WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT MOTHERHOOD, MOTHER’S DAY

    “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.”

 Proverbs 31:10-12, 25-31 KJV

Anna M. Jarvis (1864-1948) first suggested the national observance of an annual day honoring all mothers because she had loved her own mother so dearly. At a memorial service for her mother on May 10, 1908, Miss Jarvis gave a carnation (her mother’s favorite flower) to each person who attended. Within the next few years, the idea of a day to honor mothers gained popularity, and Mother’s Day was observed in a number of large cities in the U.S. On May 9, 1914, by an act of Congress, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. He established the day as a time for “public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country.” While not a spiritual holiday observed by Christians, this is a good day to reflect of motherhood and pay tribute to godly mothers. First lets define Mother’s Day. The Bible Definition For Mother’s Day is: Honored in Israel as she is not in the East generally; one superiority of Judaism over other contemporary systems (1Ki_2:19). King Solomon rose up to meet and bowed himself unto Bathsheba, and set her on his right hand (Lev_19:3). Figuratively, a city is mother of the surrounding villages its daughters (Jos_15:45; 2Sa_20:19). Ezekiel (Eze_21:21) uses “mother of the way” for the parting of the way into two roads which branch from it, as from a common parent; however, Havernick, from a Arabic idiom, translated it as “the highway.” This is from the From Fausset’s Bible Dictionary. In the Dictionary Mother is defined as such:

moth·er ¹

n.

1.

a. A female person who is pregnant with or gives birth to a child.

b. A female person whose egg unites with a sperm, resulting in the conception of a child.

c. A woman who adopts a child.

d. A woman who raises a child.

2. A female parent of an animal.

3. A female ancestor.

4. A woman who holds a position of authority or responsibility similar to that of a mother: a den mother.

5. Roman Catholic Church

a. A mother superior.

b. Used as a form of address for such a woman.

6. A woman who creates, originates, or founds something: “the discovery of radium, which made Marie Curie mother to the Atomic Age” (Alden Whitman).

7. A creative source; an origin: Philosophy is the mother of the sciences.

8. Used as a title for a woman respected for her wisdom and age.

9. Maternal love and tenderness: brought out the mother in her.

10. The biggest or most significant example of its kind: the mother of all battles.

11. Vulgar Slang Something considered extraordinary, as in disagreeableness, size, or intensity.

adj.

1. Relating to or being mother.

2. Characteristic of a mother: mother love.

3. Being the source or origin: the mother church.

4. Derived from or as if from one’s mother; native: one’s mother language.

v. moth·ered, moth·er·ing, moth·ers

v.tr.

1. To give birth to; create and produce.

2. To watch over, nourish, and protect maternally.

v.intr.

To act or serve as a mother.

Quotations
“So for the mother’s sake the child was dear”
“And dearer was the mother for the child” [Samuel Taylor Coleridge `Sonnet to a Friend Who Asked How I Felt When the Nurse First Presented My Infant Child to Me’]
“Honour thy mother and thy father” Bible:Exodus
“As is the mother, so is her daughter” Bible: Ezekiel
“All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That is his” [Oscar Wilde The Importance of Being Earnest]

Famous Mother’s in the Bible

• Eve – Mother of all mankind
• Hannah – Mother to the Prophet Samuel
• Naomi – Mother-in-law to Ruth
• Mary – Mother to Jesus
• Elizabeth – Mother of John the Baptist

What does the Bible say about moms? In the Christian church, a mother holds a special place in the hearts of all, for without her none of us could be here in physical form and as an expression of the will of God to have humans made in his own image. A mother is so important to us, in fact, that God Himself gives respect to her and her place in our world. Knowing that, what, then, does the Bible say about mothers and Mother’s Day. Mothers are first celebrated by Adam. In the Bible it says, “And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.” Genesis 3:20 KJV  It is in this verse, in fact, that the term “mother” is first mentioned. The etymology of the word Eve is derived from the Hebrew words for, to breathe, and to live. She is our breath and our life, and we celebrate her as the mother of all mankind. So today’s mother has a great responsibility to do what God has required of us. The Bible says, “That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.” Titus 2:4-5 KJV  Discipline is a big part of being a mother. Even though this subject is hard to discuss, this is very important in raising children. The bible gives us clear commands of being a mother. From teaching and training to discipline and nurturing. THE BIBLE HAS SEVERAL EXAMPLES OF GODLY AND WICKED MOTHERS. Here are some of the Godly mothers. Hannah, the mother of Samuel. She promised God that she would dedicate her son completely to Him if God would give her conception. The Bible says, “And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.” 1 Samuel 1:11  KJV  Mothers should be willing to put God first and seek to dedicate her child to the service of the Lord. The godly mother will not be so much concerned with how much money their children make when they become adults as how faithful they will be to the Lord and what service they will be to Him.  Another Godly Mother was Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Bible says, “And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.” Luke 1:41-45 KJV  Lois and Eunice were also Godly Mother’s. They show the power of a mother’s influence. Godliness was “passed on” through three generations.  Lois was faithful to God, passed on that faith to her daughter Eunice, who influenced her son Timothy to follow God. The Bible says, “When I call 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.” 2 Timothy 1:5 KJV  There can be little doubt that Eunice and, if she were still living, Lois were encouragers of Timothy in his work of preaching the Gospel.  Now here are the Wicked Mothers. First you got Jezebel. She was a wicked idol worshiper. She lied, cheated, and was hypocritical.  The Bible says, “And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.” 1 Kings 16:31 KJV  Also you got Herodias, the wife of Herod. She was the wife of Herod’s brother and was an adulterer. The Bible says, “For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife. For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.” Matthew 14:3-4 KJV  She influenced her daughter Salome to do wickedness. They teamed together to have Herod kill John the Baptist. Not all Mother’s are wicked. We have to be Christ-like to teach our children to be like Christ. Deuteronomy 6:5-9 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Given all that a mother is to her children and how respected she is in the Bible, we can do no less than to live that example in our own lives. Think about the gift of life that a mother gives to us, from God. Without her, we cannot become the expression of His image here on Earth. And she risks all to give us the opportunity,to breathe, and to live, as Eve herself did. As she is the mother of all life on Earth, so too is our own mother the origin of our individual life. In fact, we honor God Himself when we love and honor our own mothers. On this special day, may we thank God for the mothers who have molded our hearts. As we honor them, we fulfill the truth of, “Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.” Proverbs 31:28 KJV

 

By: Jeff Ellinger