The Old Testament book of 1 Kings 3:16-28 (NIV) – tells a story that teaches us the difference between a biological mother and a “Mama”…
“Now two prostitutes came to the king (Solomon) and stood before him. One of them said, "My lord, this woman and I live in the same house. I had a baby while she was there with me. The third day after my child was born this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.
During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. The next morning, I got up to nurse my son - and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.”
The other woman said, "No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.”
But the first one insisted, "No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king.
The king said, "This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead, and mine is alive.’ ”
Then the kind said, "Bring me a sword." So they brought a sword for the king. He then gave an order: "Cut the living child in two, and give half to one and half to the other.”
The woman whose son was alive was filled with compassion for her son and said to the king, "Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!”
But the other said, "Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”
Then the king gave his ruling: "Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”
When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.”
This is one of the most well known stories in the entire Bible and, as is the case with many well-known Bible stories, we often remember the primary lesson of such stories while failing to see the rest of the story…
God uses the incident in 1 Kings to show us several things: for example, that the Lord gave Solomon the wisdom he requested. It proves that true wisdom comes from God.
The story also provides MORALS OF MOTHERHOOD from an unlikely source.
The first MORAL OF MOTHERHOOD from this story:
1. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A PERFECT MOTHER.
This is not said to drag any mother down but instead, to build all of them up.
No one needs to be treated with more tenderness than our mothers. Perhaps no one is more caring and conscientious than our mothers. Sometimes we’re too hard on them. Sometimes they’re too hard on themselves.
Consider this: the two mothers in this story were prostitutes! Their babies were evidently conceived under sinful circumstances. Why did Solomon, king over God’s chosen people, even take the time to worry with two prostitutes? These women, and the sinful men who paid for their services, were obviously living out of God’s will.
The answer to the question is this: SOLOMON WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THESE TWO WOMEN BECAUSE GOD WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THEM!
This story from 1 Kings reveals to us that the church should stand for forgiveness and restoration, just as King Solomon did!
The women in the story from 1 Kings were not living up to God’s ideals - yet He still loved them! This shows us, if any of us were to wait for God to love us based on our performance we would all be out of luck!
No, there is no such thing as a perfect mother, just as there are no perfect people among the rest of us. And, frankly, if there’s anyone in whom we should be willing to overlook faults, it should be our mother. Why? Because they’ve overlooked so many of our faults.
We need to lighten up on mom a little, and moms need to lighten up on themselves a little.
Moms need to laugh and have a good time. Here are a few good laughs for all the mothers in the congregation. This is a brief article I’ve entitled “The Evolution of a Mother” – I’m sure all mothers with more than one child will be able to identify with these comments:
1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy. 2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible. 3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.
1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously. 2nd baby: You don't bother practicing because you remember that last time, breathing didn't do a thing. 3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your 8th month
1st baby: You pre-wash your newborn's clothes, color-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the baby's little bureau. 2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean anddiscard only the ones with the darkest stains. 3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can't they?
1st baby: At the first sign of distress -- a whimper, a frown -- you pick up the baby. 2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn. 3rd baby: You teach your 3-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.
1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it. 2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby's bottle. 3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.
1st baby: You change your baby's diapers every hour, whether they need it or not. 2nd baby: You change their diaper every 2 to 3 hours, if needed. 3rd baby: You try to change their diaper before others start to complain about the smell, or you see it sagging to their knees.
1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story Hour. 2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics. 3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.
1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home 5 times. 2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached. 3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.
1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby. 2nd baby: You spend a bit of every day watching to be sure your older child isn't squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby. 3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.
1st child: when he or she swallows a coin, you rush the child to the hospital and demand x-rays.
2nd child: when he or she swallows a coin, you carefully watch for the coin to pass.
3rd child: when he or she swallows a coin, you deduct it from their allowance!
Another MORAL OF MOTHERHOOD from our story in 1 Kings is this:
2. GOD HAS ANSWERS FOR A MOTHER’S PROBLEMS.
There is no such thing as stress-free motherhood; it doesn’t exist. From the pains of giving birth, to the empty nest, to grandchildren and beyond, motherhood is stressful.
Once again, this is not mentioned to discourage anyone. There is good news! God is willing and able to assist moms in the problems they encounter.
God didn’t give Solomon wisdom so folks would stand around the palace and say "ooh" and "ah". He gave His wisdom for a purpose. God not only loved those two prostitute mothers, He also loved the little baby in this story. God dispatched His wisdom to Solomon to save the child.
He has wisdom to spare for parenting responsibilities today. He can guide and provide for mothers in all kinds of life situations - single moms, adoptive moms, step-moms, and moms with special situations, you name it!
Kids today have special needs. That’s okay. God has wisdom to give mothers for the task. He can teach them what to do, and what to say in every situation; the gospel of John tells us not to worry about what we are to say or do but, instead, trust the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us…
A good mother instinctively knows what we need, and what endangers us, and what makes us stronger. Godly mothers are like Sea Captains who know that smooth seas do not produce strong sailors; often, it is what we learn from adversity that makes us who we ultimately are. As the old saying goes, “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.”
The third and final MORAL FOR MOTHERS from our story in 1 Kings is:
3. THERE’S NOTHING LIKE A MOTHER’S LOVE!
The real mother in the story from 1 Kings would rather see another woman raise her child than see it split in two...
Mothers have to be willing to give up some things to be good mothers.
Personal sacrifice is a pivotal part of motherhood. It begins with a mother sacrificing her body by carrying her child in her womb for nine months. No mother’s child ought to get over that sacrifice!
Our mothers fed us, nourished and protected us with their own bodies before we ever saw the light of day. But a mother’s sacrifice doesn’t end there. Good mothers keep on giving. They give up sleep for midnight feedings. They give up personal goals to help their children achieve their goals.
Let’s ask ourselves something: when we were growing up, how many times did we get a new outfit while Mom wore the same old clothes, or how many times did we get new shoes while she continued to wear the same old pair, and how many times did she gave us the last helping at the supper table? In the film A CHRISTMAS STORY, the main character of the film said something I will never forget; he said, “when my mother had children, she never again ate a hot meal that she prepared for the rest of her life,” because every time she tried to sit down, someone asked her for another serving, or a spoon, or a napkin, or clean fork…
We should always remember to honor our mothers for all the giving they do. The love of a godly mother reminds us of our God, who is also sacrificial and giving: He set the standard when He gave His only Son for a world of wayward children.
That kind of love should not go unnoticed and unappreciated. May we always remember to respond to our mothers with great love and appreciation. And may we also respond to the God who created motherhood in this same fashion…
