A God Focused Mom
Notes
Transcript
On October 25, 1994, Susan Smith reported to police that she had been carjacked by a black man who drove away with her sons still in the car. For nine days, she made dramatic pleas on national television for the rescue and return of her children. However, following an intensive investigation and a nationwide search, on November 3, 1994, Smith confessed to letting her 1990 Mazda Protégé roll into nearby John D. Long Lake,[4] drowning her children inside.[5] She was convicted on July 22, 1995 for murdering her two sons, 3-year-old Michael Daniel Smith, born and 14-month-old Alexander Tyler Smith. Susan married David Smith but the relationship was rocky due to mutual allegations of infidelity, and the couple separated several times. Smith was in a relationship with a wealthy man named Tom Findlay who did not want children in his life. She killed (sacrificed) her children in order to be able to continue the relationship and so that he would look after her.
How can a mom do such a terrible act towards the ones she delivered into this world? How did she get to the place where she was so upset and hopeless that she was willing to do the unthinkable and murder her children? Well, it didn’t happen the day she performed the act! No, it started well before that. And it started in her heart.
She failed to understand a fundamental truth about being a mom. Birthing a child does not make someone a mother…There is a much more crucial component that does help to make a woman a mother…SACRIFICE!
The journey of a mother is riddled with sacrifice. It is no longer about her; it is now about her babies.
All of us here this morning have benefited from the sacrifice of our mom. At the very least, you benefited from her going through the birthing process…you are here today because of her effort!
But the reality is they did so much more for you than that, right?
A true mother is a mother who understands sacrifice. Who understands that living for someone else is the most difficult yet most rewarding adventure one could ever live.
So today we honor our mothers. But even more than that, we want to understand what it means to be a mother from God’s perspective. To be God’s kind of mom.
Now, I’m not a mom. I’d make a terrible mom. So how can I tell you how to be God’s kind of mom? Well, I can’t tell you from experience as much as I can show you – from His Book
Scripture
· To find God’s kind of mom, I want us to look in the Old Testament Scriptures. There are many stories, but this one was very poignant to me. It is a story about a woman so desperate to be a mom. So concerned about having a child, she turned to the only place she could think of, God!
· I want you to see from the text in 1 Samuel 1:1-28 what God taught this woman about being the kind of mom that is pleasing to Him.
· Ladies, that needs to be your goal. That needs to be more important than being a mom that is pleasing to your husband or a mom that is pleasing to her kids. No, your goal is to be a mom that is pleasing to God.
· As many of you well know, being that kind of mom means you will sacrifice all the time!
· In fact, the Main Idea I want you to walk away with this morning is this…
Main Idea: “A Mom’s LIFE is a Sacrificial LIFE!”
The lady who exemplifies this is Hanna. And Hanna learned the truth that “A Mom’s LIFE is a Sacrificial LIFE!” She learned it…and so must you, Moms! If you want to be the kind of Mom that’s after God’s heart! You ready to see?
There are three scenes to this drama. Let’s look at scene one…
Scene 1 - God’s Preparation (Vs. 1-8)
1 There was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephrathite. 2 He had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other, Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. 3 Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord. 4 On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb. 6 And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. 7 So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. 8 And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”
God is working behind the scenes, preparing Hana for something GREAT!
Observations
Setting
Before the Temple was built in Jerusalem. The tabernacle was located in Shiloh during this period in Israel’s history…
Characters
Eli and his boys, Hophni and Phinehas – Priests charged with keeping the worship of Israel pure and righteous. A job in which the boys in particular didn’t do well!
Elkanah
· a devoted man of God who takes worship seriously
· A man who takes care of his family – a man of some means…
· A man who loved Hanna
Hanna – Most likely Elkanah’s first wife…A barren married woman who loved God
Peninnah – A fertile woman, married to Elkanah too, who was apparently jealous and loved to provoke!
I want you to focus in on verses 5-7. Certainly, Elkanah loved Hanna, even though she wasn’t able to provide him with children, especially a son, which was of paramount importance in that culture.
The social stigma of being barren was a tremendous burden to bear, but in addition, she has to put up with Elkanah’s other wife who is a nasty woman!
Peninnah is not a very nice person. Can you imagine the audacity of this woman who relentlessly mocks poor Hanna year after year?!
And then there’s Elkanah! Okay guys, there are some things you should just never say…really? “Am I not better than 10 sons?” It is better not to say anything than something like that!
So, I think we can legitimately say that Hanna’s life was a challenged life. But there is something profound I want you to notice in verse 5 and verse 6.
This experience isn’t her fault, this is all because the Lord closed her womb…get the main point of this scene.
God is allowing all of this!
Think about this for a minute. Is there anything more heartbreaking for a would-be mother to not be able to conceive and bring forth a baby! But then to read in the text that God is the one keeping her from having a child! Why? What could God be up to?
Alex…Why? We all had to come to terms with this question…
And according to this text, God is the sovereign behind all of this. God not only closed Hanna’s womb, but he allowed her to endure the provocation of the nasty woman, Peninnah as well as the insensitivity of her own husband!
Why in the world would God allow such pain and suffering into this poor woman’s life?
I can’t pretend to know the providential mind of God, but I KNOW He has a plan! A plan that will give Hanna what she needs…A plan to make her God’s kind of mom.
“A Mom’s LIFE is a Sacrificial LIFE!” And God was preparing Hanna for that!
A song that has been an encouragement to me over the years – Babbie Mason
All things work for our good
Though sometimes we don't
See how they could.
Struggles that break our hearts in two
Sometimes blind us to the truth.
Our Father knows what's best for us
His ways are not our own,
So when your pathway grows dim
And you just don't see him,
Remember your never alone
Chorus:
God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don't understand
When don't see his plan
When you can't trace his hand
Trust His Heart
Life crushes in on us at times. The harsh realities show us that we are not as in control as we like to think. But for those of us who know God. We trust that He is in all the circumstances and realities working out His perfect plan. In scene one, God is hemming Hanna in so she has no other place to turn but Him…
God is preparing her for something greater than she can imagine! Soon she will learn at great pain that “A Mom’s LIFE is a Sacrificial LIFE!”
That is Scene one…God’s preparation of a woman who would pay a tremendous price…
What do you think God is preparing you for?
Let’s Look at Scene two…
Scene 2 - God’s Process (Vs 9-18)
9 After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. 10 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.” 12 As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. 14 And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.” 15 But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. 16 Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.” 17 Then Eli answered, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.” 18 And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.
God moves in Hanna’s heart to be willing to give up the one thing she desires most – a child!
Observations
Trials usually do one of two things. They cause one to run from God or to run to God…Hanna ran to God!
She went to the tabernacle to pray – emotionally to the Lord! (Vs. 10)
She made a vow to the Lord…
4 When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. 5 It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. 6 Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands?
The Priest, Eli, thought she was drunk. Why? Perhaps he had never seen a woman pray with such emotion before? Perhaps the times were so dark back the (time of the Judges) Eli wasn’t used to seeing someone pour out their soul like Hanna did that day. Whatever the case, Hanna wasn’t drunk…she made that very clear to Eli!
What she was however was, Anxious and Vexed!
The Holman Christian Standard bible uses the words “anguish” and “resentment”.
Get that? Hanna was being very honest with God. She didn’t like the situation she was in at all and she told God about it. But, SHE TOLD GOD ABOUT IT! She didn’t run from Him, she ran to Him!
God can handle our complaints!
Eli blessed her and she left a different person. It seems she received some hope!
God hand crafted her situation to draw her to Himself. To get her to the place where she would give up her first born son…literally give him over to God’s man Eli, for him to raise, so that he, Samuel, would be used by God to help in a significant, transformational time in the history of Israel. Samuel would speak to the people on behalf of God!
God was working His plan. It is so easy to see His plan when we look back. And so seemingly impossible to see His plan when we look forward…That calls for Faith and Trust…And it calls for is to pursue God and His Plan for our lives at all costs to us personally!
“A Mom’s LIFE is a Sacrificial LIFE!” We must learn to sacrifice our plan for our lives and the lives of our children on the altar of God’s plan for us.
The thing Hanna wanted most, she was willing to give up to God!
That’s God’s process! He works on us until we give up and give in to Him and His plan for us.
Are you in God’s process right now?
Let’s look at Scene three…
Scene 3 - God’s Price (vs. 19-28)
19 They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. 20 And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord.” 21 The man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the Lord and dwell there forever.” 23 Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; only, may the Lord establish his word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. 24 And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. And the child was young. 25 Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. 26 And she said, “Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. 27 For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. 28 Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.
Observations –
God allowed Hanna to conceive and give birth to a son – At last, the stigma is removed, the shame is gone! Yet for Hanna, this is a bittersweet victory!
To her credit, Hanna followed through with her vow to the Lord (Near death promises…)Hanna was willing to pay with no assurance of future blessing.
Hanna made her obligatory sacrifice but she also made a heart wrenching one…put yourself in her shoes…
My Birth mom…My birth mom paid a price. She wanted a better life for me at the cost of her happiness…
Hanna’s sacrifice was for a greater purpose than her happiness or even the happiness of her son Samuel.
It was a sacrifice for a glorious purpose that would further the kingdom of God! Samuel would become a powerful prophet that would speak on behalf of Yahweh! He would anoint the first and second Kings of Israel and usher in a whole new chapter of God’s rule on earth.
All because Hanna fulfilled her vow to the Lord and sacrificed her son for the greater good of her people.
“A Mom’s LIFE is a Sacrificial LIFE!”
But you have no idea the impact of your sacrifice…
Fast forward hundreds of years and another young woman would bring a son into this world. A son that would not simply make a difference for a single generation but for all generations.
She would deliver “the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world.” THE Son of God – Jesus, who would sacrifice His life so eternal life in heaven would be possible for you! THE GOSPEL!!!
As Mary watched her Son hang…was she prepared for that? Was that in her plan when she birthed that baby 33 years prior?
“A Mom’s LIFE is a Sacrificial LIFE!”
God knows what it means to sacrifice. He doesn’t ask you and me to do anything He isn’t willing to endure Himself.
Imagine (Last 5 Minutes)
Mom’s I invite you to look at what God might be planning in your life!
We are all appalled at the actions of Susan Smith. She sacrificed her precious little boys for her selfish desires!
The chilling thought for me? I can sit in judgment of Susan, but I can be just a selfish!
Now, I haven’t and Lord willing, won’t take my selfishness to the extreme Susan did…but I can be selfish.
I can begin to think that this life is all about me. My wants, my comforts, my desires…can your relate?
Perhaps you are beginning to see God’s preparation in your life or that He has you in the middle of His process to see a whole different purpose for your life than you ever imagined! The question is, are you willing to pay the price?
“A Mom’s LIFE is a Sacrificial LIFE!”
Remember, God got Hanna to the place where she was willing to give up to God that which she wanted most!
What do you want Mom? Give it up to God!
Imagine if all believing moms had the perspective of Hanna! That they were willing to sacrifice that thing, whatever it is, to God
When you do, watch what God will do!
For some this morning, this may be a bitter experience! You may have to have a frank talk with God! But ultimately you will come to the place where you say, “not my will but yours be done!
Honestly, this message isn’t for just mothers…
“A Christians’ LIFE is a Sacrificial LIFE!”
Take out a piece of paper…
Identify that one thing you are currently wrestling God for…prayerfully write it down…fold it in half and later today take it outside and burn it as an offering to God. Give it to Him – leave it with him and trust Him with it.
Dismissal
Go and share the truths you learned this morning with someone who needs HOPE!