The Choices A Mother Makes

1 Kings 3:16-28 5/14/23 A.M. Mother’s Day

The Choices a Mother Makes

Happy Mother’s day to all of you ladies who are mothers or you have mothered someone else’s child. I sure miss my mama. I said a few years ago “If you don’t like me, blame my mother. If you don’t like my kids, blame Rachel.” Why? Because mother’s have so much influence over their children.

My mother was raised in a very poor home. My grandfather was a share cropper over around Oilton and worked hard to provide for his family. They barely scraped by. My mom was the next to the youngest. My uncle, her younger brother, is the only one of the 7 kids still alive. But my mama would often speak about her own mama and how much she meant to her. How that she was the one who made life joyful. My mom told about a time when she was going to be in a school program and it was going to take place in the evening after school so she stayed at the school and my grandmother walked for MILES to get to the school, carrying my uncle the whole way, just so that she could see my mama in the program. After it was over they all rode home together on the school bus.

You know, something I have noticed about mama’s is they will DO just about ANYTHING to make their kids happy. They will SACRIFICE just about ANYTHING to supply their needs. And they will give EVERYTHING for the LIVES of their CHILDREN.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. If you want to see just a SMALL GLIMPSE of the LOVE that God has for you, just look at a MOTHER. Let’s read 1 Kings 3:16-28.

“Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him.

17 And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house.

18 And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house.

19 And this woman's child died in the night; because she overlaid it.

20 And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.

21 And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear.

22 And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king

23 Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.

24 And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.

25 And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.

26 Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.

27 Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.

28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.”

If you look at the previous Verses in this Chapter, you’ll see Solomon had a dream. God spoke to him in this dream and asked Solomon what he wanted. And instead of asking for RICHES he asks for WISDOM. Verse 9 tells us,

“Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?”

This pleased the Lord and He granted Solomon’s wish. Solomon had the ability to REASON things out in his mind and make good decisions. God also gave Solomon what he didn’t ask for. Great riches and honor.

And so one of the first decisions Solomon had to make was between two mothers. We’re going to look at that this morning.