1. Devotion of a godly mother
a. A Godly mother recognizes the Lord’s salvation
b. A Godly mother recognizes the Lord’s standing
c. A Godly mother recognizes the Lord’s supremacy
d. A Godly mother recognizes the Lord’s sovereignty
e. A Godly mother recognizes the Lord’s supply
2. Response to a godly mother
a. Contrast between Samuel and Samson (Judges 13-16)
3. Hope of a godly mother
a. Proverbs 22:6
1 SAMUEL 2:1-11
One time a man was walking through the grocery store when he noticed a young mother shopping with her two year-old in the cart. As they went past the cookie aisle, the child looked up at her mommy and said, “cookie.” Well, when her mother told her no, the child began to cry. The mother patiently said, “Now, Mary, we’re half way done. It won’t be long.” The same thing happened in the candy aisle only this time the tantrum was worse. The mother was a picture of calm. She said, “There, there Mary, only two more aisles and then we’ll be done.” Finally they got to the checkout line. The child reached out to grab some gum. This time when her mother told her no, she screamed at the top of her lungs. Still using her best calm voice, the mother said, “We’ll be through this line in a few minutes and then it’ll be time for Mary to take a nice little nap.” The man was amazed at the young mother’s composure. He followed them out to the parking lot to compliment her. He said, “I couldn’t help noticing how patient you were with little Mary.” The mother looked surprised and then smiled. She said, “Thank you, but my little girl’s name is Jill. My name is Mary.” Motherhood is one of the only jobs in the world where talking to yourself is not only perfectly acceptable, it’s expected. The mother who prayed the prayer we’re looking at this morning was accused of talking to herself. As a matter of fact, she talked to herself even before her baby was conceived. You remember the story. Hannah longed for a son. So much so that she fasted and went to the tabernacle and prayed. Eli, the high priest at the time saw her there in the tabernacle. She was struggling so much in half-silent prayer that Eli mistakenly thought she was drunk and talking to herself. But even though mothers talk to themselves regularly, Hannah wasn’t. She was talking to God. She was asking Him for a son. Now, while she asked God for a son, she also promised to dedicate him to the Lord’s service. God heard her and answered her prayers. And she was faithful to fulfill her promise. While her son Samuel was just a boy, she took him to Eli to raise as a priest. Look back at verses 1:25-28:
1 SAMUEL 1:25-28
Hannah was a godly mother. As we celebrate Mother’s Day this morning, we’re going to look at three observations concerning godly mothers. The first observation concerns Hannah as an example of the devotion of a godly mother. Not as some sort of impossible ideal, but just as an example. In the prayer she offered when she dedicated her son to the Lord, we can see the devotion of a godly mother. Can you imagine giving up your child? The child you had longed for and prayed for and finally gotten? Imagine yourself in that situation. And then while your son was still a small child, giving him up. Yes, she gave him up for God’s service, but do you think that made it any easier? The only way Hannah was able to do that and fulfill her promise was that she showed the devotion of a godly woman. That is evident in the prayer she prayed. Her prayer shows five qualities of her devotion to God. First, she recognized the Lord’s salvation. Look at verse 1:
1 SAMUEL 1:1
The devotion of a Godly mother recognizes the Lord’s salvation. Let me tell you something ladies—you can do everything in the world for your children. You can provide for them. You can nurture them. You can feed them, dress them, bandage them, love them and care for them. You can do everything in the world for them, but if you don’t recognize the Lord’s salvation, you are failing them. If, as a mother, you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are failing your children in the biggest way possible. Hannah recognized her Savior. She said her heart rejoiced in Him. You can’t rejoice in someone you don’t know. You can’t rejoice in someone you don’t have anything to do with. You can’t rejoice in someone you only want to talk to when you’re in trouble or you want something from. She rejoiced in her Lord’s company—in His fellowship—in His salvation. She trusted in Him for everything. When she said her horn is exalted in the Lord, horn was a symbol of strength and power. She recognized that her strength came from the Lord. He gave her the strength to endure and overcome the trials in her life. He was her salvation. And she recognized that. She also recognized the Lord’s standing. Look at verse 2:
1 SAMUEL 1:2
The devotion of a Godly mother recognizes the Lord’s standing. Hannah saw God’s holiness. She saw that none could compare to Him—even her child. Mothers, do you worship your children? Do you elevate their position even above God? A Godly mother worships God and God alone. She worships God and loves her children—not the other way around. Hannah recognized God as her rock. Her foundation. She understood that He is faithful and steadfast. As a matter of fact, He is the only One who is always faithful and steadfast. No human being on the face of this earth is completely faithful. All will disappoint you sometime. But God is always faithful. He will never disappoint you. No one is a rock like God is. Hannah recognized that God was the only rock who was strong enough for her to hold on to as she gave up her child. She recognized the Lord’s standing. She also recognized the Lord’s supremacy. Look at verses 3-5:
1 SAMUEL 1:3-5
The devotion of a Godly mother recognizes the Lord’s supremacy. Hannah recognized the fact that God is bigger than anything she could see around her. He is supreme over the circumstances of life. She lays out some contrasts to describe the way God’s supremacy humbles the proud and lifts up the humble. She knew that she could take no pride in Samuel. He was a gift from God and she was simply returning him. Moms—do you seek your self worth in your children? We talk about our kids as our pride and joy, but is that right? Not if they take God’s place in our lives. He is supreme. Verse 3 says that by Him are all actions weighed. He is the standard and no one will stand in arrogance before Him. If you seek your self worth in God’s supremacy, He will exalt. He will give strength. He will fulfill. Hannah recognized the Lord’s supremacy in her life. Not only did she recognize His supremacy, she also recognized the Lord’s Sovereignty. Look at verses 6-8:
1 SAMUEL 1:6-8
The devotion of a Godly mother recognizes the Lord’s sovereignty. Hannah put her immediate circumstance in the context of God’s all powerful sovereignty. Was she sad to give up her son? Of course. But she recognized the fact that God is all powerful and in control. He has the control over life and death. He was the One who had given her Samuel in the first place. Everything in the universe belongs to God. He created it and He can do with it as He pleases. And we know that what pleases Him is His glory. Recognizing God’s sovereignty understands that God is in control and is actively working all things together for good to them who love Him and are the called according to His purposes. Life and death don’t surprise Him. Financial circumstances don’t surprise Him. Hannah recognized that nothing she was going through surprised God. Because He is in control. He is sovereign. She recognized the Lord’s salvation, His standing, His supremacy, and His sovereignty. But she also recognized His supply. Look in verses 9-11:
1 SAMUEL 1:9-10
The devotion of a godly mother recognizes the Lord’s supply. Hannah knew the Lord’s salvation. She saw God’s standing as high and lifted up. He had no competition in her life. God was supreme and sovereign to her. She knew He was in complete control of all the circumstances in her life. And because of all that, she knew that God would supply all her needs. She knew that in and of itself, her strength wasn’t sufficient. But God was. And He would do what He promised to do. And He promises to supply all of His children’s needs. Philippians 4:19 says, “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
In Hannah’s prayer, she shows us the devotion of a godly mother. And Samuel responded well. Look at verse 11:
1 SAMUEL 1:11
Samuel faithfully served God’s people as their priest, eventually anointing King Saul and King David. But does that always happen? If a woman shows the true devotion of a godly mother like Hannah did, are her children guaranteed to respond like Samuel? While the first observation concerning godly mothers is the devotion of a godly mother, the second observation is the response to a godly mother. And the sad thing is that they don’t necessarily go hand in hand. A mother can show all the devotion of Hannah and still not raise a Samuel. She might raise a Samson. Remember back to the story of Samson in Judges 13-16. By all indications, Samson had godly parents. As a matter of fact, their situation was remarkably similar to Hannah’s. His mother was barren just like Hannah was. And the Lord miraculously intervened and gave her a son. And like Hannah did with Samuel, Samson’s parents dedicated him to the Lord. Although we don’t have a prayer like Hannah’s recorded in Scripture, by all indications Samson’s mother showed the devotion of a godly mother. But Samson responded differently to his godly mother than Samuel did. While Samuel willingly and faithfully served God, Samson rebelled at every turn. Don’t get me wrong, God used Samson to accomplish His will. But He did it in spite of Samson, not because of him. Samson disobeyed God’s will in who he married. He repeatedly broke God’s law. And he tested God by flaunting and abusing the gift of strength God had given him. He was rebellious. For all the humble obedience that Samuel showed, Samson showed even more self-centered rebellion. And they both came from devoted, godly mothers. How can that be? Because God gives each of us a choice to obey Him or not to obey Him. Think about it, if perfect children were guaranteed to come out of perfect situations, don’t you think Adam and Eve would have remained perfect? But they didn’t. Even though God “raised” them perfectly, they chose to rebel against Him. Just like children sometimes choose to rebel against godly parents. So, why does it matter? Why is it so important to show the devotion of a godly mother? Why is it important if the right response isn’t guaranteed? Because of the third observation concerning godly mothers. The first observation is the devotion of a godly mother. The second observation is the response to a godly mother. And the third observation is the hope of a godly mother.
Continue along in the tragic story of Samson and remember what happened with Delilah. She tried several times to get him to tell her what made him so strong. He told her several things, but none of them weakened him. Finally, he told her about the vow he had before God. The Nazarite vow that was outwardly symbolized by his long hair. He obviously didn’t take the vow seriously, or he wouldn’t have told her. He thought his strength was his—not the Lord’s. But his strength was the Lord’s. And when Samson allowed Delilah to defile the symbol of his parents’ dedication to God, God removed his strength. As a result, he lost everything. He lost his power, his eyes, his pride, and all the blessings that would have come with obedience. Depressing, huh? His parents raised him right. His mother showed the devotion of a godly mother just like Hannah did. And here was her son. Broken, rebellious, and imprisoned. But the Bible promises hope for godly mothers. Whether your child is a Samuel or a Samson, Proverbs 22:6 is a promise and it still applies. “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” The Philistines took Samson and gouged his eyes out and made a mockery of him. They took him to their temple and chained him to the central columns so they could make fun of him. But all of that tragedy had the right effect on Samson. He was humbled and became repentant. He returned to the God of his godly mother. It took him until right before the end of his life, but he returned to his mother’s God. He prayed, “O Lord God, remember me.” And God did. And Judges 16:30 says: “So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.” In that one moment of repentance, God used Samson in a mightier way than He had used him throughout his whole life. Though his life and death were tragic because of his rebellion, he returned to God. Because he had a godly mother.
So, if you are a mother here this morning, are you a godly mother? Are you saved? Do you recognize Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Do you teach your children that God is supreme and sovereign? Do they see God’s control over your life? Do you trust God for your supply? Or do your children see you worry and fret over everything? Are you a godly mother?
Children—how are you responding to your godly mother? Are you a source of blessing to her by recognizing her Lord and Savior as your own? Are you faithful and obedient like Samuel? Or are you self-centered and rebellious like Samson? Are you a blessing to your mother, or are you a burden? Don’t make God have to put you in a place where you are forced to humility like He did Samson. A godly mother’s hope is God’s promise that her children will return to Him. And God is faithful to keep His promises. If you are in rebellion, make it easy on yourself and submit to Him now. Before He has to humble you. Cry out like Samson—“O Lord God, remember me.” Publicly confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and He will save you today.
