How can Mothers Help Their Children See the World Through God's Eyes?
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
One of the most important things that a mother does for her children is to instill moral values into their lives from the moment of their birth and then for the rest of their lives. A mom plays a crucial role, especially when the kids are young, of shaping a child to think the right way.
6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Parents we must be very careful to train our children in the way that they should go. This applies equally to moms and dads, but since it is Mother’s Day I want to focus on the moms (dads you listen too). Moms, you must train up your children in the way they should go, so that even when they are old they will not depart from it. What exactly does that mean?
You must train up your children- that is you must help your children to think in the right way. You must condition and mold and shape the way you children see the world. You must give them a God conscious mind. That is you must encourage growth and fellowship and understanding of Jesus and of God the Father, so much so that as our children come to know them better, they begin to see the world through God’s eyes.
So you must train your children- help them to think rightly- help them to have a God consciousness to see the world through God’s eyes, so that when they are mature, they have the moral values to make good decisions which do not deviate from what is right.
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. I have also hear this verse translated- when he is old it will not depart from him. That is the moral values you instill now in your children, the God consciousness you instill now in your children will never depart from them even when they are old. Now, your children will have to make their own decisions one day- and they aren’t perfect, just like you aren’t perfect. They will make bad choices, but the moral value you instill in them now will never depart from their hearts. And being able to see the world through God’s eyes is invaluable.
So moms, how do you do that? How do you help you children see the World through God’s eyes? There are many ways you can do that, and many answers to that question.
Teach them the value of reading- especially of reading the Bible
Prayer- living with an attitude of prayer before them everyday
Evangelism- making the main thing the main thing in your life- being a disciple-maker consistently before their eyes
This morning I want to talk about one specific area that you as a mom can help train up your child- you can help your children think rightly about God and about the world- and that is the area of providence.
We hate the feeling when life feels out of control don’t we? Have you ever been driving in your can at high speeds during a heavy rain storm and you hit a patch of water and your car starts to hydroplane? Not a fun feeling is it? Have you ever driven during a blizzard and gone around a corner and your car slips on the ice and the snow and you loose all control over your vehicle? Not fun!
This morning my goal is to reaffirm one vital truth that cannot be overstated enough- God is ALWAYS in control. Even when it feels like your life is like the car slipping on ice and snow or hydroplaning in the thunderstorm , and any semblance of control has vanished, God is still in control.
6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;
8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.
2 Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.
19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.
No matter how out of control life seems, we must remember that God is ruling and reigning over the world, that God is completely sovereign and He is always in control.
God is presently ruling and reigning over human history in such a way that every event that occurs in our lives is either caused by God or permitted by God, and God has His purposes in what He causes and what He permits.
What I am talking about is a doctrine we call providence, if you want the fancy theological term for it, we would call it the doctrine of meticulous providence. It is the idea that God rules over the events of our lives, even the events of our lives that to us seem out of control. That means that every event that happens in your life, and especially the events that seem out of control, are either permitted by God or they are directly caused by Him, and God has His own purposes in what He causes or permits to happen in your life.
How should we think about that? When our lives are going well, it is easy to agree and understand and respond to this truth of God’s providence. But, what about when our lives are going badly? What about when we are going through painful trials? And what if we have been going through those painful trials for a very long time? How should we think about God’s providence then? And how should we respond to God’s providence when we are at our lowest?
This morning I want us to examine this question by examining I Samuel 1. And then once we have examined the idea of God’s providence we are going to bring it back around to Proverbs 22:6 and how we teach it to our children.
We need to understand where we are in the story of the OT, so we can properly understand the story of the book of I Samuel.
Judges 21:25 gives us a good background as to where we are in the story line.
25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
The specifically stated problem was that everyone did what was right in their own eyes and that problem stemmed from having no king. The book of I Samuel is all about God putting the man that He chooses on the throne as king.
This is a big problem. God has chosen a people out of all the nations of the world to be His people. He has delivered them out of the bondage of Egypt, He has given them a land to dwell in. But His people are seemingly out of control. God however, is still on His throne, ruling and reigning, and He in the story of I Samuel is going to providentially put the man of His choosing on the throne as king in order to bring His own people back to Himself.
Out of this big problem, filled with big obstacles, with big consequences, God begins the big story with one small story about the life of a woman named Hannah.
As we look at the story of Hannah this morning I want us to consider this question:
How should I respond to God’s providence when my life seems out of control?
Scene #1- The Long Hard Road (1:1-8)
Scene #1- The Long Hard Road (1:1-8)
Remember we are asking the question, “How should I respond to God’s providence when my life seems out of control?”
We are introduced to three primary characters in this first scene of the story: Elkanah, Peninnah, and Hannah. And from these three characters we see three different responses to God’s providential control in their lives.
Now if you want to understand narratives properly the first thing that you need to determine in the flow of the story is the occasioning incident- or the big problem that occurs in the lives of the individual characters. So, what is the occasioning incident in Hannah’s story?
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.
(v. 1)- we are given some background information- who Elkanah was- his lineage and where he was from.
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.
(v.2)- this is where we run into the problem of the story.
The big problem is that Hannah had no children, while Peninnah had children (plural)
Side Note: For time’s sake and the sake of the flow of the story I am not going to go into detail about the problem of bigamy or polygamy. But I will say this- God’s design is for marriage to be between one man and one woman.
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
God never endorses bigamy- in the OT under the dispensation of the Mosaic Law, God allowed it in something of a concession to sinful human nature. But, we should note that 1) In every instance of bigamy/polygamy that is recorded in the OT in any detail attaches some negative circumstance to it. Even though God allowed it, He did not eliminate the personal tragedy or hardship that was always associated with it. 2). In every instance of bigamy there is always one woman who is the favored or primary wife. I think it is this way because God created marriage to be between one man and one woman and even in marriages with multiple wives God’s intention of one woman stands out. Conclusion: God’s design for marriage is to be between one man and one woman. This is crystal clear in the NT dispensation.
Coming back to the flow of the story: the big problem is that Hannah has no children.
The rest of this scene is all about that problem intensifying. In other words the problem goes from bad to worse.
3 Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord.
Every year this family would travel to Shiloh in order to offer sacrifices to the Lord. This is especially significant, since this is a time in Israel’s history where not many people would be doing this. (Every man did that which was right in his own eyes) This highlights the fact that Elkanah really does love the Lord and wants his family to love and serve God as well.
This should have been a very special time for Hannah, this should have been a time for her to express her love and worship unto the Lord. But this was instead the hardest most painful part of her life.
4 On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters.
At the time of the sacrifice Elkanah would give to his family portions for the sacrifice. Even though Peninnah is not his favorite, He still fulfills his responsibilities to her in including her in worship.
5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb.
But unto Hannah, Elkanah gave a double portion. This is a clear sign of his attitude toward her. He loves her very much even though she has not provided an heir for him. He views their relationship as close and special and He genuinely wants to console her in her grief over her barrenness.
6 And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb.
7 So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat.
However, her rival (rival- Peninnah) provoked her to the extreme and irritated her relentlessly-
Peninnah upon seeing Elkanah give Hannah a double portion, as Hannah’s rival- she would provoke her severely in order to irritate her or in order to make her miserable. That was Peninnah’s goal: provoke, taunt, to anger her in order to make her life miserable.
And she did this year after year after year- we don’t know how long this went on, but the idea seems to be a significant amount of time- 5, 10, 15 years Hannah had to endure this torment.
For year after year Hannah is having to endure misery and pain and discouragement and a feeling of failure. Now we cannot miss the important truth in v. 5. Hannah at this point in the story feels like her life is out of control, but the truth is that God is always in control. Who allowed Hannah to go through, year after year, of misery? God did. Look at the end of v. 5
5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb.
The Lord was the one who shut up Hannah’s womb. This is the exact reason for why Hannah feels like her life is out of control, that her life is a misery. Remember, God is presently ruling and reigning over human history in such a way that every event that occurs in our lives is either caused by God or permitted by God, and God has His purposes in what He causes and what He permits.
How do we sometimes respond to God’s providence, especially when our lives feel out of control?
Perhaps we respond like Peninnah. Peninnah responded in outright willful sin to God’s providential control. Peninnah, who has multiple children- both sons and daughters, she tries to compensate for the fact that she is obviously the secondary wife to Elkanah in a very unhealthy and sinful way- she provokes and irritates and does whatever she can to cause misery.
Has God allowed you to travel the long hard road in your own life? Maybe you have been in pain and misery and maybe you have been there for a very long time. Maybe like Hannah, God has not allowed you to have children, maybe God has allowed you to stay single, maybe God has allowed you to struggle in your job- maybe your work is demanding/wearisome/unemployed, maybe you are in a relationship with your spouse that for lack of a better term is miserable, maybe God has allowed your relationship with your children to become difficult and demanding and wearisome and miserable, maybe it is in the area of your finances- you haven’t had enough money in your life for what seems like a long long time. Are any of you on the long hard road that Hannah was on? How are you responding? Are you responding like Peninnah? Are you doing so in an unhealthy sinful way? Have you become bitter against God? Have you lashed out at others and attempted to provoke them and make them miserable?
Or maybe you respond like Elkanah did. Notice Elkanah’s response in v. 8
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?”
Elkanah is really missing the point in his response. He sees Hannah in misery and like all men he wants to instantly fix it. He wants to make everything be alright for Hannah. He really does have good intentions. But he is missing the big truth. What is the big truth? God is in control and God is the one who caused Hannah’s bareness and who has allowed Hannah to be in misery. In v. 5 Elkanah tries to fix Hannah’s grief by giving her a double portion. Then in v. 8 He tries to fix Hannah’s grief by telling Hannah that he was worth ten sons. He does not point Hannah to trust the Lord, to hope in the Lord, to find her peace in the Lord. He attempts to buy her happiness and when that doesn’t work he himself attempts to be her happiness.
Are you like Elkanah? Maybe you are not the one on the long hard road, but you know someone who is. And you genuinely love that person and you want to help, but you miss the big truth and you try to point people to find happiness in ways that are only destined to failure.
Maybe you are like Hannah? How did she respond to God’s providential control in her life?
6 And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb.
V. 6- she became provoked and bitter and irritated- in short she became miserable. She became so miserable that she would weep and she would refuse to eat. And it happened year after year- it got to the point where not being able to have children was all she could think about. It became the most important thing to her. It defined her happiness. It caused damage to her relationship with the Lord. It caused damage to her ability to worship and rejoice in the Lord. It consumed her.
Who do you identify with in this story? I think all three responses were bad ones and it points out a very important truth for us this morning.
Proposition #1- If you have a low view of God’s providence you will always respond poorly when life feels like it is out of control
Proposition #1- If you have a low view of God’s providence you will always respond poorly when life feels like it is out of control
If you are on the long hard road- childless, single, jobless, tight on money, in a miserable relationship, maybe for more than a month you have been quarantined to your homes unable to function normally in society.... And maybe you have your kids home with you because schools are closed down. How have your kids seen you respond to your life being out of control? Have you at times responded in sin or sorrow or in foolishness?
If you don’t have an abundant confidence that God is presently ruling and reigning over human history in such a way that every event that occurs in our lives is either caused by God or permitted by God, and God has His purposes in what He causes and what He permits, then you will respond poorly when life feels like it is out of control.
Scene #2- The heartfelt repentant prayer (1:9-17)
Scene #2- The heartfelt repentant prayer (1:9-17)
The occasioning problem of the story- Hannah is barren
The intensifying action- year after year of misery to the point of breaking
Now we come to the climax of the story.
Hannah’s problem is resolved by means of a genuine, heartfelt, repentant prayer. Not her physical problem- after her prayer she is still childless, but her heart problem is cured through her prayer.
After year after year of misery finally Hannah was ready to pour out her soul to the Lord. So one year, after they had eaten in Shiloh, Hannah makes her way to the temple to pray. And Eli the priest is there sitting by the post of the door watching this take place.
9 After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord.
Now this is very important- notice in v. 10 the condition of her soul when she began to pray.
10 She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly.
Her grief is very great. Her prayer came out of her “bitterness of soul” (vs. 10). She wept bitterly- this phrase is used elsewhere to characterize the psychological pain experienced by one who has been deprived of a child through death.
Naomi uses this word when discussing her dead sons.
Or by one who is experiencing great personal physical suffering.
20 “Why is light given to him who is in misery, and life to the bitter in soul,
Hannah begins her prayer in bitterness of soul and weeping.
What she prays is also extremely significant-
11 And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”
She vows to God that if God would give unto her a son, then she would give that son to the Lord all the days of his life. Now upon first glace this prayer seems almost heavy handed of Hannah. It seems like she is desperate and she is bargaining with God. But I do not think that is what is going on in Hannah’s heart in this prayer.
I want you to think about two things in this prayer.
1). She acknowledges that it is completely within the power of God whether she has children or whether she does not.
If you will look on the affliction of your handmaid and remember me, and not forget me and if you will give me a son. God I acknowledge that you alone control whether or not I have a son, and up until this point you have caused me to be barren. I think Hannah is acknowledging the truth that they were all missing in the beginning of the story. That is was God who had closed her womb, that it was according the will of God and the purpose of God and that no event in Hannah’s life happened outside of the control of God. Whether or not Hannah has a child is ultimately under God’s control.
2). If God wills that she should have a son, Hannah is willing to give him back to the Lord.
What had become the most important thing in Hannah’s life? Having a son. It consumed her, it made her miserable. It affected her relationship with her husband. It even affected her relationship with God. Having a child had become so important to her, that I believe it had become an idol in her life. It was more important to her that God was. It was all she could think about- so that instead of loving, worshiping, and rejoicing in God- she couldn’t even eat, and she spent her time weeping. And I think this is why God closed her womb in the first place. God knew that if he gave Hannah a child before she traveled the long hard road- that child would remain an idol in her life. But now, Hannah is ready, she understands- and with a sincere heart-felt prayer she repents of the sin of her heart. She says to God, if you choose to give me a son (the thing that has been the most important thing in my life), I will give him back to you Lord.
What was Hannah acknowledging in her heart? Jesus said it this way:
37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
What Hannah is saying in her prayer to God is, “God I repent of the sin of my heart and I want you to know that I love you more than anything else. I love you so much that if you choose to give me a son, I will give him back to you.”
The thing that had consumed Hannah’s life for years, the thing she was desperately trying to hold on to, she is now willing to lose that for God’s sake.
39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
What about you? Is there an idol in your heart? Is there something in your life that you have loved more than God. Is there something in your life, that up until this point you have been unwilling to acknowledge that God is sovereignly in control? And not just that He is in control, but that He has only your good in mind?
Maybe, this quarantine has exposed something in your life that has been an idol. One of the best time to see the idols of our hearts is when our idols are taken away from us. How do we respond? How do our children see us respond?
Meanwhile, Eli is sitting in the corner watching all of this take place in Hannah life.
12 As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth.
13 Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman.
14 And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.”
Here we get a foreshadowing into the character of Eli. What in actuality was a heartfelt prayer of repentance, Eli mistook to be a drunken stupor.
I love Hannah’s reply in v. 15
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.
Hannah said this, I wasn’t drunk- I was pouring out my soul before the Lord. Here we find the proper response to the providence of God. When your life feels out of control, and you are tempted to doubt God- pour out your soul before the Lord. Have a high view of God. Acknowledge that He is in control, repent of the idols of your heart, put your trust firmly in the Lord- get on your knees in total dependence and pour out your soul before Him.
Mom’s do you want to train up your children in the way they should go? Help them see the world through God’s eyes? How do I do that pastor? Right now when life seems like it is out of control- your children need to see you on your knees pouring out your soul before the Lord!
They need to see you put Hebrews 4:16 into action:
16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
So that when they are old- this way of thinking- this kind of moral value- a high view of God’s providence- from a mom who trusted God and cried out to God and poured her soul out to God- especially during the quarantine of 2020- that kind of God consciousness will never leave them.
Eli then repents of his earlier misunderstanding.
16 Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.”
17 Then Eli answered, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.”
Proposition #2- When life feels like it is out of control, the only proper response is to pour out your soul to the Lord
Proposition #2- When life feels like it is out of control, the only proper response is to pour out your soul to the Lord
In what way does your life feel out of control? Finances, health, spouse, children, ridicule? How will you respond this morning after being challenged with the complete providence of God in your life? Will you take a high view of his providence? Will you completely put your trust in Him? Will you acknowledge the spiritual idol in your heart? Will you be honest with yourself and admit that you love that idol more than you love God? Will you repent and determine in your heart to love God first and to give up your very life for His sake? Will you this morning spend some time on your knees pouring out your soul to Him?
Scene #3- The road of peace and joy (vv. 18-19a)
Scene #3- The road of peace and joy (vv. 18-19a)
Here we find the resolution of the story
Notice Hannah’s countenance when she left the temple in v. 18.
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.
She went her way, she ate, and her countenance was no longer sad. Now compare that to before her prayer: she was in bitterness of soul and she wept. After her prayer? She ate and she was no longer sad. Now what changed physically in Hannah’s life? NOTHING! She is still without child, she still has to go back and face Peninnah and Elkanah. She still is on the long hard road, but now it has become the road of peace and joy.
Notice v. 19-
19 They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her.
She gets up early in the morning with the rest of her family and she worships before the Lord! What a change, the day before all she could do was weep. Now, she can eat, she is no longer sad, and she can participate in corporate worship. And nothing externally has changed. Keep reading in v. 19 after she worships before the Lord, they return to their home in Ramah. Now I want you to stop right there. You already know how the story ends through v. 20. But what if you stop the story right in the middle of v. 19. Nothing changes physically for Hannah and she goes home and .... then what? She doesn’t know what is going to happen next. She has no idea, and she has no idea how long it will take to happen. All she knows is that she has poured out her soul to the Lord and from now on her trust is going to be in the Lord.
Some of you, if you get on your knees and you pour out your soul to the Lord, you are going to be at home this afternoon and you will be in the same situation you have always been in, except for one important thing.
Proposition #3- Life no longer feels out of control when you are trusting in the Lord
Proposition #3- Life no longer feels out of control when you are trusting in the Lord
Nothing had changed for Hannah except her heart before the Lord. She came to the temple bitter in soul and she left with peace and joy and love for God in her heart. She went home from the temple with no idea if God would answer her prayer, and if he did how long He would take, yet she was still able, even when her life was out of her control to live in peace and joy and to have an overwhelming desire to love and worship God. And you can have that same thing in your life. In fact I think that is the point of this story.
You can live a life of peace and joy and happiness- you can love and worship God with all your heart, even when your life feels out of control, if you respond properly to the providence of God.
What does a proper response look like? You must respond the way Hannah did- with a rock solid confident trust that God is always in control. You must pour out your soul to the Lord and love God more than anything else in this life.
Moms, this is what your children desperately need to see from you. They need to see you living out a life of peace and joy in the Lord. That doesn’t meant you can’t be sad or be sorrowful- that is not being genuine. But, when the long hard road comes- your kids need to see you pour our your soul to the Lord. They need to see you trust Him even when the future is anything but certain. They need to see you loving and worshiping God in midst of hardship and trials. They need to see you living out a rock solid confident trust that God is always in control! Moms, if you can instill that way of thinking into the heart of your child it will not depart from them when they God up. Help them to see the world through God’s eyes. Help them see the world so that no matter what happens God is always in control.
God is presently ruling and reigning over your life in such a way that every event that occurs in your life is either caused by God or permitted by God, and God has His purposes in what He causes and what He permits. Will you love Him, will you trust Him?