The Heart of a Mother
Text: 1 Kings 3:16-28
Introduction
1. Today we celebrate the gift of Motherhood. Mothers do many great things for us.
a. Mothers teach us about foresight: "Make sure you wear clean underwear in case you’re in an accident."
b. Mothers teach us about logic: "If you fall out of that tree and break your neck, don’t come crying to me."
c. Mothers teach us about maturity: "Eat your vegetables or you’ll never grow up."
d. Mothers teach us about religion: "You better pray that comes out of the carpet."
e. Mothers teach us about time travel: "If you don’t straighten up, I’m going to knock you into the middle of next week!"
f. Mothers teach us about contradictions: "Shut your mouth and eat your dinner!"
g. Mothers teach us about contortionism: "Will you look at the dirt on the back of your neck?"
h. Mothers teach us about perseverance: "You are going to sit here until you eat every last piece of that broccoli."
i. Mothers teach us about genetics: "You’re just like your father."
j. Mothers teach us about the weather: "It looks like a tornado swept through your room."
k. Mothers teach us about the circle of life: "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."
2. Most of all, mothers teach us what it means to love.
3. Read 1 Kings 3:16-28
Proposition: A real Mother shows true devotion to her children.
Transition: First...
I. A Real Mother Values Her Children (16-20)
A. Two Prostitutes
1. This story traditionally shows the wisdom of Solomon. However, it also shows the difference between a real mother and one who simply pretends to be real.
2. The text begins by saying "two women who were harlots came to the king, and stood before him. And one woman said, "O my lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house; and I gave birth while she was in the house."
a. Despite being prohibited by law, prostitution was apparently tolerated among the Israelites.
b. Solomon’s willingness to hear the case of the two prostitutes in here fits in well with his image as a “just king" (Matthews, V. H., Chavalas, M. W., & Walton, J. H. 2000. The IVP Bible background commentary : Old Testament (electronic ed.) . InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, IL).
c. However, it also shows that a child is a gift from God no matter what the circumstances may be.
d. Ps. 127:3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.
3. Then we’re told "Then it happened, the third day after I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth. And we were together; no one was with us in the house, except the two of us in the house. And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him."
a. The fact that there was no one else in the house tells us that the only who to blame was the mother.
b. She is charged with being a careless mother, but there is no one around to verify the story (Konkel, NIV Application Commentary: 1 & 2 Kings, 82).
4. The other prostitute says, "she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom."
a. Now both women claim the living child as their own.
b. Without other witnesses or evidence, Solomon must devise some way to solve the case. —New American Commentary
5. However, what we must notice in this is the difference between the two mothers.
a. The false mother’s only concern is for herself. She doesn’t care about the child, but is merely trying to hide her sin.
b. On the other hand, the real mother is concerned for her child.
c. Notice it was the real mother who brought the case before King Solomon because of her love for her child.
B. Above All
1. Illustration: A University of Minnesota study on Motherhood released this week said moms should get $131,000 a year for what they do! When you add together all the different jobs they do it becomes obvious how valuable mothers are in our lives. Some reports say mothers do 17 different jobs while raising their children: Here are some examples: psychologist, social worker, doctor, nurse, executive chef, teacher, police officer, judge, counselor, manager, dish washer, maid, financial manager, etc. One researcher stated, "Of course, no one can place a value on the love and affection that mothers give to their families." But it shows what they are worth far more than a 3 figure salary and their love and service to their families is “Priceless".
2. A real mother does all of these things without expecting pay because she values her children.
3. She loves and values them through the infant stage.
a. Changing their dirty diapers
b. Getting up and feeding them at 3 a.m.
c. Giving them a bath
d. Putting up with their crying and fussing while they are teething
4. She loves and values them through the toddler stage.
a. After she prayed for them to be able to walk, and then wonders what she ever wanted that for.
b. When she takes them to the grocery store and they think they have to touch everything they see.
5. She even loves and values them through the teenage years.
a. When they’ve decided that they know everything there is to know about life.
b. When everything that they do seems to lead to trouble.
c. When they sit up and worry if they are going to be okay after a night out with their friends.
6. A real mother loves and values her children through all of this because she realizes that her children are a gift from God.
a. Know matter what they do, she will always love them.
b. Know matter how old they get, they will always be her child.
Transition: Secondly...
II. A Real Mother Knows Her Children (21-22)
A. I Had Examined Him
1. The real mother tells Solomon "when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne."
a. She looked at the child in her arms and saw that he was dead.
b. Imagine the panic that she must have gone through when the realization came that her child was dead.
c. Yet, she still had enough sense to see that this was not her child.
2. She realizes this because she knew everything about her son.
a. She knew every wrinkle on his face.
b. She every unique characteristic of her son.
c. She knew the color of his eyes.
d. She knew the way he smelled.
e. She knew the softness of his skin.
3. And so it was that this mother, having gazed at the boy for several days, came to see those attributes that made him unique not just from the other boy, but from all other children.
a. She knew that something was wrong.
b. She knew that this child was different in so many ways.
4. Notice how strongly she felt about this for she said "indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne."
a. Her statement is strong and emphatic.
b. "This is not my son!"
B. Knows Her Children
1. Illustration: Susannah Wesley was the mother of 14 children, including her famous sons Charles and John, who had a tremendous impact upon the world. It has been said of her that she prayed for one hour per day for each child. Why didn’t she pray for one hour for all 14? Because they were different and had different needs.
2. The real mother knows everything about her child.
a. She knows their likes and dislikes.
b. She knows their joys and sorrows.
c. She knows their triumphs and failures.
3. The things that she does not know she takes the time to find out.
a. If they are hurting, she finds out why.
b. If they are in troubled, she finds out why.
c. If they are acting peculiar, she investigates.
4. Above all the real mother knows her children because she has spent time on her knees before God.
a. When she doesn’t know she asks for wisdom.
b. When she doesn’t know how to fix the problem she asks for guidance.
c. Above all, she asks for grace.
5. She realizes that no matter how good a job she has done in raising her child, there will still be times where only the heavenly Father can help.
Transition: Finally...
III. A Real Mother Loves Her Children (23-38)
A. Compassion For Her Son
1. The wisdom of Solomon is seen in his solution to this problem. He says "Bring me a sword." So they brought a sword before the king. And the king said, "Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other."
a. He decides to try the case based on the women’s maternal instincts and human compassion.
b. Calling for a sword, he orders the child cut into halves, with each woman getting an equal share. —New American Commentary
2. Solomon knows that the real mother is not going to let this happen to her son.
a. Her desire to win the case is going to be outweighed by her love for her son.
b. He know that the false mother will agree because she simply doesn’t care about the child.
3. The text says "Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, "O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!" But the other said, "Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him."
a. The real mother, who has already cared enough for her child to plead her case before the king, acts out of “compassion for her son.” —New American Commentary
b. The word "compassion" refers to deep love rooted in some "natural" bond. —Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
c. She had a deep bond of love for her son, and rather than see him killed she was willing to let him go.
4. On the other hand, the false mother, who did not have this bond of love and compassion, said "Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him."
a. She is willing to have this child butchered rather than admit that she was wrong.
b. She says "Go ahead; cut him in half."
c. Her cruelty has been revealed, just as the other mother’s kindness has emerged.—New American Commentary
5. The contrast in the actions of the two women mean Solomon’s job easy. He said "Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother."
a. It is obvious who the real mother is in this case.
b. She is the one who is willing to sacrifice her comfort for the life of her son.
c. She is willing to set aside her pride, emotions, and even maternal instincts for the life of her son.
B. Mother’s Love
1. Illustration: Youth fades; love droops; the leaves of friendship fall. A mothers secret love outlives them all. Oliver Wendell Holmes
2. Isaiah 49:15 "Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you.
3. The real mother’s love for her children is undying
a. It will last through time.
b. It will last through distance.
c. It will last through heart ache.
d. It will last through difficulty.
4. The real mother’s love is seen through:
a. Sacrifice
b. Giving
c. Patience
5. The real mother’s love looks beyond:
a. Shortcomings
b. Mistakes
c. Bad Choices
6. Prov. 31:28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her:
Transition: The real mother is loved by all who know her.
Conclusion
1. The real mother:
a. Values her children
b. Knows her children
c. Loves her children
2. I know that all of the mother’s that are here today are real mothers. The question is, have we raised up and called her blessed?
3. Let Mom know how blessed we are to have her as a mother.
