Just Bee A Mommy
I. OPENING ILLUSTRATION:
One Sunday, a couple of years ago (2018), Ben and Jackee Belnap noticed an important envelope containing $1,060 mysteriously missing. For the previous year, University of Utah football fans had been saving money to pay back Ben's parents for season tickets, and that money was in the envelope.
Ben and Jackee started tearing the house apart searching for the cash. “I'm digging through the trash,” Ben Belnap said, “and Jackee hollers, ‘I found it.’” It was in the shredder in a thousand tiny pieces. Immediately they knew Leo, their 2-year-old, was the culprit. He had been helping Jackee shred junk mail and documents. Apparently, he thought he was being helpful with the envelope full of cash. First, his mother cried. Then, she laughed. She said, “As devastated and as sick as we were, this was one of those moments where you just have to laugh.”
Soon after that, Ben Belnap contacted the Treasury Department, which has a “Mutilated Currency Division.” They “redeem” burned, rodent-chewed, or deteriorated money as a free service to the public. They handle 30,000 claims a year, redeeming more than $30 million in mutilated cash. They told Ben to send the shredded money to Washington in Ziploc bags.
In the meantime, Mom did not let Leo use the shredder anymore, making the comment that “this will make a great wedding story one day.” (Meagan Flynn, “A 2-year-old shredded $1,060 of his family’s cash. His mom cried — until she laughed,” The Washington Post, 10-5-18; www.PreachingToday.com)
There are moments when things get shredded beyond what we can repair. It is in those moments when we need one of the greatest gifts God has given humankind, mother.
The time of the judges in ancient Israel was a time when the nation found itself in one messy situation after another, often because of their own lack of maturity.
II. TEXT:
Judges 4:1-9 (ESV)
And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord after Ehud died. 2 And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim. 3 Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, for he had 900 chariots of iron and he oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years. 4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5 She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment. 6 She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, “Has not the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun. 7 And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin's army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand’?” 8 Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” 9 And she said, “I will surely go with you.
Judges 5:7 (ESV)
"The villagers ceased in Israel; they ceased to be until I arose; I, Deborah, arose as a mother in Israel."
III. INTRODUCTION:
Happy Mother's Day! Here are some Mother's Day facts:
1. Mother's Day is on a different day every year. But, it is important that we do not forget it. The Bible commands us to honor our mother's. Keeping this day is a great way to put this command into practice.
2. The top gifts that mother's want for Mother's Day are pretty simple according to a 2021 YouGov poll. A card, flowers and/or a special experience with family.
3. The average age for first time mother's is rising.
4. Lots of Americans go out to eat for Mother's Day. In 2018, 87 million went to a restaurant according to the National Restaurant Association.
5. Mother's Day, like Easter and Christmas, is one of the most popular churchgoing days.
6. Mother's Day was originally a day for women to protest against war.
7. It is a popular day for phone calls. Mom's want to hear our voices.
8. Americans spend billions on Mother's Day.
9. Americans spend more on Mother's Day than on Father's Day.
10. According to Salary.com stay at home moms should be making six figures, if they actually got paid for all that they do. Think about what single mothers who also work outside the home should make.
11. Roughly one-fourth of moms in the U.S. are raising their children alone.
12. According to Hallmark, Mother's Day is the third largest card sending day of the year.
13. Most mothers say that motherhood is very important to their identity.
The Sermon on the Mount is the Magna Carta of life in God's Kingdom in the present world. It begins with the word "Blessed." It tells hearers what the good life, the blessed life, the happy life consists of. Matthew 5 contains eight blessings or wishes for happiness that have been called "The Beatitudes." They are inner attitudes that lead to happiness. One dictionary definition of the term beattitude is "a state of utmost bliss." Sounds like happiness. This morning I want to talk to you about three beattitudes of motherhood, but before I do I want to mention a fourth and the most important one. This beeattitude should be like honey that fills the hive of every queen bee who is a Christian. It is a disposition that make life worth living. It should stick to everything else we talk about this morning.
Bee happy! Mom, we give you permission to lighten up. When little Leo shredded that $1060 cash, Jakee didn't beat him or yell at him. She may have cried, but then she laughed. The honey that sweetens motherhood is laughter. Bee Happy! And bee...
IV. PREACHING POINTS:
1. Bee Prophetic
Judges 4:2 (ESV)
"...Deborah, a prophetess..."
Bee prophetic. To be prophetic is to accurately describe or predict what will happen in the future. Prophets in Scripture speak for God. Jewish tradition finds a total of 48 prophets and 7 prophetesses in the Hebrew Bible. The list of female prophetic figures include Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, Huldah, and Esther.
Sarah was the mother of the promised child Isaac from whose lineage Christ eventually came. Miriam looked over her little brother Moses with motherly care who would become the deliverer of the nation. Hannah's desperate prayers got ahold of God and she became the mother of Samuel the last judge of Israel, the prophet, the king-maker. Abigail was a wise and prudent mother who kept David from a drastic mistake. Huldah's tender care of Judah's last good king was just the motherly touch he needed. And who can forget Esther? Like a mother to her people she swooped down with the wings of bird and covered them in their time of danger despite what may have happened to her.
And then there is Deborah. She is the sole female judge. Her name means "bee." Like a queen bee she offers her motherhood to an entire group of people. Her life epitomizes some aspects of motherhood. She was prophetic.
A mother’s words spoken over her child’s life are powerful and predictive. A mother's eyes can see things about her children no one else may be able to see, and she has the power to speak those things into the life of those children. Death and life are in the power of the tongue (Prov 18:21). Proverbs 12:18 (NIV) says that, "The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing."
There is a legendary story about Thomas Edison that says:
One day young Thomas Edison came home and gave a paper to his mother. He told her, "My teacher gave this paper to me and told me to only give it to my mother."
His mother’s eyes were tearful as she read the letter out loud to her child: Your son is a genius. This school is too small for him and doesn’t have enough good teachers for training him. Please teach him yourself.
Many years later, after Edison’s mother had died, he was looking through old family things. Now one of the greatest inventors of the century, he suddenly saw a folded piece of paper in the corner of a desk drawer. He took it and opened it up. On the paper was written: Your son is addled [mentally ill]. We won’t let him come to school any more.
Edison cried for hours and then he wrote in his diary: “Thomas Alva Edison was an addled child that, by a hero mother, became the genius of the century.”
She saw what was hidden to others and like the Creator God in whose image she was made spoke those things which did not exists as though they already were.
In her motherly love for Israel, Deborah spoke positive prophetic words into the life of a nation that was in trouble. The nation of Israel was in trouble because of their disobedience and idolatry. God knew that what they needed was a mother who could see beyond what was apparent so he gave them Deborah. Mother, God gave YOU to the children that he placed in your care. He wants you to see more than is apparent. He wants you to bee prophetic.
She did not merely sooth them with hopes. As a judge, she expounded the Word of God to the people. She taught them. A child's first teacher is their mother. Deborah called up Barak and told him what God had destined him to do and encouraged him that he could do it.
The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. Mother you have the power to shape the destiny of the human person that God has placed in your care. That child is made in the image of the Creator God. They have an immeasurable potential for good. Speak that into their lives. No matter what the enemy tries to speak into their lives, speak the truth. Bee prophetic. And bee happy!
Proverbs 16:24 (KJV)
"Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones."
Mom, don't let your prophetic words dry your children's bone, saturate them with honey and they will stick. Bee happy!
When you do have to correct something, do it like Mary Poppins! It only takes a spoonful of sugar to make the medicine go down! A spoonful of honey!
“Your job as a parent is not to prevent them from experiencing setbacks and failures, but to give them the tools and emotional resilience they need to weather life’s storms, and then to walk beside them through those storms.” (Daniel J. Siegel, The Power of Showing Up: How Parental Presence Shapes Who Our Kids Become and How Their Brains Get Wired)
2. Bee Present
Judges 4:8-9 (NIV)
"Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” And she said, “I will surely go with you..."
In their book The Power of Showing Up: How Parental Presence Shapes Who Our Kids Become and How Their Brains Get Wired, Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson talk about the power of being present.
“Predictable care that supports a healthy and empowering relationship embodies what we call the “Four S’s”—helping kids feel (1) safe—they feel protected and sheltered from harm; (2) seen—they know you care about them and pay attention to them; (3) soothed—they know you’ll be there for them when they’re hurting; and (4) secure—based on the other S’s, they trust you to predictably help them feel “at home” in the world, then learn to help themselves feel safe, seen, and soothed. When we can offer kids the Four S’s, making repairs whenever the inevitable ruptures in these connections with our children may occur, we help create what’s called “secure attachment,” and it’s absolutely key to optimal healthy development.” (Daniel J. Siegel, The Power of Showing Up: How Parental Presence Shapes Who Our Kids Become and How Their Brains Get Wired)
“It means being there for your kids. It means being physically present, as well as providing a quality of presence. Provide it when you’re meeting their needs; when you’re expressing your love to them; when you’re disciplining them; when you’re laughing together; even when you’re arguing with them.” (Daniel J. Siegel, The Power of Showing Up: How Parental Presence Shapes Who Our Kids Become and How Their Brains Get Wired)
Momma, what your child needs in order to find victory in their life is YOU.
Deborah's presence alone was enough to help Barak go on to victory.
The sound of momma's voice in the crowd cheering at a child's competition. The presence of mom in church as their child sings before the congregation at church. The presence of mom at night tucking that child in bed, or later in life when mom is there to give advice about life. It matters mom. God gave them to you because He knew you were the one they needed to have victory in life. Bee present. And Bee happy!
3. Bee Praise
Judges 5:1
"Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day..."
In this duet with Barak, Momma Deborah rehearses the mighty works of God. It is so vital that mothers speak the praises of God to their children.
The song begins rehearsing the Glory of God that came from Sinai and goes on to tell the story of how Israel had become desolate because of the attacks of the enemy, until momma showed up. Momma's words were prophetic, she was present, and she encouraged the people to get back what was theirs.
The enemy wants to keep you locked up and walled in, but God is wanting to bring you out where you can live. Judges 5:7 (ESV) says, "The villagers ceased in Israel; they ceased to be until I arose; I, Deborah, arose as a mother in Israel."
Life is big, but God has given the gift of mothers and grandmothers, and church mothers, and those people who become mothers when needed. When these mothers speak the praises of God to their children encouragement to go on happens.
In a world filled with complaints and grievances, there needs to be a voice that speaks the praises of God. David said, "I will bless the LORD at all times and His praises shall continually be in my mouth" (Psalm 34:1).
Ephesians 5:17-21 NKJV
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.
Some of the first songs that children hear are mother's lullabies, her happy birthdays, her voice singing in church. Your song matters, momma! Bee Praise!
Bee praise to God, and bee praise to those children. Deborah's song talks about the good things God did and the way her children participated in those things. Bee praise!
I can hear Deborah (the Bee)'s praise, saturated with the honey of happiness. Life is sweeter when you laugh.
V. CONCLUSION:
In his autobiography rapper and actor LL Cool J tells the story of a moment in his career where it seemed like things were going down hill. The arrival of gangsta rap had made it seem like his style was on the way out. The gangsta-rappers took shots at him on their records with their words or disrespect and discouragement. Cool J had been successful in many ways, but he was at a point of seep discouragement. It was then that he went back home and down into the basement of the house where at 13 years of age he had begun his dream of being a rapper. Here in the basement wrestling with himself, his grandmother walked down the stairs. She asked what was wrong. He tried to explain. She really couldn't understand, but tried to empathize. Eventually, grandma just said, "Awe, baby, just knock 'em out!" and walked up the stairs. As Cool J, thought about her words it came to him. That was it. The lyrics for his song, "Momma Said Knock You Out Were Born." The album by the same title solidified his career and silenced his critics.
Mom, you don't always have to understand. Just speak life into your children. Just Bee prophetic. Mom, you don't have to have all the answers just bee present. Mom, you don't have to be the greatest singer, just bee praise.
The story of Deborah ends this way, "And the land has rest for forty years" (Judges 5:31). Setting up your children for success is more important than anything else you will ever do. I believe the reason you showed up this morning is because you are answering the call to be the mother God called you to be to the children he has given you. Do it happy! Bee Happy! The joy of the LORD is your strength! It's honey that enlightens the eyes.
