Mother’s Day 2025 Proverbs 30:11-17
A small boy went into the lingerie section of a large department store and shyly presented his problem to a woman clerk. He said, "I want to buy a slip as a present for my mom, but I don't know what size she wears?" The clerk looked at the boy and replied by saying, "Is she tall, short, fat or skinny?" The boy said, with his face beaming, "She's just perfect." The clerk as a result wrapped up a size 34 for him. Two days later the Mom came to the store by herself and changed the slip to a size 52. Obviously she was very large, but she was perfect to her son.
And as a small child I remember thinking the same thing. My mama was perfect in every way. Now my daddy was a good man and I loved him but my mama was the one who made my life full of JOY and HAPPINESS. There was nothing better than to crawl in bed with her after daddy left for work. Now as I got older I realized that she really wasn’t perfect. She was close but she made mistakes like all of us do. But oh what a wonderful mama she was.
This is my 12th Mother’s day sermon to preach and I usually bring a message about a certain mother in the Bible or I preach out of Proverbs 31 and talk about the attributes of a good mother. Not this year.
My, almost 59 years of life, has been FILLED with great examples of mothers.
As I said my mother and then my grandmothers, my aunts were great examples of motherhood. So many of you ladies sitting here today are great examples of what a mother should be. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. There is NO ONE who has more influence on a child than a mother.
ILLUS: Dr. G. Campbell Morgan had 4 sons and they were all preachers. Someone once came into the drawing room when all the family was there. They thought they would see what Howard, one of the sons, was made of so they asked him this question: "Howard, who is the greatest preacher in your family?" Howard had a great admiration for his father and he looked straight across at him and then without a moments hesitation he answered, "Mother."
And so this morning I feel led to bring a message not on MOTHERHOOD but how society and this GENERATION SEES MOTHERHOOD. I think we need to take a HARD LOOK at where this GENERATION is heading.
Now let me warn you. I may say some things today that may not go along with a lot of thoughts that are out there today. And I am NOT trying to be OFFENSIVE or ABRASIVE. But I truly believe that MOTHERHOOD is the HIGHEST CALLING for any woman. Now that doesn’t mean that God calls every woman to be a mother. We all know that He doesn’t. Just like God doesn’t call every man to be a father. But God CHOSE to continue on the HUMAN RACE by creating the woman.
And it was the WOMAN that God chose to carry in her WOMB, Jesus Christ, God in the FLESH. So HOW does this GENERATION TREAT HER? Let’s take a look at Proverbs 30 and we’ll read Verses 11-17.
“There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.
12 There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.
13 There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up.
14 There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.
15 The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough:
16 The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.
17 The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.”
It’s interesting because in Verse 11, the first Verse we read, it tells us that there is a GENERATION that CURSES their FATHER and does NOT BLESS their mother. That’s a terrible thing isn’t it? To NOT show love and respect to your parents.
And then this passage goes on to describe the other SINS of this GENERATION. But then in Verse 17 it comes full circle, back around to the way that this GENERATION treats their mother and father. And so because these Verses begin and end with the way that MOTHERS and FATHERS are treated, I believe that a lot of the PROBLEMS of our SOCIETY could be FIXED if THIS GENERATION would begin to ONCE AGAIN HONOR our PARENTS. And so before we get into our message, let’s go to the Lord in PRAYER.
Brother _____, would you lead us?
It’s interesting to me because if you look at Verse 1, it clearly tells us that this was a PROPHETIC PROVERB from a man by the name of AGUR and he was speaking these words to two fellows by the names of ITHIEL and UCAL.
So this fellow was looking into the FUTURE and he saw a GENERATION or a TIME when people would begin to BEHAVE in such a way that God would have to bring judgment upon them. And as I said earlier, it seems to revolve around DISRESPECT towards PARENTS.
I. Verse 11 “There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.”
I wish I could stand here today and tell you that I never SASSED my parents. I wish I could say that I always made them PROUD. I wish I would have never BACK TALKED.
But I DID. But there is a big difference in my upbringing versus what some young people are getting today. It’s found in,
Proverbs 22:15 “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.”
I thought that I knew more than my parents and there were a few times that I spoke disrespectfully to them. Not TOO MANY TIMES because they knew the second half of this Verse.
“but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.”
They KNEW that the ROD of CORRECTION would do it’s work. And BELIEVE ME it did!!! I NEVER CURSED MY FATHER or MOTHER because as a YOUNGSTER I was too SCARED to and as I got older I didn’t want to HURT THEM.
Mama’s and daddy’s please listen to me. I would NEVER tell you to ABUSE your children. I would NEVER tell you to BEAT THEM. And I DON’T think that SPANKING is the only kind of DISCIPLINE that you should use. But I will tell you that there are times that a child needs a good SPANKING. I’ve had parents tell me that SPANKING DOESN’T WORK. Listen, the BIBLE doesn’t lie. CONSISTENT, CONTROLLED DISCIPLINE will work even if you’re kid is as hard headed as YOU!!!
And folks, however old you may be, if you’re blessed enough to still have either one or both of your parents still alive today. BE A BLESSING TO THEM. I’m NOT just talking to the youngsters. I’m talking to all of us here today. DON’T BE THE GENERATION THAT AGUR IS TALKING ABOUT.
Ephesians 6:1-3 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;
3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.”
This is a GENERAL PROMISE. Those that honor their father and mother will generally live a LONG LIFE.
Now that doesn’t mean that those who die young DIDN’T honor their parents and it also doesn’t mean those who live long lives DID honor their parents. It’s a GENERAL PROMISE.
It’s the same as Verse 6 of Proverbs 22.
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
This Verse DOES NOT take away a child’s Free Will. They still must accept Jesus for themselves. But generally, those that are TRAINED UP in the WAYS of GOD, will accept His call on their lives.
“There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.”
LORD HAVE MERCY ON THAT GENERATION!!!
II. And ... “There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.”
A GENERATION of SELF RIGHTEOUS PEOPLE.
I was thinking about this. Who was AGUR PROPHESYING about?
A. Maybe he was talking about the Generation of his day. Maybe he saw the SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS of the people living in the WEALTHY KINGDOM of Israel. During Solomon’s reign it was a very wealthy nation. Maybe some of these folks felt like they were being BLESSED for their RIGHTEOUSNESS.
B. Or I wondered if he was prophesying about the Pharisees in Jesus’ day. The Generation that would BRAG about how they had fasted so many days. They would BRAG about how much money they had given to the Temple. They would BRAG about how they kept the Levitical Law but yet they FAILED. And what did Jesus say about them? He said they were like the WHITED SEPULCHERS. All pretty on the outside but FULL of DEAD MEN’S BONES.
C. Or maybe AGUR looked into the future to our time. Did he see a GENERATION of SELF RIGHTEOUS PEOPLE?
And then look on down there in Verse 13 of Proverbs 30.
“There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up.”
A GENERATION of PRIDEFUL PEOPLE. Those two kind of go together don’t they. SELF RIGHTEOUS and PRIDEFUL.
Now I want us to look at what the Apostle Paul has to say about the LAST GENERATION at the END of the WORLD.
Let’s look in 2 Timothy 3:1-5.
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy”
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”
WOW, that’s like reading a PLAY by PLAY ACCOUNT of what’s happening today. You have this VIVID DESCRIPTION of what things are going to be like in the LAST DAYS and you look around and SEE that’s what’s going on TODAY.
And look what’s RIGHT SMACK DAB in the MIDDLE of all of this CHOAS and WICKEDNESS?
Verse 2 “DISOBEDIENT to PARENTS!!!!”
YES, that’s part of the SIGNS of the TIMES. I know that CHILDREN have always had a REBELLIOUS STREAK. I think it has a lot to do with the hormones that are released when they get up to adolescents. PIMPLES POP UP ON THEIR FACE and we as PARENTS become STUPID!!!
But I just don’t think it’s ever been as bad as it is today. Children not HONORING and OBEYING their parents.
Children becoming VIOLENT. School shootings. And so much of it has to do with all of these other things LISTED in 2 Timothy 3.
Listen mamas and daddies too. Don’t give up hope. Don’t quit. Don’t give in to the SOCIAL PRESSURES.
YOU!!! still have more influence over your children than anyone else. YOU!!! can still make a difference in their lives. The OLD SONG by Steve Warner and Glen Campbell is still true. The Hand that Rocks the Cradle Rules the World.
Even in this GENERATION of SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS and PRIDEFULNESS, EVEN Living in what I believe are the LAST DAYS, YOU can raise up children that are a BLESSING to others.
Psalms 127:3 “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.”
III. And finally Verse 14, “There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.”
Once again, who was AGUR speaking about here? Someone in his time? Was he looking around at his own nation? Or was he speaking about the Babylonians who would INVADE their land in 586 B.C.? Maybe he looked ahead in time and saw the Roman Empire who took control of Jerusalem in 65 B.C.? I don’t know.
Maybe AGUR saw the WARS of TODAY. Russia and the Ukrainian War. The Wars in Africa. The Civil War in Syria. The War in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas. The War between the two nuclear countries of India and Pakistan. Right now there’s a ceasefire but how long will it last?
As a DADDY to 6 kids and a PAPPY to almost 9, I look at all of the CONFLICT around the world and I look at the DIVISION in our own country. I don’t think since this nation fought a CIVIL WAR has there been so much HATRED for each other.
And you can’t even have a DISAGREEMENT without someone going CRAZY.
That’s why you have people killing other people over the way they’re DRIVING or SOMETHING they said.
That’s why you have people ROBBING and STEALING just to get what someone else has. Verse 14 gives a good description. Their TEETH are like SWORDS and their JAW TEETH are like KNIVES. In other words, they will CHEW YOU UP!!!
This world is going CRAZY and I look around and I wonder about the FUTURE for our KIDS and GRANDKIDS. I know you mamas have that GOD GIVEN ABILITY to NURTURE. To PROTECT CHILDREN NO MATTER WHAT THE COST. And all of the things going on today can be OVERWHELMING.
AGUR goes on to describe this GENERATION that he saw and he uses things that the people back then were familiar with.
The HORSE LEACH is a BLOOD SUCKING INSECT that grows up to 4 inches long. And as AGUR describes it, it has TWO DAUGHTERS. It has the ability to SUCK from both ends, it’s front and back. It is found in fresh water and when an animal, such as a horse, drinks, it crawls up inside of it’s nose and sucks blood from it’s mucous membranes.
And it’s never satisfied, it never gets enough BLOOD.
And AGUR explains that there are FOUR MORE THINGS that are just like the HORSE LEACH.
The GRAVE that’s ready for the next INHABITANT. Listen, we’re all gonna take a Dirt Nap someday. Hebrews 9:27
The WOMAN who longs for a BABY but isn’t able to have one.
The EARTH that SOAKS UP RAIN WATER.
And the FIRE that DEVOURS anything that will BURN.
AGUR IS DESCRIBING a GENERATION, a PEOPLE THAT IS NEVER SATISFIED!!!
So how does this TIE IN to today’s message? I HAVE NO IDEA!!! LOL Not really. All of these Verses are a warning to us today. I believe AGUR saw this generation that we live in.
A. LISTEN, a GENERATION that is SELF RIGHTEOUS MUST depend upon Jesus for their RIGHTEOUSNESS.
“What Can Wash Away my Sins? NOTHING but the BLOOD of JESUS. What Can ..... ”
B. AGUR saw a GENERATION that is PRIDEFUL and ARROGANT. That GENERATION MUST REPENT of their SINS. The Bible is full of scriptures that talk about PRIDE. Pride is the ROOT to just about every sin out there.
C. He saw a GENERATION that is so SELFISH and GLUTTONOUS for what other people have. And he tells us that they will NEVER BE SATISFIED!!!
D. And PLEASE LISTEN to me HERE. YOUNG PEOPLE. ALL OF US!!! This is SO IMPORTANT. God INSPIRED AGUR to WRITE THIS DOWN for a REASON.
AGUR SAW a GENERATION that CURSES their FATHER and they’re not a BLESSING to their MOTHER. He SAW a GENERATION that MOCKS their FATHER and refuses to OBEY their MOTHER. LISTEN, they will be PUNISHED. PLAIN and SIMPLE!!!
“The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.”
That’s pretty rough stuff isn’t it? Listen, I didn’t say it, GOD DID. And He had a reason to say it. We as the Children of God must HONOR HIM as He expects us to HONOR our EARTHLY MAMAS and DADDIES.
If we won’t do that, we’ll have NO PART with Him.
I want to wish all of you ladies here today a Happy Mother’s Day. Whether you’re a MOTHER yourself or you’ve mothered someone else’s children, I pray that you have a BLESSED DAY.
I don’t think a day goes by that I don’t think about my own MAMA. She’s been gone to Heaven almost 4 years now. Oh how I miss her but I wouldn’t bring her back for anything. Her and my dad are up there in Heaven together in praising Jesus.
But I will always remember the LOVE that she had for me. The sacrifices that she made for me. And the LOVE for GOD that she TAUGHT ME.
I read this poem and it touched my heart. The author is unknown.
“I took a piece of plastic clay
And idly fashioned it one day,
And as my fingers pressed it still,
It moved and yielded to my will.
I came again when days were past--
The bit of clay was hard at last;
The form I gave it, it still bore,
But I could change that form no more.
I took a piece of living clay
And gently formed it day by day,
And molded with my power and art
A young child's soft and yielding heart.
I came again when years were gone--
It was a man I looked upon;
He still that early impress wore,
And I could change him nevermore.”
I know this was NOT the normal Mother’s Day message that you might expect. But if the Lord has spoken to you this morning, the alters are always open.
Maybe you need to repent for the way that you’ve treated your parents.
Maybe you as a parent realize some of your short comings. Maybe the Lord’s speaking to your heart about something else. It doesn’t matter. Listen, we’re like a family here and we all want what’s best for you. We’ll pray with you and encourage you.
Or maybe you’ve never accepted Jesus as your Savior. What a GREAT GIFT to give to your mother. God loves you today and wants you to be a part of His family. Won’t you come.
Let’s Pray
