A MOTHER’s HONOR—Exodus 20:12
Attention:
Bob a Tight-wad/Developer-Landlord whose Mother worked for years cleaning office buildings/
Bob tells Jerry—‘I’ve lived 35yrs. seeing those people making my mother slave away from dusk till dawn—3rd shift. I got tired of it, so I bought the building!
Jerry—‘Whoa, that’s a huge sacrifice for your Momma. Its obvious that you love her. Not many sons would do that for theirs even if they had the money!’
Jerry—So what has she been doing with her new-found freedom?
Bob—Well she can sleep a lot better now.
Jerry—That’s great! You really love your mother!
Bob—Yeah, when I bought the building, I moved her to day shift!
Need:
We must grasp the significance of biblical motherhood as intended by God, & His word.
The 5th commandment instructed the children of Israel of the importance of honoring their mothers.
God’s people are to honor their mothers.
Why are our mothers to be honored?
4 reasons our mothers should be honored....Not just today, but every day!
1—A mother’s honor is in...
Her MARRIAGE(:12a)
Explanation:(:12a)
:12—““Honor your father & your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.”
Singleness is redirected.
A marriage that sets a priority on raising their children to honor God.
A marriage where two become one in Christ.
A marriage is much more than the sum of its parts
Her marriage is what resulted in your birth, life, survival, thriving.
Titus 2:3-4—“the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things-- that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,”
Argumentation:
Deut. 7:1-4—““When the LORD your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, & has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites & the Girgashites & the Amorites & the Canaanites & the Perizzites & the Hivites & the Jebusites, seven nations greater & mightier than you, “& when the LORD your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them & utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them. “Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. “For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the LORD will be aroused against you & destroy you suddenly.”
Prov. 31:11-12—“The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain. She does him good & not evil All the days of her life.”
Prov. 31:28-30—“Her children rise up & call her blessed; Her husband also, & he praises her: “Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all.” Charm is deceitful & beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.”
Illustration:
I never ever remember thinking of my parents as separate individuals. they were a team, they were parents, they always did things together. I always knew they loved one another.
Application:
?Mother...Your MARRIAGE bring honor to you?
?Are your Children first?
2—A mother’s honor is in...
Her CHILDREN(:12)
Explanation:(:12a)
:12—““Honor your father & your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.”
Priorities are Redirected
This Command is directed to children of every age.
We are all children of our mother.
Children define a mother.
“Honor”—dbk kaw-bad’—1) To be heavy, be weighty, be grievous, be hard, be rich, be honorable, be glorious, be burdensome, be honored. Strong—To be heavy, i.e. in a bad sense (burdensome, severe, dull) or in a good sense (numerous, rich, honorable; causatively, To make weighty (in the same two senses):-- Abounding with, more grievously afflict, boast, be chargeable, X be dim, Glorify, be (make) Glorious (things), glory, (very) great, be grievous, harden, be (make) heavy, be heavier, lay heavily, (bring to, come to, do, get, be had in) Honor (self), (be) Honorable (man), lade, X more be laid, make self many, nobles, prevail, promote (to honor), be rich, be (go) sore, stop.
1Sam. 1:2, 8-20—READ— Hannah’s plight of barrenness.
Argumentation:
Ps. 127:3-5—“Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.”
Prov. 31:28—“Her children rise up & call her blessed....”
Illustration:
The great demand for in-vitro fertilization & fertility procedures/Her CHILDREN define her!
Application:
?Mother...Your CHILDREN bring honor to you?
?Are your Children a priority?
3—A mother’s honor is in...
Her SACRIFICE(:12ff.)
Explanation:(:12ff.)
:12—““Honor your father & your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.”
Commitment to the welfare of her children.
Israel is being given the land, in which they are to not behave as the heathen, Canaanites, lost whose culture they are invading. Israel’s morés are to be those which please God.
Ex. 21:15, 17—“And he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death....And he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.”
How can anyone have respect for God who dishonors his own father & mother.
a. FREEDOMS Redirected
From personal to another’s freedom
Work/Leisure/Choices/Morality
Mothers learn quickly that certain of their behaviors are to be curbed for the sake of her children. Things once sought out suddenly become childish & immature. Smoking/Drinking, Partying, TV programs inappropriate, etc. Friends may change.
Habits change. Lifestyles change.
If you can do this, then you will better understand the struggles & hardships of others & will approach them unselfishly & become a help to others. Thus ‘living long in the land.’
b. FINANCES Redirected
Must consider & accept the added expenses of new members(kids) of the family.
Room, Food, Diapers, Cars, Insurance, College
If you can do this, then you will better understand the struggles & hardships of others & will approach them unselfishly & be a help to others. Thus ‘living long in the land.’
c. TIME Redirected
*A woman’s(mother’s) work is literally never done:
MORNINGS:
Wake before everyone else.
Empty trash, pick up clothes, put things in place on the way to the kitchen.
Begin breakfast for children &/or husband.
Wake the children.
Continue breakfast...
Wash some dishes.
Wake the children again...
Continue breakfast, finish breakfast.
Wash more dishes.
Kiss hubby goodbye.
Prepare box lunches if necessary for each child giving them what they (like & each of them is different!)
Send the kids off to the bus with
a. their lunchboxes filled.
b. their lunch check in hand
c. their books, homework, notes, etc.
OR Drive them to school as above.
This requires getting yourself dressed so as to prevent embarrassment if there is some reason you must exit the car.
Return home to get the paper &/or a book &/or a project one of the kids left behind. Make sure your dress is appropriate for entering the school so no one will embarrass your child by talking about their mother’s clothes in from of them.
OR if homeschooling, lunch is looming & must be before them on time.
Whew. Mornings are tough!
BREAKFAST:
Get home, Take a deep breath.
Eat cold, partially eaten breakfast.
CLOTHES:
Thank God for washing machines!
Pick up more clothes from floor.
Check for pens, gum, candy, money, etc.
Separate colors....maybe not.
TRASH
Carry cans to single garbage bag is possible.
Pick up large pieces from floor in various places as you carry the cans.
Bag garbage.
Take outside to trash container—Trash can, bed of pick up, etc.
Take it to the trash dump.
Return home
Wash out pick up bed
Wash out trash can
Return trash receptacles to various rooms
c. TIME Redirected(Cont.)
FLOORS
Sweep
Mop
Scrub
Vacuum
LUNCH
If small children—Everybody eats differently & must be individually helped with their food.
You prepare appropriately.
Some of the kids may ‘help’ making sandwiches, boxed mac & cheese, peas, Chef Boyardee, etc.
Try to keep the lunch centralized for later cleaning purposes.
GROCERIES
Load up the kids to go to store.
Wrestle with car seats, booster seats & restraints.
Constantly bombarded by fussing, squealing dissatisfied kids who do not care about your need to go to the store.
Clean whatever is making the ‘puke’ smell out of the seat(usually this smell is discovered after the child is seated).
Reinstall child. Reinstall the other kids.
Get to the store.
Realize you left your shopping list at home.
Enter store with screaming kids. Everyone looks at you as if you are a terrible mother for not restraining your kids.
Secure a cart.
One child has to sit in the seat up top
You have to funnel their legs thru leg holes as they buck & fight. You fasten the restraint, which is nasty from some other kid who sat there before you arrived.
You pull the others along making sure they either hold your hand or your skirt so you’ll know where they are.
Try to remember your forgotten grocery list.
Go down every aisle hoping to jog your memory regarding the grocery list.
Battle with the kids thruout the store time, after they’ve seen something they want but cannot have.
Get in the slowest line because it seemed to be the faster one when you walked up to it. You let someone with 2 items get ahead of you.
Your order is rung up wrongly to the tune of $15.78 & you’re tempted to just let it go. But you know the family needs the money.
You wait at the customer service desk for 10 minutes with 4 screaming kids before anyone shows up to help you. In fact they show up because you have 4 screaming kids & its making a scene which effects customer loyalty.
The CS person painstakingly & slowly re-rings the entire order. In the mean time you have bought gum for the kids to keep them quiet.
You got thru the same routine with the car seats & booster seats before you get the groceries loaded.
You load the groceries, return the cart while looking over your shoulder directly at the kids just in case one of them escapes, hoping no one accuses you of being an abusive parent.
DUST
Forget it!
SCHOOL AGAIN
Load up the little ones as before.
Deal with the fussing & crying as you wait in line behind umpteen-zillion other parents.
OR you wait patiently at the bus stop while occupying your kids with those things you know will placate them. You may read to them at this time while they snack on cereal or fruit or whatever.
Pick up kids from school.
OR
Pick up kids from bus stop
SUPPER
Labor to come up with an idea using all the necessary food groups to give your family a healthy & satisfying meal.
A casserole is somewhat easy.
Thaw out the meat.
Brown the meat.
Drain the meat.
Add a can of this & a can of that.
Need 4 eggs & have 3.
Add the this & the that.
Serve it just a little later than usual & everybody grumbles.
But they taste it & Daddy is pleased!
A couple of the kids say they don’t like it, but you make sure they sit there until they finish their plate.
BEDTIME?
You read the Bible to them & then come the questions you can’t possibly answer in the ten minutes allotted. But you give it your best shot to put it in little people terms.
You sing hymns & songs to them.
You pray with them till they fall asleep.
So the next time—GUYS— after a hard day at work, you come home to a messy house or a not-quite-to-satisfaction meal or absolute mayhem....remember, she’s a mother to your children, has also had a tireless day at work & doesn’t deserve your whining! Help her, love her, encourage her! Her TIME has been Redirected.
c. TIME Redirected d. EDUCATION Redirected
My Momma helped get Daddy thru dental school & saw my brother & I along. My Momma was smart, She could have gone to school but never did. Many do return. My niece returned to school.
If you want your education to continue, then you must wrangle your schedule with the children’s & husband’s career/job schedules so the children are taken care of properly.
e. SELF-ESTEEM Redirected
Measured, in part, by their child’s behaviors, likes, dislikes, choices, etc. rather than your looks or wardrobe.
You put up with the rudeness & utter ignorance of people who are truly shocked & treat you as a 2nd-class citizen, when you tell them your occupation is a Housewife.
f. GOALS Redirected
Focus not necessarily a bigger house, car, wardrobe, etc. but upon helping her children successfully make their way in the world.
1Tim. 5:14—“Therefore, I want younger widows to get married, bear children, keep house, & give the enemy no occasion for reproach;”
Argumentation:
Prov. 23:22-25—“Listen to your father who begot you, And do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy the truth, & do not sell it, Also wisdom & instruction & understanding. The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who begets a wise child will delight in him. Let your father & your mother be glad, And let her who bore you rejoice.”
Prov. 20:20—“He who curses his father or his mother, His lamp will go out in time of darkness.”
Lev. 19:3—“‘Every one of you shall reverence his mother & his father,.....I am the LORD your God.”
—Honor toward parents is as imperative as honoring the Lord.
Prov. 31:27—“She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness.”
Prov. 31:31—“Give her the product of her hands, And let her works praise her in the gates.”
Illustration:
A teacher at school put this question to little James in math class, "James, suppose your mother made a cherry pie, & there were ten of you at the table: your mother & father & eight children. How much of the pie would you get?"
"A ninth," was his answer. "No, no, James. Now pay attention. There are ten of you in the home. Don’t you know your fractions?"
"Yes, maam," he replied, "I know my fractions, but I know my mother even better, AND SHE’D SAY THAT SHE DIDN’T WANT ANY PIE."
Application:
?Mother...Your SACRIFICE bring Honor to you?
?Are your Children prioritized?
4—A mother’s honor is in...
Her TEACHING(:12b)
Explanation:(:12b)
:12—““Honor your father & your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.”
It is imperative that children are taught how to function practically in a lost world! & that way is not conformity to the world, but by boldness in Christ. Willingness to stand against the tide of sin.
Argumentation:
Prov. 22:6—“Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Prov. 1:8-9—“Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, And do not forsake your mother’s teaching; Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head, And ornaments about your neck.”
Prov. 31:26—“She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness.”
Illustration:
Preacher G. Campbell Morgan had four sons & they all became ministers of the gospel. At a family reunion, a friend asked one of the sons, "Which Morgan is the greatest preacher?"
While that son looked at his father, he replied, "MOTHER."
But more than anything Mom teaches her children the love of God in Christ in practical ways that can be caught thru...
Observing & Helping her make a meal, dessert, snacks, a cake to be shared with the whole family &/or other families. Observing & Helping her keep the house somewhat livable. Observing & Helping her have time for Daddy. Observing & Helping her to have time for herself to rest. Observing & Helping her with your very siblings. Observing & Helping with Breakfast, Clothes, Lunch, Nap time, Groceries, Supper, Bedtime, & on & on!
Application:
?Mother...Your TEACHING bring Honor to you?
?Are your Children prioritized?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Bob tells Jerry—‘I’ve lived 35yrs. seeing those people making my mother slave away from dusk till dawn—3rd shift. I got tired of it, so I bought the building!
Jerry—That’s great! You really love your mother!
Bob—Yeah, when I bought the building, I moved her to day shift!
Action:
A mother’s honor is in...
1—Her MARRIAGE(:12a)
2—Her CHILDREN(:12)
3—Her SACRIFICE(:12ff.)
4—Her TEACHING(:12b)
Revamped heavily &
Presented 05/09/2010am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
Original Presented 05/10/98am to:
Penia Baptist Church
3738 Old Penia Rd.
Cordele, GA 31015
