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A Biblical Mother
by: Dalton Gilreath

I.              Introduction

A.   Romans 13:7 says to give honor to whom honor is due

                                          i.    Not too many deserve honor more than mothers

                                        ii.    God blessed us richly who have godly mothers

B.   The purpose for this lesson is three fold

                                          i.    To honor those who are godly mothers

                                        ii.    To help us who aren’t mothers appreciate them more

                                       iii.    To teach young ladies what it means to be a godly mother

1.    There are six letters in the word mother

2.    Consider what each letter represents today

II.            M is for Mimic

A.   A good mother should mimic godly mothers of the Bible

                                          i.    Many women of the Bible give examples of motherhood

                                        ii.    Some show mothers what to do and others what not to do

B.   A great example of a godly mother is Jochebed (Ex 2:2)

                                          i.    Her motherhood began in the time of the wick Pharaoh

1.    He had commanded all baby boys be killed

2.    He feared Israel would overthrow him one day

                                        ii.    To mimic Jochebed would entail three things:

1.    Appreciating the sanctity of life (2:2)

2.    Protecting your child from all danger (2:3-4)

3.    Trusting in God to keep your child in His care (2:5-9)

III.           O is for Obligation

A.   Mothers are obligated to “give their child to God”

                                          i.    Hannah prayed that she would have a child

                                        ii.    She vowed she would give the child to God

1.    When Samuel was born she weaned him

2.    Then she made good on her promise

B.   Mothers today should vow within themselves to devote their children to God

                                          i.    God desires for all children to grow up a “godly seed” (Mal 2:15)

                                        ii.    Their children should be raised in love, faith, and holiness (1 Tim 2:15)

                                       iii.    Notice Timothy’s faith in God was attributed to his mother and her mother before her (2 Tim 1:5)

IV.          T is for Train

A.   Connecting with our last point, training must take place in order for the child to grow in the Lord

                                          i.    Manoah and his wife found out they were having baby Samson

                                        ii.    Their first act was to pray and learn what God’s will would be to properly raise the child (Judg 13:8)

                                       iii.    Godly parents must use God’s training book to raise their children

B.   If mothers raise train their children in this way they will stay on the path when they grow older (Prov 22:6)

                                          i.    Sometimes there are exceptions but the chances of success are much greater in a Christian home

                                        ii.    Moses said to teach your children when you wake, walk, sit, and lay down

V.           H is for Home

A.   Mrs. Noah and her household boarded the ark (Gen 7:1)

                                          i.    There were plenty of mothers in her day but only her children got on the boat

                                        ii.    In addition, her daughters in law also joined

1.    Apparently the daughters parents were not faithful because they were not on the boat

2.    Therefore, Mrs. Noah influenced those girls as well

B.   The virtuous woman that Mrs. Noah was is described in Proverbs 31:10-31

                                          i.    A virtuous woman focuses on her home (31:15, 21, 27)

                                        ii.    She is not idle but always working for her family

C.   The New testament teaches mothers to focus on the home as well

                                          i.    Paul described his desire for women to bear children and guide the house (1 Tim 5:14)

                                        ii.    He also told Titus that older women should teach younger women to be “keepers at home) (2:5)

1.    A mother’s priority is to her home and family

2.    When something comes before the home issues arise

VI.          E is for Encouragement

A.    Deborah judged Israel in the time of King Jabin’s oppression

                                          i.    However, Barak was the one to lead God’s army to battle

                                        ii.    Barak was very apprehensive until Deborah intervened (Judg 4:6-9)

1.    She reminded Barak of the Lord’s will

2.    She was willing to go with Barak to battle

B.   Interestingly, Deborah called herself a mother for Israel (Judg 5:7)

                                          i.    She encouraged Barak to do the Lord’s will

                                        ii.    She stayed with him to push him along

                                       iii.    We can learn two good lessons from Deborah

1.    Good mothers don’t have to be biological (Ex 2:6)

2.    Good mothers must be encouraging

a.    After all, behind every good man is a good woman

b.    Furthermore, behind every good mother is a good child

VII.         R is for Reward or Regret

A.   The “R” in mother leaves mothers with an option

                                          i.    You can be rewarded on earth and at the end of life for being a godly mother (Prov 31:28)

                                        ii.    Or you can regret the ungodly mother you are if you chose to neglect your responsibilities as a mother

B.   Consider what Jochebed must have felt like to see Moses go on to be the greatest prophet of Israel’s history

C.   However, consider Jezebel’s children

                                          i.    Athaliah killed her own family to become queen

                                        ii.    Ahaziah and Jehoram were both wicked kings

D.   Which kind of mother do you want to be?