The Proof of the Real Mother - 1 Kings 3:16-28

Introduction

The theological thrusts if you will of this passage begins around 1 Kings Chapter 3 verses 3 through about the 15th verse with Solomon who is the king who has succeeded his father, David as king of Israel. Solomon who is known as the wise king of Israel doesn’t ask for long life, riches, or the life of his enemies… he asks for wisdom.

God grants his petition - but now that his petition has been granted God tests him to see what he will do with the wisdom he is given. The deluge of wisdom God has bestowed upon him leads him to hear the case of two mothers and one baby.

There is something so mysterious and mystical in the nature of motherhood. Someone once said “a mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take.” There are some people this morning who can say amen to that because mama is no longer here but you can still smell her scent, hear her words, recall her stories, remember her recipes and meals where she could take a little of this and a little of that and mix it with a little of something else and before you know it you had a meal. And many can recall such vivid pictures and memories because mama’s absence in your life has left a void that nobody but God has been able to fill because there is no one in the world who can take mama’s place.

Amid a world where 7 in 10 senior executives are men it must be noted that there are somethings that women can do that men cannot. Men cannot give birth. Men more often than not are not able to conceive or comprehend “a mother’s love.” I’ve tried to understand it spiritually, psychologically, and emotionally. But there in lies the rub brothers; we are not able to place our logic on something that defies logic. There’s something mysterious and mystical about motherhood in that on Father’s Day you can get a reservation at any restaurant in town; but Mother’s Day if you didn’t make it early brothers, children will be cooking, endure long wait times, or even worse have to deal with fury because momma got to cook on her day.

The world is full of all kinds of mothers. There are married mothers, single mothers, grandmothers, great& great great grandmothers, mother figures, happy mothers, sad mothers, depressed mothers, angry mothers, struggling mothers, overwhelmed mothers, inexperienced mothers, grieving mothers, poor mothers, working mothers, worried mothers, justice seeking mothers, frustrated mothers, tired mothers, regretful mothers. There are loving mothers, abused mothers and the list goes on and on. Some mothers could be many or any combination of these all in one day. There are mothers who are doctors, lawyers, educators, senators, congresswomen, business owners, artists, singers, musicians, actors, and our text indicates that there are even some mothers who make their living being a part of the red light district.

Letting us know that even when mistakes are made or the means in which one gets a living doesn’t even define them because verse 16 starts listing these two women as harlots (that’s what they do) but by verse 17&18 they are no longer defined by what they do but who they are in the fact that they are mothers. And the title mother is more significant, substantial, and substantive that any other title. And that’s a word for somebody today maybe you don’t think your mother was all she could have, should have been but she’s still mother! And the fact that you are here today means emphatically that out of all the wrong you believe she may have did you were the one thing she got right!

The most important word in the life of any mother - if I were to pass the mic around; I believe if I asked you to give me one word, just one word concerning motherhood I believe many of you would say sacrifice. I’m sure obviously many of you would begin with the word love and I agree that should be the first - but out of love is born sacrifice. And any mother who attempts to love her child or children, and take care of her family without understanding the necessity of sacrifice is missing the essential ingredient to motherhood. Because we must face it that just as is said about men who give seed for children are not fathers; not every woman who gives birth is a mother. Mother is not really a noun - its a verb its something you do and if it is to be done according to Scripture it requires love through sacrifice.

We live in a narcissistic society where baby’s are giving birth to baby’s who have not understood the concept of the sacrifice required. And I’m gon move on from this point and get to this text swiftly but more of us need to talk about this in church. Young men aren’t going through the school to prison pipeline only because of absent fathers. There are some mothers who want to party all the time, smoke and drink their life away, hook up with the wrong men and influences around their children, be abused in front of their children. Don’t you be confused - mother’s got to bare some responsibility too. Some of these young people are growing up with all kinds of mental health and psychiatric issues all because they’ve missed the nurturing necessities of their mother. And some young ladies in our society and cultural context can’t pick the right men, can’t keep a job, don’t understand what it means to be responsible, selfless, nurturing, because momma did not understand the concept of sacrifice that there are somethings I can’t allow in my space because my baby is watching me! I’m not your friend, I’m not your sister, I’m not your equal even if I had you at a young age; I’m your mother! A mother should not be defined by her ability to bear children but by her ability to RAISE her children by love through sacrifice! All the single brothers when you meet a woman and you get down to asking about children the question ought not be how many children do you want but the question should be how many children are you willing to raise!

Body

There are some things that I must point out in the text very quickly so y’all can get to your dinner reservations. I told you and verse 16 points out that these women were harlots - they specialized in fornication. More important than what they were though is where they went.

In Bible times it was not the king’s job to judge. They had a legal structure of which judgment was handled by judges, officials, and Levitical-priests. It was not normal for anyone especially two prostitutes to come to the king for his ruling on an issue. In this case though, in the culture of the Bible, cases that could not be decided because of a lack of evidence at times went to the king that the king may determine a verdict based on his wisdom and knowledge.

Might I add these women were prostitutes who may have ran a brothel. The Hebrew word Zanah suggests that they did their business and weren’t very interested in being in the public eye. They stayed out of the public eye. Their activity was shunned upon by many - so they kept a low profile and just did what they do. And the other side of it is kings do not entertain harlots. But the one thing that would make even those trying to keep a low profile come out and break protocol is their children. I might be a prostitute but don’t mess with my children! You mess with a mother’s children and she’ll do some stuff she wouldn’t normally do - say some stuff she wouldn’t normally say - don’t mess with my kids!

These mother’s who would rather keep a low profile came out of their norm bypassed the judicial protocol of the day and went straight to the king. Because sometimes can’t nobody else help you. You can’t get advice from another mother. You’ve got to go straight to the king! Because when you go straight to the king it is a realization - God this child, these children are just on loan to me. They belong to you and if you don’t help me with these kids nobody can! And I found out in my own life that when you quit crying, worrying, get mad, upset, fussing and cussing and you take your children to the king; everything will be alright! When you take it to the king it doesn’t matter what you are, what you did, or who you did it with; the king will hear and answer you! Is there a mother in here who can holla at your boy and say I know that’s right!

Text indicates that these women had an at home birth; that’s all they had in Bible days. Verse 18 indicates the two women had the same due date and there was nobody else in the house; business was closed! There were no men there, just the two pregnant mothers. Because when the children come; you can’t just have everybody and bad elements around your children! You can’t just go on with life as usual - you’re a mother now and there’s got to be some love through sacrifice!

There’s good news… they both had their babies successfully! The bad news - the conflict in verse 19 is that when the new mothers went to bed with their babies one of the mothers rolled over on her child and killed him. She tells the king this woman concocted a plan, rolled on her baby, killed her baby and went and got my living child and put her dead child in the bed with me.

Now, you’ve got to ask a couple of questions of the text here. As I studied this text I asked God, how is this mother so detailed in what she believes has happened to her child? I took a minute to prayerfully ponder because I believed that God was trying to show me something. I toiled with it for a few days and then finally the Spirit showed me sometimes when you see a woman on the street who makes her living with guys in the street - you may be tempted to look at her like she’s dumb, stupid, or crazy. But what a person is not always what defines them. Some of the smartest most talented people are running the street doing stuff they shouldn’t. But just because they look this way or that way; or do this or that doesn’t mean a thing - especially when it comes to a mother and her children. She might be high or drunk but you want to see a mother sober up in a minute you mess with her child!

The second question is how in the world could the mother think this plan was going to work? It had to be that these mother’s were probably pregnant by the same man and the babies looked so much alike that she thought she’d get away with it. How in the world could this mother think she could steal this child and get away with it? And the Holy Spirit dropped this in my heart for all the mother’s are you aware of what is trying to steal your child? There’s so much stuff out here that you’ve got to be aware of. It ain’t (excuse by ebonics) it ain’t just guns, drugs, and the negative influences of rap music trying to steal your children. Sports are trying to steal your children, because those things are keeping our children out of church; thus they may be thriving in sports but their slacking in church! And if they are out of church they might be missing the word and the fellowship with the saints. And all these sports groups and organizations need are some mothers to stand up and say my children need to be in church and you CAN’T steal my child! And that’s the only reason why they have all this stuff on Sundays because ain’t nobody saying nothing. Subsequently, our kids spend all this time playing sports and doing all this other stuff on Sunday it becomes another thing in their life that pushes them away from God because they grow up thinking I ain’t gotta go if I got something more important to do and then when they get in a habit of not going some of them never come back - because it wasn’t as important as sports! You’ve got to be aware of what’s trying to steal your child.

I’m almost through. Y’all don’t like this kind of preaching. But we live in a community and society that needs this word!

This mother was aware of what was trying to steal her child. She looked at the dead child and said this is not my son! Oh God. Some of us gotta start looking at our children and speaking over them… This lying child is not my daughter. This drunk child is not my son. This thief is not my child! This angry child is not my child! And you’ve got to speak over your children my child tells the truth. My child don’t mess with nothing that is going to alter his/her state of consciousness. My child is peaceful and calm! My child is who God says he or she is! My child is not lost! My child will be SAVED! My child will walk in his/her purpose!

This mother could have stopped and accepted the deception that the dead child was her child. And society wants to tell you you’ve got to accept your child’s issues as they are. But I did not read that in the Bible! The Bible says you’ve got to call those things that be not as though they were ( Romans 4:17). The Bible says that the things you see are only temporary but what you don’t see is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). You’ve got to make up your mind every chance you get I’m going to talk to the king until my kids start acting like what God said they can be! It may take a while but I won’t stop believing God for my child! You can’t be moved by what you see - only by what God said!!!

I gotta get out of here.

Closing

Solomon the king is prepared to exercise his God-given wisdom. He tells his guards bring me a sword and he’s prepared to cut the baby in half. He’s a wise king but he’s about to do something foolish. But God always uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.

The real mother spoke up. Because remember I told you motherhood requires love through sacrifice. What I love and this is my shout for the day. Cutting the baby was not the kings verdict but it was the kings test.

The king did not render the verdict until the real mother spoke up! And I’m looking this morning for some married mother, single mother, grandmother, great grandmother, great-great grandmother, auntie, Godmother, spiritual mother, or mother figure that knows everything that has happened up until now was just a test.

There’s a verdict coming - but before the verdict comes I need a praying mother. I need a mother that is willing to lay it all down on the line to say Lord, I want my child to live! I’d rather he be with me but if he’s going to live with her; as long as he lives I’m alright! God says to some married mother, single mother, grandmother, great grandmother, great-great grandmother, auntie, Godmother, spiritual mother, or mother figure its time for you to speak up! It might look bad, it might look grim, but when the real mother stands up and talks to the king...

That child that was about to die. That child that was headed for destruction. That child that was on drugs. That child that was about to lose his mind… It will all turn because the real mother stood up!

She wasn’t so concerned about what she wanted, how she felt. She didn’t have a pity party but she spoke up on behalf of her child to the king who could do something about the situation!

Whatever you do mother’s… don’t stop talking to God about your children! Don’t you stop talking to your children about God! Don’t you stop praying!

The proof is not in the conception. The proof is not in carrying the child 9-months. The proof is not in the delivery as painful as it may be. The proof is in the sacrifice.

And I’m looking at some mothers who made some sacrifices for your children. Now they’re taking care of you. They’ve grown up and said momma, I didn’t always understand why you said this or why you said that. Why you did this or why you did that. But momma I’m so glad you did.

And I’ve got to encourage some mother this morning… you’re still praying for your child and believing God to turn their life around. Don’t you stop praying. Hold on. Hang in there! They might be grown and on their own. But your sacrifice now is to pray without ceasing. You might need to put a plate down and send some timber up.

But you’ve got to make up in your mind - I won’t let my child die! Break the protocol. Move everybody else out the way. God is waiting on you to give the verdict and you’re the proof of the real mother because you’ll lay it all on the line for the sake of your children!

I’ve come to tell some mother don’t you give up!

Don’t you throw in the tow. Your child needs your prayers!