Opening illustration: When I stuck my camera into the bush to take a picture of the baby robins, they opened their mouths without opening their eyes. They were so used to having mama robin feed them whenever the branches moved that they didn’t even look to see who (or what) was causing the disturbance.
That is the kind of trust that loving mothers instill in their children. That is the kind of mom I am blessed to have. Growing up, I could eat whatever food she put on the table without fear that it would harm me. Although she made me eat things I didn’t like, I knew she did so because they were good for me. If she cared only about what was easy for her, she would have let me eat junk food. No matter what Mom told me to do, or not to do, I knew she had my best interest in mind. She wasn’t trying to keep me from having fun; she was trying to protect me from being hurt.
That is the kind of relationship we have with God, who compared Himself to a mother: “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you” (Isaiah 66: 13). As His children, we have no reason to fear what happens to us nor to envy what happens to others: “Do not . . . be envious of the workers of iniquity” (Psalm 37: 1). When we trust His goodness, we are fed by His faithfulness.
Introduction: The Bible also calls God a -
Midwife: Psalm 22: 9
Mistress of a household: Psalm 123: 2
Birth giver: Isaiah 42: 16
Mother: Isaiah 66: 13
"As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you." (Isaiah 66:13)
How does God fulfill the role of our mother?
1. Birth-Giver - Creator (vs. 7-9)
Genesis narrates to us the creation story and we know God gave birth to Israel through Jacob. Number of years after Christ’s death on the cross, the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, the nation of Israel scattered to all the nations in the world. Hitler even tried his best to annihilate the Jews from the face of the earth … even today the president of Iran has articulated that desire. God knows better than us as to what he was doing. He gave birth to a new Israel in 1948 and even though people and nations may try to remove them from the face of the earth, God will always give birth to His nation no matter what! Where there is possibility of no birth, He has made it possible … how He does it, I just don’t know and it is not important for me to know … I just know but witness His glory daily … He makes streams in the desert, a way where there is no way, possibility where there is none … His hand is mightier than any other. Amazing God we worship.
Illustration: We know a lady (without a womb) who gave birth to a baby. In the medical field, this is impossibility but who can stop to give birth where ever he desires and whom so ever He desires.
2. Consoler (vs. 10-11a)
Careful listening
Moses stared at the burning bush with terror while God spoke to him: “’I have seen the plight of my people who are in Egypt,’ the Lord said,’ and I have heard their cry under their oppressors; for I know their sorrows and have come down to rescue them …’” (Exodus 3, 7-8). God reveals himself as one who is near, who listens attentively and watches closely. Consolation follows in the wake of liberation.
God consoles his people
There is a rich description of the consolation God provides in Isaiah 40-46. The Babylonian exile has caused profound grief and suffering for the people of Israel. The first Lamentation describes Jerusalem’s desperate situation. Desolation cries out for help. It asks the Lord to look on the desperation and agony of his people (1, 1-22). Humanly speaking hope is futile. There is only one possible remedy – call upon the Lord. Prayer does not disappear into a void. The Prophet’s words reveal God’s decision to intervene in history – as he had done during the captivity in Egypt. Isaiah calls this saving intervention of God, “consolation.”
A consoling presence
In a few words the Book of Job describes a rapid transformation in the protagonist’s life. Job After loses his material possessions and is struck with a sickness that disfigures his face and makes him an outcast. He experiences the loss of all those things men normally hope to possess. In this tragic situation wise men, moved by genuine friendship and compassion, come to him, share his sufferings and console him. Their response to Job is uncomplicated: “Then they sat down with him upon the ground for seven days and seven nights; and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his affliction was very severe” (Job 2, 13). Consolation involves simple and attentive listening, sharing and solidarity.
Jesus, the consolation of Israel
The Son is the Word the Father speaks to mankind: “This is my Son, the chosen one; hear him” (Luke 9, 35). Through words and actions he reveals the face of God the Consoler. The evangelist Luke depicts him as the Consolation of Israel (Luke 2, 25). There are images that help us understand how the Son is consolation for the desolate of his time.
With a parable rich in inspiration and beauty Jesus show us that God’s consolation involves mercy. In the parable of the Prodigal Son, the father sees his son from afar and is filled with compassion. The Father is an integral part of his son’s drama – he runs to meet and embrace his son with fatherly affection. Consolation involves reconciliation on an individual level (our personal history and experiences) and on a social level.
At the gates of Naim Jesus meets a woman surrounded by a crowd – they accompany her to her son’s burial. Jesus is moved and says to the woman, “Don’t cry!” He then goes over, touches the dead boy and says, “Young man I say to you, arise!” He then gives the boy back to his mother. (Luke 7, 11-17). Consolation involves sensitivity and the ability to perceive and understand the sufferings of others. It involves us in life’s most tragic situations.
The Master hears the cry of the blind man from Jericho who sits at the side of the road and cries out for compassion. Jesus sends for the blind man tells him, “Go, your faith has saved you” (Mark 10, 52). Consolation involves those who have no options, who sit at the side of the road begging for their survival and watching the seemingly real protagonists of history pass by unconcerned.
When Jesus reaches the house of his friends he meets Martha and Mary surrounded by people mourning the death of their brother, Lazarus. Jesus is deeply moved. His heart is thoroughly human; he shares the sorrow of those he loves. He goes to the tomb and cries out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” (John 11, 43). Consolation involves a commitment to change anything that can be changed.
When the hour approaches for his return to the Father Jesus promises to send another consoler (John 14, 16-26). He tells his disciples not to be sad. The consoler will not save them from persecution, calumny nor the law courts (Mark 13, 9). But in all these tribulations he will be present and will give them strength and consolation.
3. Provider – Feeder (vs. 11-12)
Oswald Chambers warns us that "Abraham did not choose what the sacrifice would be. Always guard against self-chosen service for God. Self-sacrifice may be a disease that impairs your service. If God has made your cup sweet, drink it with grace; or even if He has made it bitter, drink it in communion with Him. If the providential will of God means a hard and difficult time for you, go through it. But never decide the place of your own martyrdom, as if to say, "I will only go to there, but no farther." God chose the test for Abraham, and Abraham neither delayed nor protested, but steadily obeyed. If you are not living in touch with God, it is easy to blame Him or pass judgment on Him. You must go through the trial before you have any right to pronounce a verdict, because by going through the trial you learn to know God better. God is working in us to reach His highest goals until His purpose and our purpose become one."
Where does the Lord provide our needs?
In the place of His assignment. Abraham was at the right place, so God could meet his needs. We have no right to expect the provision of God if we are not in the will of God.
When does God meet our needs?
Just when we have the need and not a minute before. When you bring your requests to the throne of grace, God answers with mercy and grace “in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16-note). Sometimes it looks like God waits until the last minute to send help, but that is only from our human point of view. God is never late.
How does God provide for us?
In ways that are usually quite natural. God did not send an angel with a sacrifice; He simply allowed a ram to get caught in a bush at a time when Abraham needed it and in a place where Abraham could get his hands on it. All Abraham needed was one animal, so God did not send a whole flock of sheep.
To whom does God give His provision?
To those who trust Him and obey His instructions. When we are doing the will of God, we have the right to expect the provision of God. A deacon in the first church I pastored used to remind us, “When God’s work is done in God’s way, it will not lack God’s support.” God is not obligated to bless my ideas or projects, but He is obligated to support His work if it is done in His way.
Why does God provide our every need?
For the great glory of His name! “Hallowed be Thy name” is the first petition in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6: 9-13), and it governs all the other requests. God was glorified on Mount Moriah because Abraham and Isaac did the will of the Lord and glorified Jesus Christ. We must pause to consider this important truth."
Illustration: William Sangster (1900-1960), the noted English preacher, visited a young girl in the hospital at a time when doctors were struggling in vain to keep her from becoming blind. With sadness she said to him, "God is going to take away my sight." He listened but at first made no reply. Then he answered compassionately, "Don’t let Him, Jessie. Give it to Him." "I don’t understand," she responded. So he explained, "Try to pray this prayer: ’Father, if I must lose my sight, help me to give it to You.’"
4. Comforter (v. 13)
All things . . . all comfort. The word all in the Greek is a strong word. It means every kind, every variety, the whole of, or the totality of the thing referred to 1.
God’s comfort is unique. It is infinite, inexhaustible, immutable, and indestructible. Our afflictions are temporary and transient; God’s comfort is everlasting (2 Thessalonians 2: 16). It is available at all times.
He sent the Holy Spirit to be our Comforter. How much He knows our needs and understands our frame!
No Christian is left to face sickness and sorrow alone. God said to His children in Israel, As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you (Isaiah 66: 13). The Israelites needed to be reminded of God’s love and pity for them when He redeemed them from Egyptian bondage. Isaiah also wrote, in all their affliction he [God] was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bore them, and carried them all the days of old (Isaiah 63: 9).
Some Christians are prone to forget how real and precious God’s love and comfort were when they received the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. Friend, your heavenly Father does care, and He does comfort. Turn to Him and give Him the privilege of ministering to your need. You are His child, and He is there when you hurt.
Application: Lord, we’re thankful for this example of motherhood. But even more, we’re grateful for Your faithful “mothering” of us displayed in Your compassion day by day. Help us to find rest in You. Amen. God’s care surrounds us.
