A Mother’s Love
Text: 1 Kings 3:16-28
Opening: This is the day of the year when we celebrate our moms. Now of course we should do this much more often, and I encourage you to routinely express your gratitude to your mom for all the ways she demonstrates her love for you. And let’s face it, mothers do so much for us: They cook good food for us to eat; they turn a house into a home; they mend our wounds; they console us when we face disappointments; they cheer for us when we do something well; and, perhaps their greatest contribution is that they instruct us about life (See Proverbs 6:20). What do they teach us? Let me suggest a few things:
• Mothers teach us about foresight: "Make sure you wear clean underwear in case you’re in an accident."
• Mothers teach us about logic: "If you fall out of that tree and break your neck, don’t come crying to me."
• Mothers teach us about maturity: "Eat your vegetables or you’ll never grow up."
• Mothers teach us about religion: "You better pray that comes out of the carpet."
• Mothers teach us about time travel: "If you don’t straighten up, I’m going to knock you into the middle of next week!"
• Mothers teach us about contradictions: "Shut your mouth and eat your dinner!"
• Mothers teach us about contortionism: "Will you look at the dirt on the back of your neck?"
• Mothers teach us about perseverance: "You are going to sit here until you eat every last piece of that broccoli."
• Mothers teach us about genetics: "You’re just like your father."
• Mothers teach us about the weather: "It looks like a tornado swept through your room."
• Mothers teach us about the circle of life: "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."
Background: The passage that we read this morning is first of all meant to illustrate the new wisdom that Solomon possessed when he became king. Perhaps you remember how he acquired it (See 1 Kings 3:4-9). However, tucked inside of this story are some principles related to motherhood that are worth considering as we celebrate Mother’s Day.
I. A good mother values her children (See 1 Kings 3:16-20). Two women, both of whom were prostitutes by vocation and lived in the same house, were blessed with sons just three days apart. I say blessed because the Bible tells us that children are a reward from the Lord (See Psalm 127:3) regardless of how they are conceived. Alone, with no one to help care for their newborn infants, the women were put in the unfortunate predicament of having to do everything by themselves (Remember the two women were prostitutes and not received well by their contemporaries -- See John 4:4-27; 8:1-11). This must have amounted to a great deal of effort as they were hardly in any condition to care for their babies. One might even have asked, given the difficulty of their situation, why they didn’t discard the children as some are apt to do today? I cannot speak for either woman. The text doesn’t tell us why they kept the children, but I can tell you what the Bible says about the value of children.
A. They have value because they are image-bearers - Children are made in the image of God (See Genesis 1:26,27; 9:6). This is not said of any other part of God’s creation. It demonstrates our value to God (See Psalm 8:4,5). When people look at our kids, they should see something of the image of God in them.
B. They have value because of their potential impact - It is God’s intent that parents would teach their children to follow after Him (See Ephesians 6:4). Children can become disciples of Christ that change our world. In a day and age when people are not having many children because of the cost, we have the opportunity to fill the earth with followers of Christ.
C. They have value because of their influence - Children remind us what it takes to receive the kingdom of heaven (See Luke 18:15-17). What childlike (not "childish") characteristics did Jesus have in mind when He said, "Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein?"
1. Children are humble -- Luke records this incident of Jesus and the children right after the story of the Pharisee and the sinner (See Luke 18:9-14). The Pharisee was self-righteous and therefore not righteous at all in the sight of God. The sinner was humble enough to confess his condition to God and Jesus pronounced him forgiven. If the Pharisee had been humble enough, he too could have been justified.
2. Children are trusting -- Because those of us who are older have been lied to, manipulated, and taken for granted at times, we have learned a tendency to doubt and be skeptical. Not so with children. They have a wonderful ability to trust and to act on that trust.
The entire argument of the two women was based on the fact that each one valued her child. Setting aside the deceit of the one, we can certainly make the case that they believed their lives would be better off with their sons than without them.
II. A good mother knows her children (See 1 Kings 3:21-22). Tragically one of the boys died when his mother accidentally lay on the child in the middle of the night and suffocated him. When she realized what she had done, the woman arose, and exchanged her dead son with the son of the other woman. In the morning, we’re told that the second mother awoke to great grief when she saw the dead baby lying by her breast. But upon closer inspection, she came to realize that the infant was not hers. Why? Because she knew her son. From the earliest moments after birth, it is not unusual for a mother to start looking at her child (Example: When Jeanne was born the nurse brought in the wrong baby and Laurie knew it instantly). And so it was that this mother, having gazed at the boy for several days, came to see those attributes that made him unique not just from the other boy, but from all other children. Application: Have you ever though about how important it is for a mother to really know her children (See Proverbs 22:6)? Sometime this verse is taken as a guarantee that if we are good parents we will always produce good children. That is not what this verse says. A paraphrase might read something like this, “Train your child according to his way (keeping in mind his individual characteristics and tendencies); when he comes to maturity, he will not depart from the training he has received.” Every child has natural bents both good and bad, these are the basic tendencies unique to this child. The root word of “train up” in the Hebrew is a word used to describe the palate or the roof of the mouth. It was used to describe the actions of a Hebrew mid-wife who after helping to deliver a baby would dip her finger in a paste made of dates and rub it on the gums of the new baby to create thirst and start the baby’s feeding instinct. The parent is in like manner to create a thirst in their child for the right things all the while taking into consideration their unique personalities.
Illus: Susannah Wesley was the mother of 14 children, including her famous sons Charles and John, who had a tremendous impact upon the world. It has been said of her that she prayed for one hour per day for each child. Why didn’t she pray for one hour for all 14? Because they were different and had different needs. Yet there were some things that she expected to be held in common by all of her children. Here are some of her rules for raising her kids.
1. Eating between meals not allowed.
2. As children they are to be in bed by 8 p.m.
3. They are required to take medicine without complaining.
4. To teach a child to pray as soon as he can speak.
5. Require all to be still during Family Worship.
6. Give them nothing that they cry for, and only that which is asked for politely.
7. To prevent lying, punish no fault that is first confessed and repented of.
8. Never punish a child twice for a single offense.
9. Comment on and reward good behavior.
10. Any attempt to please, even if poorly performed, should be commended.
11. Preserve property rights, even in smallest matters.
12. Strictly observe all promises.
13. Require no daughter to work before she can read well.
14. Teach children to fear the rod.
III. A good mother loves her children (See 1 Kings 3:23-28). The mothers had no witnesses to corroborate either’s testimony. If they had, the normal due process would have taken place. But because it was the word of one woman against the other, the matter was brought to the king. Solomon had been given "discernment by God to govern his people and to distinguish between right and wrong." The first test of this newfound wisdom was at hand. This reminds me of the old TV show called "To Tell the Truth." Do you remember it? Usually at the beginning of the show, a statement was read by the host that was absolutely true as it related to one of three people who were to be questioned by a panel of celebrities. The goal was to determine who was telling the truth and who was lying. That is not too much unlike this story from 1 Kings 3. Two women, both claiming to be the mother of one baby. It fell on Solomon to figure out who was being truthful and his plan for doing so was brilliant. He ordered that the child be cut in two so that each woman would receive partial satisfaction. Of course the real mother was willing to give up her son alive, rather than to see him die. She revealed herself by her love for the child. Application: I am constantly amazed at the intensity of the love that a mother shares for her children. It is absolutely unconditional and sacrificial at its very core. Illus: Consider the case of Deborah Kemp. Police don’t know where she found the strength, but she knows. Her 6 year-old daughter, Ashley, was in the back seat of her car sleeping, and Deborah wasn’t about to let someone steal it and take her daughter as well. As she was pumping gas, a man jumped in the front driver’s seat of her car and began to pull away. Deborah, desperate to protect Ashley, grabbed hold of the door and steering wheel and held onto the moving car as she was dragged for several blocks. "I wasn’t trying to be a hero," she said later. "I was concerned for my baby...that was part of me in that car." Kemp eventually managed grab the thief, pull him from the car and beat him with an anti-theft club device while he apologized and begged her to stop. Meanwhile, the driverless car went out of control and smashed into a restaurant. That’s when Ashley woke up. Deborah Kemp suffered only ripped pants and bloodied knees. Her daughter was not injured at all. The suspect didn’t fare as well. He was unable to walk. One leg was broken and the other fractured. He also suffered head injuries. Think a good mom doesn’t love her children? Guess again.
