Mother’s Day 2007

Sermons, List 6

Text; 1^st Samuel 1:11

Introduction

Before I read my text I want to tell you something of the story that includes it.

A man named Elkanah, a Levite who lived in the mountains of Ephraim, had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. One had   children; the other did not. Hannah, the barren wife, yearned for a child.  Finally, she promised to give her firstborn son to God. Her prayer is recorded in my text, 1st Samuel 1:11. Then she made a vow and said, "O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head."  (NKJV).

Prayer heard

The High Priest at Shiloh was watching as Hannah prayed.  He did not hear her request but he said God would grant it anyway.  And Hannah did receive a son. After she weaned the boy, she took him to Shiloh and left him with the High Priest – who raised him as his own and trained him for his priestly duties. 1 Samuel 2:18-19 says, Samuel ministered before the LORD, <even as> a child, wearing a linen ephod. Moreover his mother used to make him a little robe, and bring <it> to him year by year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.

Commitment

For most of my ministry I have stressed the need for Christians to be firm in their commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. When He is our Lord He is in charge of our lives. We stay alert for His leading and defer to His choices, even when they differ from our own. Hannah presents a good example of how that might work. When she discovered God’s choice for her, she set aside her basic instincts in order to obey Him. I have not exhausted the theme of commitment and I cannot abandon it until the Lord eases my compulsion to expound on it. The kind of commitment I have in mind amounts to more than just trying to live a godly life. It requires becoming familiar with biblical commands and obeying the ones that apply to us.

This is extremely important. God’s commands were recorded for our good. Disobedience always costs more than it is worth. In Hannah’s case, commitment was absolutely essential. She had to submit to God’s plans before she could hope to see her dreams of motherhood fulfilled. In our case, if Jesus is not Lord in our lives we may have reason to question whether our relationship with Him is real or only imaginary. (Matthew 7:21-23).

David

When David wrote the 23rd Psalm he described his commitment to God. He was serious about it. Christians everywhere can and should learn to emulate it. When David said, "The Lord is my Shepherd,” he had not lost his ambition or abandoned his life-style. And he did not give up his job. He kept on working for a living as before, not even imagining that God might pay his rent directly or deliver his meals to him in person. He did decide to obey God completely, which means He expected to deny self in every instance where his plans did not coincide with God's plans for him.

Have you discovered God’s plan for you? Without question, it includes doing what you can to reach the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ. In my opinion, the most compelling of God’s commandments was issued to all Christians through Jesus when He said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15). You may not be able to leave home, and you may never be privileged to stand in a pulpit like this one. However, can you tell your friends and family members what Jesus did for you?

 I shall not!

As I said, David’s declaration "I shall not want" did not mean he expected God to anticipate his desires and give him everything he hoped for. He simply decided not to waste time longing for things he couldn't afford, or for things God might not want him to have for one reason or another. David was anxious to please His Lord. In Psalms 119 he said; "Oh, how I love Your law! It <is> my meditation all the day". {Ps. 119:97}. "Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You!" {Ps. 119:11}.

David wasn't perfect; he made serious mistakes (actually terrible sins).  But he did love God, and proved it by submitting to God's leading most of the time. Although his commitment seems to have been better than average (for Bible characters) he had reason to regret at least one awful lapse of his character. Perhaps we can learn from David's mistakes as well as from his successes?  Let me condense the results of both: Although he was a man after God’s heart (1^st Samuel 13:14), and obedience seemed to bring him special care and protection, disobedience always resulted in sorrow and regret.

Mother’s day

As we can see from Hannah’s story, she was not happy about her unanswered prayers. She "wanted" a child desperately. But "The LORD had closed her womb." (1^st Samuel 1:5). Although she may not have begun with the kind of commitment David had, she adopted it successfully when she discovered the need.

Hannah was not wrong to desire children.  In fact, she would have been considered abnormal if she had not wanted at least one. In her day, barren women were considered cursed.  Proverbs says: “The leech has two daughters; Give <and> Give! There are three <things that> are never satisfied, Four never say, "Enough!"  The grave, The barren womb, The earth <that> is not satisfied with water; And the fire never says, "Enough!" (Proverbs 30:15-16).

God’s gift

Children are a gift from God. The more we have, the better we should feel about it. Psalm 127:3-5 explains further: “Behold, children <are> a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb <is> a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So <are> the children of one's youth. Happy <is> the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

Thank God for your children.  Give them all of the love, care, and attention you can manage. If you do it well, you will find the exercise to be more than just worthwhile. Much to my regret, I was a stern disciplinarian. In fact, I remind me of the old adage, “Too soon old; too late smart.” Fortunately, Norma was a good mother. We are pleased with our children and we expect to see each of them in heaven – if the Lord allows us to go there.

God’s plan

Hannah endured her barrenness for years - while her husband's other wife added to her frustrations by presenting him with more children. And Hannah's prayers for a son went unanswered - until she promised to give him back to the Lord as soon as she could. That’s why God waited. He wanted Hannah to have children. But He would use her first one for His purposes. And that required her to submit to His plans. God had great things in store for that youngster, things that demanded his release from his mother’s care at an early age.

Motive

Hannah’s motive was questionable. Her primary desire was for favor with her husband. God wanted to use her son to   minister as Priest, Prophet, and Judge to the Nation of Israel. In those roles, Samuel would help to prepare the way for the coming of Israel's Messiah. It seems Hannah finally understood. She needed to dedicate her first-born son to God. Why else would she agree to let him go so soon?

Listen for God’s leading

God still speaks to people today, especially when He can get their attention long enough to make them understand. Have you ever heard His voice? If not, you may not be listening. Chances are He has tried to communicate with you on more than one occasion.

The next time you are frustrated by an unfilled desire, look closely to God and listen carefully. Allow Him to speak to you in His way. He can do so directly or through another person.  You may hear His voice audibly or you might simply discover He is speaking as you read a passage of Scripture. When you discover that God wants to direct you in a certain way, let Him to do it. Just be sure it is God who speaks before you act. That's the way it was with Hannah.  God withheld her desire long enough for her to learn what He wanted. Only then was He able to direct her His way.

Parallel

It's a shame Hannah had to wait so long but there is a parallel here that should be obvious. Proverbs 3:5-6 speaks to our need, yours and mine, to submit to God in everything:  "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths."

Do you want God to direct your paths?  Are you willing to obey when He tries to lead you?  If not, you are apt to miss His best for you. Look at Psalm 37:3-5: “Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring <it> to pass. Can you see the secret here?  When you delight yourself in the LORD He can give you the desires of your heart. It becomes easier as you allow Him to shape those desires.

God’s plan

Hannah's first son was God's choice to judge Israel after Eli passed on. Eli’s own disobedient and ungodly sons had already been rejected for the job. Samuel served God well too, and people paid attention. When he went to Bethlehem to anoint David as King of Israel, “the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, ‘Do you come peaceably?’” (1^st Samuel 16:4).

What if?

Suppose Hannah had not been willing to obey God's leading concerning the life of the child she wanted. What if she had not committed to the sacrifice He demanded of her? I suspect God would have found another way to accomplish His purposes and Hannah would have forfeited much more than she knew. 

Fortunately, God received what He wanted.  Hannah was able to deny some of her human desires in favor of God’s will for her situation. After she fulfilled her commitment, by leaving Samuel with Eli at Shiloh, God allowed her to have, and to keep, five more children (three sons and two daughters). 1^st Samuel 2:1-10 records Hannah’s thanks giving prayer. Look at another passage of Scripture it may have inspired: “‘Sing o barren, You who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, You who have not travailed with child! For more are the children of the desolate Than the children of the married woman,’ says the LORD.” (Isaiah 54:1-2).

Limited relationship? 

Although the story does not say so, specifically, Hannah’s relationship with Samuel may not have been limited to her once a year visits to Shiloh. Samuel was born in Ramah. So his mother may have enjoyed seeing him more often than the story indicates. She lived in Ramah (1st Samuel 1:19) and 1 Samuel 7:15-17 says: “So Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. He went from year to year on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and judged Israel in all those places. But he always returned to Ramah, for his home <was> there.  There he judged Israel, and there he built an altar to the LORD.

Submission not easy

Submission to God's leading can be difficult. The flesh demands satisfaction constantly and our minds find some signals especially hard to resist. Hunger pangs are one example. They can be denied when we are too busy to stop and eat. They should also be denied when we need to fast. We are spiritual beings in physical bodies and we will continue to exist spiritually long after our bodies are gone. In the mean time, our spiritual natures need the care and nourishment that comes by fasting from food and drink - when we feed on God’s Word and pray while we fast.

Fasting is serious sacrifice but God may require it of you.  Denying the flesh gets our minds off of self, hopefully making it easier to hear and understand His directions. Consider Romans 12:1: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, <which is> your reasonable service.” Submission in the manner of Romans 12:1 (offering our bodies as living sacrifices) aids us as we try to understand His will for specific situations. It also facilitates the promise of Romans 8:1: “<There is> therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

Samuel’s heritage

Because Hannah agreed to please God, the son she longed for was freed to please Him too. And Samuel became very high on a list of men God admired. 1 Samuel 3:19-20 says, “So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel <had been> established as a prophet of the LORD.”

The extent of Samuel's influence with God can be seen even better in Jeremiah 15:1, a verse that pictures Samuel on a level with Moses. It was at a time when backslidden Israel was scheduled for exile to Babylon and Jeremiah pled for God's mercy for his Nation. “Then the LORD said to me (Jeremiah),  <’Even> if Moses and [Samuel] stood before Me, My mind <would> not <be> favorable toward this people. Cast <them> out of My sight, and let them go forth.’” (Jeremiah 15:1).

You

Even though she did not get to nurture Samuel long, Hannah did a good job while she could. And she earned a lot of credit for his successes as God's servant.  Are you helping to develop the potential of your children, not only for within the world where they must work for a living but also as God's faithful servants? If it’s too late, perhaps you have grandchildren you can help?  Lead them to Jesus. Teach them to put Him first in their lives.

Object lesson

The stories of Hannah and Samuel involved levels of commitment and obedience that both pleased God and presents us with an object lesson. Samuel became a big man with God primarily because of his mother. Because she obeyed God, Samuel could too.

Consider your relationship with God. Have you found Jesus as Savior? Are you serving Him as Lord? Do you expect a heavenly reward? Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Add commitment and obedience to your faith. It may not be easy but both are essential for hearing His “well done.” And that may be the greatest of all heavenly rewards.

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David Beneze, Salida, CO, 81201. Latest revision 5/13/07.

 

 

 

 

Prelim.

Although you must know what today is I’ll tell you anyway.  It’s the one on which we take time to honor our wives and mothers publicly.

It would be impossible to say enough in response to the faithful, loving care they’ve given us over the years, and some of them aren’t here to enjoy it anyway.

So honor the ones you can, whether your own, or the mother of your children, not just today but often, in ways they can understand and appreciate.

If you are a poet you might succeed with some well-formed verse. If not, give her at least enough loving attention to indicate her labors have not been wasted.

Humor

      Now, in a lighter vein, let me share a bit of humor concerning how some children seem to view the role of mother hood.

It came from a recent issue of the Decatur, IL, “Tribune.” But I’ve seen it on the Internet too - under “Answers from 2^nd graders to questions about mothers.”

These kids may not be philosophers but their answers indicate they gave the questions some thought. I’ll use only a few.

1.     Why did God make mothers? 

            Mostly to clean the house.

      2.   How did God make mothers?  

God made my Mom just the same like he made me.                                He just used bigger parts.

3.      Why did God give you your mother and not a different one?   (I have two answers here):

 a.  We’re related.

b. He knows she liked me a lot more than other               people’s moms like me.

4.      What kind of little girl was your mom? 

I don’t know because I wasn’t there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.

5.     Why did your mom marry your dad? 

Grandma says my mom didn’t have her thinking cap on.

6.       Who’s the boss at your house?

I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

7.        What does your mom do in her spare time? 

        Mothers don’t do spare time.

8.       If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would it be? 

I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

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Mothers are certainly special people but, based on my observations, some are so busy being special that they don’t realize how well they are doing until after they’ve become grandmothers.