The Tale of Two Mothers
Notes
Transcript
Text:
Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Athaliah the daughter of Omri. He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab: for his mother was his counsellor to do wickedly.
And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD. For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him: Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.
Opening Statement:
I in no way can tell you how to be a mother. I cannot tell you how to be a mother......I can however, tell you what is written in the scriptures. So I want to encourage you through the scriptures this morning.
Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
Admonishment to the children:
Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Honor- to glory, respect, hold in high esteem. Also adherence to what is right or to a conventional standard of conduct. Finally, (verb) it can also mean to fulfill an obligation or keep an agreement.
Respect - a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements. Also, due regard for the feelings, wishes, rights, or traditions of others.
Why respect? Because your mother birthed you into this world, she was near deaths doors to birth you here, she endured pain, sickness, tiredness when she carried you in the womb for 9 months. Your mother clothed you and fed you, and taught you, and disciplined you and we should respect our mothers......no mothers are perfect, yes they will make mistakes, but no where in scripture did the LORD ever say that there was a void or escape clause for not honoring your mother or your father.
Hold them in high esteem, conduct oneself in a way that brings glory to your parents, watch out and take care of them.
You can’t respect your mother/father you cannot hold them in high-esteem if you curse your parents.
Jesus quoted this scripture that is written in the Old Testament “For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.” Matt 15:4
Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.
For the record.....I have NEVER in my life cursed my father or my mother.
If you ever cursed your mother, if you ever cursed your father you better repent and ask God to forgive you, then you better ask your parent to forgive you.
There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.
Thought: If your parents have passed from this life; we are still obligated to honor them. How? Live in a way that brings glory to them. Parenthood was designed to mirror the relationship that God has with his children. We should live in a way that would bring glory to God. You can’t bring glory to God without bringing glory to your mother or your father. Samuel, lived his life in such a way that brought glory to his parents, but most importantly it brought glory to God.
The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.
A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his mother.
The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.
As parents, the way that we behave and do can have an impact on our children. Our good as well as our evil can impact our children.
Dealing with the text:
Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Athaliah the daughter of Omri. He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab: for his mother was his counsellor to do wickedly.
King Ahaziah was the youngest son of King Jehoram of Judah. His father was considered to be a wicked king. King Jehoram first of all was a murder because once he became king, he had all of his brothers killed along with other rulers. If we would read the scriptures we would understand that King Jehoram was the son of Jehosaphat and King Jehosaphat was an honorable king and did what was right in the sight of God. But now, Jehoram having a wicked heart murders his brothers, some of the rulers that he knew were going to stand for what is right.
The bible says in 2 Chr 21:6 that King Jehoram walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab did......why? Because Jehoram’s wife was Ahab’s daughter! Ahab’s daughter was also the daughter of that false prophetess Jezebel, yes the same Jezebel that was responsible for nearly killing all of the true prophets of the most high. The same Jezebel that had an evil influence over Ahab that caused all of Israel to follow in sin. Athaliah the daughter of Ahab, the daughter of Jezebel, the grand-daughter of Omri (2 Chr. 22:2).
The bible says that after the word of the LORD came to Elijah that Elijah told Jerhoram that because you have not walked in the ways of your father and the ways of Asa, but have walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and have caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot as the house of Ahab played the harlot, and have also killed your brothers, your own family, who were better than you, behold the LORD is going to strike your people, your sons, your wives and all your possessions with great calamity; and you will suffer severe sickness, a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the sickness day by day.
Thought: Mothers and fathers......if we are not careful.....our sins cannot only impact us it can impact our children, it can impact our family, and it can impact everyone else around us.
You can find yourself in the same predicament as Jehoram, no you might not take a sword and kill your family, but your actions can cause so much stress on your family that it can cause them to go to an early grave.
So now the scriptures tell us that the LORD visited Jehoram....what is so interesting is the fact that when the word of God came.....Jehoram instead of repenting, instead of turning to God, he was so engrossed in his sin that despite of the pending judgement.....he continued on living, he continued on doing the same thing!
God’s judgement came and God’s word came to pass and Jehoram died exactly how the prophet Elijah said he was going to die. So now his youngest son Ahaziah becomes king at the age of 22 (The bible says 40 and 2 which most people think is 42, but compared to other manuscripts, as well as extra-biblical material the age is 22). This young man at the age of 22 becomes king....and what does he do? He walks in the ways of the house of Ahab.....why because his mother counseled him to do wickedly.
His mother influenced him to live wickedly, his mother influenced him to walk contrary to the way of God, he saw his mother live an ungodly life. The bible says that Ahaziah was not only counseled by his mother Queen Athalia but that after his father died, the house of Ahab also counselled him.
Now get this, during this time in northern Israel, they had a strong economy, that had treaties with various countries, it seemed as if everything was going right for Northern Israel, but they were living in sin. Just because things are going good for you does not mean that judgement won’t come. Just because things are lining up right for you doesn’t mean that God isn’t pleased. Just because you haven’t been afflicted yet.....doesn’t mean that God’s wrath won’t find you.
To make this long story short, God’s judgement came to Ahaziah in that he was assassinated by a man named Jehu who God commissioned to execute judgement on the house of Ahab......Ahaziah fell down with all of his friends and those who influenced him.
Athaliah this wicked mother now usurps the throne and in the process kills all of her son’s (Ahaziah’s) children to ensure that there would not be another king from the house of Ahaziah. Ahaziah’s mother.......Ahab’s and Jezebel’s daughter becomes queen....but just when she thought she got a way, six years later an insurrection arises because there was one grandson that Athaliah didn’t get by the name of Joash.
This tell, is about a wicked mother, that influenced her son to do evil resulting in things going wrong for her son. Matter of fact Azariah only ruled for 1 year before he was cut off. Mothers, your actions can influence your children, mothers if you are not careful, you can influence your children to live in opposition to God. When you live in opposition of God, if you influence your children to live in opposition to God it can result in their days being cut short by God.
Now.....let’s look at another mother by the name of Hanah:
So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD. And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.
This woman Hannah was a scorned woman because she was barren and was unable to conceive. She was a woman of torment and contempt, but even in her bitterness and pain, she sought the LORD. This woman Hanna goes into the temple to pray to God, to weep before the LORD, because she knew that it was going to take a miracle in order for her to conceive but she knew that God could do it....she knew and believed that God could give her what she asked for. So she prays to God and weeps silently....her prayer was so intense that when Eli saw her....he thought that she was drunk. That’s some praying right there......mothers are sometime faced with what may seem to be impossible odds.....but you gotta learn how to pray like Hanna pray. She prayed, until she got a breakthrough. Eli, confronts her....because he is thinking that a drunk woman is in the temple…but Hanna says “No my lord”, she said I am a woman oppressed and I have poured out my soul before the LORD. Lord help us to pray to the effect that we pour out our soul to you! She begins to tell Eli what she was doing and why she was praying like she was praying......and then Eli begins to bless her.
And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her. Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD.
So now......this future mother......this future mother.....rises up early the next morning.....and worshipped before the LORD. She rises up early.....with her husband and worshipped before the LORD. I believe she rised up, after she poured out her soul to God, after she wept and cried and told God all about it, and she worshipped God! After Eli blessed and said “Go in peace; and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of Him”. She rises up early in the morning and tells God thank you! She rises up in the morning giving God glory.....she rises up thanking God in advance for the miracle....she rises up and worships God and heads home expecting a miracle. So the bible says that “Elkanah knew his wife”.......she said you know husband.....I prayed, the priest blessed, we worshipped, so let’s try again.....and the bible says the LORD REMEMBERED HER! She mothers some of you been praying for your child.....and you feel like your prayers have been hitting a glass ceiling....but I dare you to do what Hannah did 1. Pour out your soul to God, 2. Believe the report of the LORD 3. Worship Him in advance for your miracle 4. Go back and try again! If it don’t work the first time rinse and repeat....until God REMEMBERS YOU! Until God hears your prayers and move on your behalf!
Hannah, conceives a child and names him Samson and she gives the child unto God. You know matter of fact even in her prayer Hannah told the Lord “if you bless me with this male child”......she you need to be specific in what you want the LORD to do for you. If you bless me with a male child, I’ll give him to you.
And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD. For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him: Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.
So now, after Samuel is born.....she does exactly like she promised God she was going to do. She brings him to the LORD and dedicates him.....he was her first born.....and the law required that every firstborn male be dedicated unto the service of the LORD. She brings Samuel to Eli and said “Oh, my lord”.....remember when I was praying and you pronounced a blessing over me.....for this boy....I prayed, and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of Him! So now I’m giving him to the LORD!
She put this child in God’s hand.....I want to encourage every mother to put your child in God’s hand! The tell of this mother is a mother who prayed for her child, a mother that gave her child to the LORD, a mother who saw God bless her child abundantly all the days of his life. It’s not the same tell as the wicked mother who saw her child’s life extinguished during the prime of his life. This mother gave her child to the LORD, this mother prayed for her child, this mother supported her child, this mother believed God, this mother had faith in God, this mother poured her soul out to God and God not only blessed her life but God blessed the life of her child and this child grew up to be a man of God, this child grew up to be a prophet of God, this child grew up to be a leader and spiritual influencer of the children of Israel.....he became a deliverer.
Which mother are you going to be?