Sermon Title: Qualities of a Real Mother(Click Here to watch full sermon)
Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 3:16-28
Pastor Richard J. Brown
There is a word in the house that speaks to mothers but will also encourage anyone listening today. As we think and consider motherhood, we know there are no 100 percent accurate manuals for motherhood but there are models. The main importance of celebrating Mother’s day is it is a time to celebrate the attributes and the sacrifices of mothers that go unnamed and unmentioned. The Bible and church history are witness to the significance of model mothers. For example, Paul tells Timothy in II Timothy that he is reminded of the faith that dwelled in him, but first in his grandmother Lois and in his mother Eunice. The fifth commandment requires that we honour mothers and fathers. The proverbs remind children that we ought to please our mothers and give them joy as our mothers labour to teach us to honour the Lord.
Today we read about mothers that don’t usually come to mind on Mother’s day. In 1 Kings 3, we are told that the two moms come to Solomon for judgment. The Bible doesn’t recognize them by name but one of them is recognized as an amazing model of motherhood. Solomon has been granted the privilege of requesting anything he desires from God. He asks God for wisdom and doesn’t ask for other things. And because he asked for wisdom and not riches and long life, God gives him that also. So people would come to Solomon. People like these women.
So the two women had a child at the same time nearly. Something tragic happened in the evening causing them to need to see the king. There were a few things that happened in this true historical account. These two women appear before King Solomon in his test case to show the world that the wisdom of God is with him. One woman says the two women lived in the same house. They were both at the time with two newborn babies. One woman unintentionally suffocates and kills her child. The mother distraught switches her dead child for the living child. The next morning, the other woman wakes to nurse her child and she discovers a dead baby in her arms. Imagine the horror. Upon closer examination she realizes that the child is not hers but instead, the child of the other woman. The other woman denies that the dead child is hers and claims the living child. This is the scenario that they bring to King Solomon to determine who is lying and who is telling the truth. There are no other witnesses, just one witness against the other. No DNA tests. Solomon hears the case and has to render a decision. So what do we learn from this account?
The text reveals Solomon’s wisdom and about motherhood from an unlikely source. In this story, the mother is everything but fine. The Bible states her condition. The Bible says she is a prostitute. The babies were evidently conceived from their employment in the sex trade. Although the Bible does not say who she is, it says what she is and where she is. She is an imperfect woman, standing in the presence of the king. Understand that she is not perfect but she is a dedicated mother. She fights for her child. She does not quit until her case comes to the attention of the king. She takes a higher authority. The king represented the highest court of appeal in the nation. In spite of her reputation, she recognizes that she still has destiny and she refuses to let that go. You have to be dedicated to the fight for your life. No matter how much you have cried. Life is unfair and at times life will seek to rob you of what you’ve carried, nurtured, and birthed. You have to remain single-minded and devoted. Focus on your destiny. She was dedicated to the cause. This child was the only good thing that happened in her world, her chance at a better life, a chance to fix her reputation, she wasn’t about to let go of her legacy. Know today that we have destiny and legacy inside of us, something that we have nurtured and carried. Something has stolen it. We have to be dedicated to the fight for our life. She fights for her child. She isn’t perfect but she is a dedicated mother. She is a determined mother. She shows up for her child. There was no mention of either of the fathers. The father was not on the scene. These women were most likely unmarried. She didn’t watch that or study that. This single mother pushed back her baby mama drama and her relationship status and she showed up for her child. A good mother looks beyond what happened to her personally and she showed up for her children. The real mother will deal with whatever and whoever they have to deal with be it the doctor or the psychiatrist. The real mother is willing to confront anyone for the life of their child. Keep pressing until you get what is rightfully yours. Your determination will pay off. Keep pressing. You didn’t come this far to only come this far. You are going somewhere. You got to be determined. Keep going, that’s all you ever have to do. You really don’t have to be amazing or perfect. Slow is fine, crawling is fine but just keep going. You have to be determined to be where you are supposed to be because the king is going to take your request. Your flaws and mistakes can’t stop you. No matter the reputation, she went into the presence of the king because she knew only the king could help her. She was not an upright woman but she had legacy. Some of you may be struggling with things you’ve done and places you’ve been but there is a legacy locked up inside of you knowing that not even your sins or mistakes or flaws or what people think they know about you can stop you. Solomon doesn’t see you as a prostitute but as a determined mother. You don’t have to be perfect for the king to hear your cry.
We are all perfectly imperfect. A woman doesn’t have to be sinless. She doesn’t have to be perfect to be a real and a loving and caring mother. The Proverbs 31 woman gets up early, buys and sells, cooks and cleans, this woman known as the virtuous woman makes clothing, changes the tires on the pickup truck, she puts logs on the fire, she takes care of her husband, knows how to do her thing. But if we were to just focus on the Proverbs 31 woman then we would be people without hope because we are not the Proverbs 31 woman. That is not our reality at all. If we are truthful. We’ve got some scars. We’ve done some things in our life. There are some things we’ve done that we are not proud of but we still have dedication and determination in our heart. She is not perfect but she is a knowledgeable mother. She knows her child and knows what she gave birth to. Have to learn to reject anything that is not connected to her. She knows what she was born with. The mother of the dead child tries to switch the baby but she knows what she has birthed. When you know and cherish what you have nurtured and what God has given you, you won’t allow anyone to take it away from you. She isn’t perfect but she is a loving mother. She isn’t perfect but she’s dedicated. She’s not perfect but she’s determined. She’s not perfect but she’s knowledgeable. She’s not perfect but she’s loving.
Solomon after hearing the account and hearing the testimony of the two mothers creates a test of motherhood. He suggests dividing the child in half as he knew the real mother would care more about the welfare of her child than her own happiness. If the child was in danger she’d sacrifice everything to protect her child. The true mother refuses to accept that their child would be less than anything they gave birth to. The real mother refuses to accept you as a deadbeat or a dropout. The real mother says that you will become everything that I birthed you to be. Even if it costs me my own joy. Even if it costs me my own happiness. That is the heart of the mother.
Pastor Brown had a mother that sacrificed everything for her four children. She’d go without as long as they had. That’s the real mother. The Bible described Solomon knowing that the intensity of a mother’s love would not allow her to watch her child come to demise. The conclusion to the text is that the woman introduced to the king as a prostitute is now reintroduced, not by what she’s done, but by who she is. Solomon says, “this is the real mother”.
In conclusion, embrace the fact that whether you are a mother or not, male or female, you are not your mistakes, you are who God says you are. You are not your reputation. God has given you the ability to birth destiny. Know that God has given you the opportunity to birth legacy, God has given you something that you are incubating, God has impregnated you with purpose beyond your reputation and the things you’ve done. This wasn’t gossip, she was a prostitute, a ruined woman – but God. Understand and embrace the fact that there is legacy within you. There is life within you. You are not your mistakes. This passage reminds us of the qualities and the characteristics of a true mother. Hopefully most of us have experienced good motherhood. But know that these attributes are in God our Father. He is like the compassionate mother who is dedicated. He is like the mother who knows her child and fights for her child.
Isaiah 49:13-15 A mother never forgets or fails to have compassion for a child she births. And yet, God says if she forgets, I’ll never forget. God has compassion no matter what you’ve done. Honour Mother’s day even if you have issues with your mother because the ultimate parent is God our Father. To mothers’ out there, Pastor Brown encourages you that you don’t have to be perfect. The prostitute was imperfect but she was standing in the presence of the king. You can stand before the king with all of your imperfections. God will never call you by what you’ve done. God will not regard you as everyone else regards you. He is calling you by the place of destiny. There is life and there is legacy in you and you have to be determined, dedicated, knowledgeable, loving, nurturing, and sacrificial for the legacy inside of you.
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