous in it, but look at the whole meaning: probably a force, whether of men, means or other resources; an army, wealth, virtue, valor, strength:—able, activity, ( ) army, band of men (soldiers), company, (great) forces, goods, host, might, power, riches, strength, strong, substance, train, ( ) valiant(-ly), valour, virtuous(-ly), war, worthy(-ily).

In just about every verse that you see chayil used in the Old Testament, it is used in conjunction with mighty men and warring men. Why then is it lessened in intensity when applied to the wife/woman in ?

The more accurate translation as used throughout the OT would be, “The Valiant Woman”.

The depiction is that of a warrior; it is of might and strength.

In verse 11 of this passage, you read that, “Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life.

and she will greatly enrich his life.

Enrich, as used here in the NLT, is the Hebrew word, shalal, and it refers to “war-booty”, that is, plunder and spoils from war.

This is referring to the fact that the husband of the Valiant Woman, and their family, is provided for, within their home. She is fierce to provide and take care of that which she is entrusted with; physically and spiritually!

This is not taking away from or changing the role and designation of the husband, as says,

Proverbs 31:23 ESV

Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.

Proverbs 23 NLT

While dining with a ruler, pay attention to what is put before you. If you are a big eater, put a knife to your throat; don’t desire all the delicacies, for he might be trying to trick you. Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit. In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle. Don’t eat with people who are stingy; don’t desire their delicacies. They are always thinking about how much it costs. “Eat and drink,” they say, but they don’t mean it. You will throw up what little you’ve eaten, and your compliments will be wasted. Don’t waste your breath on fools, for they will despise the wisest advice. Don’t cheat your neighbor by moving the ancient boundary markers; don’t take the land of defenseless orphans. For their Redeemer is strong; he himself will bring their charges against you. Commit yourself to instruction; listen carefully to words of knowledge. Don’t fail to discipline your children. The rod of punishment won’t kill them. Physical discipline may well save them from death. My child, if your heart is wise, my own heart will rejoice! Everything in me will celebrate when you speak what is right. Don’t envy sinners, but always continue to fear the Lord. You will be rewarded for this; your hope will not be disappointed. My child, listen and be wise: Keep your heart on the right course. Do not carouse with drunkards or feast with gluttons, for they are on their way to poverty, and too much sleep clothes them in rags. Listen to your father, who gave you life, and don’t despise your mother when she is old. Get the truth and never sell it; also get wisdom, discipline, and good judgment. The father of godly children has cause for joy. What a pleasure to have children who are wise. So give your father and mother joy! May she who gave you birth be happy. O my son, give me your heart. May your eyes take delight in following my ways. A prostitute is a dangerous trap; a promiscuous woman is as dangerous as falling into a narrow well. She hides and waits like a robber, eager to make more men unfaithful. Who has anguish? Who has sorrow? Who is always fighting? Who is always complaining? Who has unnecessary bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns, trying out new drinks. Don’t gaze at the wine, seeing how red it is, how it sparkles in the cup, how smoothly it goes down. For in the end it bites like a poisonous snake; it stings like a viper. You will see hallucinations, and you will say crazy things. You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea, clinging to a swaying mast. And you will say, “They hit me, but I didn’t feel it. I didn’t even know it when they beat me up. When will I wake up so I can look for another drink?”

The husband’s role is primarily that away from the house, as in this depiction, he is out protecting the city gates, dealing in commerce and doing what is necessary to work and provide for their home.

The husband’s role is primarily that away from the house, as in this depiction, he is out protecting the city gates, dealing in commerce and doing what is necessary to work and provide for their home.

where he sits with the other civic leaders.

In we see,

Proverbs 31:15 ESV

She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens.

Interestingly enough, the word used here for food, is the Hebrew word, te-ref, and it means, prey! This word was used instead of a word like, oklah, which means meat/food.

The idea represented here then, is that the Valiant Woman, is likened to that of a lioness that goes out and hunts the prey to provide for what is hers, her house and family. (How many of you know not to mess with a lioness and her cubs?!!)

I am bringing all of this up from Proverbs, to show you something about that which is in the true and intended creation by God known as the Mother/Wife/Woman!

She was made by God and His masterful and grand design, for a specific role and purpose alongside of her husband!

In order to see this and how God created her, we are going to jump all the back to Genesis. ARE YOU READY TO JUMP?!

Turn with me, please, to .

Now, Genesis chapter 1, is basically a overview of the entire 6 days of creation and then the rest that God took from His work, on day 7.

Genesis chapter 2 is a more detailed look into one very specific part of God’s creation and that very specific part is the creation of mankind.

Lets start with says,

Genesis 2:7–8 ESV

then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.

So, we see here, that God took a dust from the ground and created Adam.

I am sure that some of you ladies still think that your husbands are leaking and oozing some of that dust all over the place, as many messes as we make!

Now, a couple of things from this verse, that I’ll need you to keep up with.

First, the Hebrew word for man/mankind is, adam, and it became the proper name for the first man created, as the representative of mankind.

Second, the passage here says that God formed him from the dust. The word for formed is, yatsar, (which refers to a potter working with clay!) . You will see something a little different in a minute with respect to the creation of woman. (The word for dust/ground, is adamah!)

So, God formed man from the dust, HE then breathed the breath of life into him (placed the living spirit inside of him for life) and then HE took man and placed him into the garden.

OK, remember that I just told you that Genesis chapter 1 is a broad and quick description of the creation account, right? Well, in that broad account, is the stated and designed purpose behind the creation of man and woman. (LET’S TAKE A SECOND AND ALL COME INTO AGREEMENT ON SOMETHING, CAN WE?) Everything that God created, He created for a specific, designed purpose, right? Scientists are finding this out more and more, the deeper that they dig into the laws that govern our universe, they are finding how exact and unalterable those laws are. If God made it a certain way then He meant for it to be a certain way.

With everything else that He made, He really gave no explanation in His word for it or His law of its existence. However, with the creation of man and woman, He made it a point to openly state why He was making them. He also let us know, in the opening chapter of His book, that He and His son Jesus and Holy Spirit, were the very ones that we were created in the image of, right?!

, “God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness.”

So, if God made it a point to stress to us about whose image we bare (which is obviously a big deal, that He wanted us to represent the godhead here on earth) and then He makes it an openly stated fact of why HE put us here and what we were to be doing, then who, other than God Himself, has the right to change that design, or that law and purpose?

The Amplified Bible. (1987). (). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

Genesis 1:27–28 NLT

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

There is our designed mandate that He gave upon the very day of His creation of us: God blessed us with His mandate by saying “Be fruitful (produce an offspring or harvest of the same kind in a successive generation, implying an abundance) and multiply. FILL THE EARTH and GOVERN IT”

We were designed, as men and women, to be ambassadors of His, with the mandate to produce offspring and keep replicating; but also to reign on earth in authority, as He reigns in authority in heaven. Not only did He make us in His image, with our created life and the spirit that He placed within us, but also HE created us to mirror His role in heaven, by ruling and governing on earth! (WE ARE TO MIRROR OUR CREATOR!)

Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

So, now we know the reason, overall, for His creation of mankind, lets look a little more closely at the case with Adam, so we can really drive home the beauty and power of the creation of women!

Genesis 2:18–20 ESV

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.

God then formed the creatures from the earth (as He did also with Adam) and let Adam pick through them for a suitable mate as he was naming them, that would be right for him, as a companion.

There was none found, however. God let Adam make the choice, so that it was not pressed upon him and that way Adam would truly see the beauty and benefit of what God was about to do! (Just think ladies, if Adam was hasty and impatient as most people are today, you may have been replaced with a chimp or something!)

.

Genesis 2:21–25 ESV

So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

God puts him asleep and then removed a rib and uses it for creation of the woman. I’m going to go though this quickly, because this is amazing, but lengthy if you begin to talk of all of the details.

You probably already know that our bones can repair themselves if they are broken, right? However, did you know that the rib, is the only one bone that can not only repair itself, but it can also regenerate itself!

This is why it was used by God to make the woman. (Because of this, men and women still have the same number of ribs. Adam’s rib regenerated and grew back!)

Now, God took the rib (containing the DNA of man) and, as the Bible says, He “fashioned” the woman from it.

The Bible doesn’t says that God “formed” (yatsar) woman as He did with man, but rather it says He “fashioned” (banah) her. This word means ( to make, to rebuild; procreate, make a family, be restored)!

God took man and made or rebuilt from his design, another that was equal, yet modified and different! (If all man needed was a helpmate, a workmate to share the task of working the garden, then God would have just FORMED another man from the dust!)

Before Eve was created, man was only known as Adam, (which is neutral for mankind), in Hebrew. Afterwards, however, man became known in Hebrew as, ‘iysh and woman was known as, ishshah. Man was not known as ‘iysh, until woman was made from him.

In other words, from iysh, you get ishshah. She, as does her name, come from within him. (Like man and woman). There was no iysh, until there was ishshah and vice-versa. You can’t really define and have the one without the other!

Thus, you could not have ishshah unless it was taken from within the iysh.

And now you are starting to see why it makes sense of what Adam declares and what Moses comments on right behind it. ,

Genesis 2:23–24 ESV

Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Eve was taken from the flesh of Adam. (She literally came from within him, to be fashioned into the equal of him for a specific task).

Man אישׁ (iysh)and woman אשּׁה (ishshah) share two Hebrew letters: aleph and shin. The difference between the two is that man has the letter yohd and woman has the letter hey. Interestingly, if we put these two together, it spells Yah (yohd, hey). Yah is the poetic form of God’s Name. (SHOW PICTURE) Each have a piece of the name and piece of the authority that He gave them, but only after the two flesh are joined together do you truly see YAH, or God in their existence! (The union of the MAN and the WOMAN are purest example of God and His creation!)

So, from the one came the two and when the two become one again, then and only then do you see the most complete picture of THE ONE!

Do you see that everything that God does has a design and purpose? He is in the middle of everything within our lives.

And just like God assigned and gave man (Adam) a specific task and calling (, “And the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to TEND and GUARD and KEEP it.”)

You then find God giving man the first spiritual law in verses 16-17, “The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

It is here that you find the calling and purpose of the woman!

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

So also, did God create woman with a specific calling and task, ,

Genesis 2:18 NASB95

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”

The Amplified Bible. (1987). (). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

The phrase, “suitable helper” is, in Hebrew, the phrase, “ezer kenegdo”, and when translated, it is more accurately depicted as, “a guardian/protector/rescuer, who opposes or is against”.

Basically, it means, when the man is doing what God has instructed him to do, the woman can come along aside of him and serve as a helper, a guardian a protector for him to help him obey and do as God has instructed. When the man is not living in the spiritual design God gave him, then the woman cannot fulfill her designed role and is opposed to him!

Just like the passage earlier, the woman, by design, is a keeper, a valiant guardian a protector of that which she has been entrusted (i.e. her husband and her family!)

In Titus 2:5

God, since it was by His design, likened Himself to that of a mother:

As giving birth to the nation of Israel in

As a mother bear that will tear apart anyone who messes with her cubs

In Isaiah as a mother in labor and as a nursing mother, God says, “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.”

By God’s own design of the mother, there is a bond that naturally and physiologically exists between her and her offspring!(ELABORATE)

You see, it is through the mother and that of birthing, and that of her devout protection and UNDYING LOVE, that God instituted and brought us back, just as Jesus said, “You must be born again”!