What is a Mother?

¹⁸ Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” ¹⁹ Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. ²¹ So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. ²² And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. ²³ Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” ²⁴ Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. ²⁵ And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed (Genesis 2:18-25).

Introduction

There are many people today who have a hard time understanding what a woman is. If you ask the culture “what is a woman?” you will get a response like, “A woman is a person who feels like a woman.” The problem with this type of thinking is it defines a word with a word. A woman is a woman. Conservatives, like Matt Walsh, answer the question better. They answer the biological definition, “A woman is an adult human female.” Mike drop moment, or is it? I believe the best answer is what the Bible gives, “A woman is an adult human female who is created in the image of God to serve her husband, bear children, and give glory to God with her life.” Obviously, we live in a fallen world. So not every aspect of the definition applies to every woman. Husbands die, come cannot bear children, others are called to different service, and some have mental disabilities. Yet, the exceptions do not make the rule.

This brings us to the question “what is a mother?” The biological definition is an adult human female who has born children. Yet, that is an incomplete definition compared to the biblical definition.

Thesis

A mother is a woman created in the image of God who is a wife, raises children, and glorifies God with her life.

Outline

This will be seen in the lives of three women. I. Eve, II. Hannah, and III. Mary.

Disclaimer

This is a topical sermon. I recommend every one of you to read each of these passages in their context.

Wycliff Bible Encyclopedia Definition

MOTHER. The Scripture gives a much higher position to women, especially mothers, than the religions of most Eastern lands. OT women sometimes held important positions, as did Miriam and Deborah. Father and mother were classed and honored together. Rebekah’s advice seems to have carried more weight with her son Jacob than did Isaac’s. The child who struck or cursed his father or mother was punished by death (Ex 21:15, 17). The last chapter of Proverbs pictures the honor and reverence accorded the faithful and virtuous mother. “Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her” (Prov 31:28).

In the NT the same high standards were upheld. When Christ was born of the Virgin Mary who was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, the place of motherhood was lifted even higher. Even the grandmother is sometimes mentioned. Paul in 2 Tim 1:5 calls to remembrance “the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.”

Jerusalem is referred to as “the mother of us all” (Gal 4:26), and the love of God is likened to that of a mother (Isa 66:12–13; cf. Mt 23:37)

Jesus refused to give Mary any higher place than that of other believers (Mt 12:46–50; cf. Jn 2:4), a fact which should be an important warning against the elevation of the Virgin Mary and mariolatry. Still, when suffering on the cross, He thought of His mother, and provided a home for her with John, the beloved disciple. “And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home” (Jn 19:27).

In the Bible mother might refer to stepmother (Gen 37:10), grandmother (1 Kgs 15:10), a female ancestress (Gen 3:20), or a benefactress (Jdg 5:7).^[1]

I.                Eve

1. Eve is the first woman created in the image of God and created to serve man.

¹⁸ Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” ¹⁹ Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. ²¹ So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. ²² And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. ²³ Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” ²⁴ Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. ²⁵ And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed (Genesis 2:18-25).

• Eve was created to be a helpmate for Adam, Hebrew for Man. The word helpmate in Hebrew is e’zer in Hebrew which means someone who assists or helps another in need, assistant.
• What was she to assist Man to do? The creation mandate was, “²⁸ And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:28, ESV).
• Without a woman mankind cannot multiply, fill the earth, and rule over it. Every King needs a Queen to assist in ruling.
• The first institution the Lord made was marriage; therefore, it is sacred, should be honored, and not redefined.
• As a mother, it is important to assist the husband in ruling he household and keeping watch over the kids.
• In fact, this is why the role of submission is important for the wife as she is helping her family glorify God.
• 1 Timothy 2 says,

 ⁸ I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; ⁹ likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, ¹⁰ but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. ¹¹ Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. ¹² I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. ¹³ For Adam was formed first, then Eve; ¹⁴ and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. ¹⁵ Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control. (vv. 8-15, ESV).

• The reason why she would be saved through childbearing is because of the promise given to her through God’s curse to the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your offspring and her offspring. He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15, ESV). Women were literally saved through childbearing which is fulfilled in Mary when she gave birth to the Messiah. Modern day childbearing points back to this.
• We have seen what it means to be a mother as a wife in Eve. Now we look to Hannah as a mother who spiritually leads her children.

II.              Hannah

1. Hannah was a woman who had to deal with a broken home. She had a husband who was also married to another wife. This rival wife had plenty of children and often mocked Hannah. So she prayed to the Lord, “She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. ¹¹ And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.” (1 Samuel 1:10-11, ESV). It happened as she had prayed. So she dedicated him to service in the temple and he became a great prophet, judge, and king maker in Israel, Samuel.
2. Here was her prayer after she gave her son to the Lord,

And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation. ² “There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. ³ Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. ⁴ The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble bind on strength. ⁵ Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn. ⁶ The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. ⁷ The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts. ⁸ He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them he has set the world. ⁹ “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail. ¹⁰ The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.” (1 Samuel 2:1-10, ESV).

• We see here that mothers are the ones who have primary and introductory instruction for their children. When women raise their children in the LORD, even if they live in broken homes, God can do great things with the child.
• Solomon said in proverbs, “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck (Proverbs 1:8-9, ESV).
• Women are more suited for raising and teaching children because they have a nurture instinct which is limited in Men. Men can emotionally detach themselves from issues and are able to do things which require split second decisions. Men are able to think long, hard, and directedly, which makes them great leaders; however, it makes it harder for them to nurture children. Typically Men’s brains are wired so that they have long thick connections in their right and left sides of the brain; however there is little overlap between the two sides of the brain. Women on the other hand have millions of connections between the left and right sides of the brain. Therefore, they have a harder time separating their emotions from their everyday activity.
• This means women are better at teaching children. They can easily meet the emotional needs of the children with their developing brains, while teaching them wisdom, biblical truths, math, science, etc.
• We have seen a mother as a wife and instructor for her children. Now we look at a mother as one who glorifies God in Mary.

III.            Mary

1.  In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,  and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:26-38, ESV).

• Here we see Mary be willing to serve the Lord by becoming pregnant with the Messiah. There was no sex involved. It was done by the overshadowing by the Holy Spirit. Mary trusted the Lord and the Lord blessed her by having the savior be made in her virgin womb.
• Was she upset by what the Lord had done to her? No. Here is her song of praise.

46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;  he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel,  in remembrance of his mercy,  as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”(Luke 1:46-55, ESV).

• Like Hannah, she praised the Lord, she brought up Jesus in the Jewish traditions, the Old Testament, and the fear of the Lord. She submitted to her husband Joseph when he had them move to Egypt to flee from Herod, and when he led them back to Nazareth. She even did not stay a virgin and had James, Jude, and Jesus’s other siblings. James and Jude would later submit to Jesus and lead the Church, even in their letters.
• Mary even trusted in Jesus when he tested her by saying my time is not yet come when she addressed the situation about wine.
• Like Mary, ,women should submit to God’s will for their lives, glorify God, and train their children to serve the LORD.

Conclusion

We have seen a mother is a woman created in the image of God who is a wife, raises children, and glorifies God with her life. What does that mean for us?

If you are a godly mother raising your children, praise God for you. I pray the godly mothers in this congregation are encouraged. Especially if you gave up your job, your freedom, and your finances for your kids. God will bless your hard work. God will bless your children. God will bless society with your hard work.

One godly mother that comes to mind was Susana Westly in the 1700’s. She wanted to be a missionary and share the gospel with the pagans who needed saved. Instead, God called her to marry her husband and have 17 kids. She decided to raise her children in the Lord very carefully. Two of those children were Charles and John Westly, who led a great revival in England, and influenced the Great Awakening in the American colonies. God blessed her work because she lived up to your godly calling.

Some of you cannot have children. That is ok. God does not call every woman to have children or even a lot of children. God still calls us to glorify Him and use the gifts he has given us for His kingdom.

Some of you think it is too late, you can be a spiritual mother to those who are in the church. Give them encouragement. Nurture the gospel in the church’s life, and God will bless that for the kingdom.

Others have failed in raising their children in the Lord. It is still not too late. You can still reach out to your children with love and the gospel. Some of you have grandchildren who need to see the godly life of their grandmother. Other women in the church need instruction in how to be godly wives and mothers. Be that spiritual mother who encourages and is a blessing to the church and your family.

Our society mocks motherhood. They say men can be mothers. They call women horrible names I cannot repeat at church. I believe as a church we need to encourage mothers to live godly lives, serve in the home, support their husbands, and have children who will be future worshippers in the kingdom.

Finally, this mother’s day, the best thing you can do to honor your mother is to repent and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Bad News: Anyone who has ever lied, stolen anything, used God’s name in vain, and looked with lust is a lying, thieving, blasphemous, adulterer at heart. That is just four of the Ten Commandments. It is even worse. Anyone who does not put God first in life and think of others before oneself is a lawbreaker. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23a). No one is good (Rom. 3:10-20). God is a good judge who must punish lawbreakers and send them to Hell. 

Good News: God is rich in mercy. He sent Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully man, to live a sinless life, and die on a cross to pay the penalty for sin. God can dismiss your case. Jesus rose from the dead three days later, defeating death. God calls you to repent (turn from sin) and have faith in Jesus (trust in His sacrifice). When you do God will unite you in Jesus’ death, forgive you of all your sins, and seal you with the Holy Spirit so you cannot lose your salvation.

Dear God, thank you for godly mothers who lead their children to Christ. Lord, Help us as a church honor motherhood. Please save the lost. It is in Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.

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^[1] Lawrence A. Lufburrow, “Mother,” ed. Charles F. Pfeiffer, Howard F. Vos, and John Rea, The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia (Moody Press, 1975).