Motherhood in the Image of God
Happy Mother’s Day!
Today, we honor the ones who brought us into this world and kept us alive, whether by clothing and feeding us, or witholding your wrath when we did really stupid things.
Today, I wanted to talk about the biblical definition of motherhood, because the very definition of mother is under attack today. The very definition of a woman is under attack.
Society cannot develop truth. Only the combo of the Spirit and Scripture can do that.
Only through living by God’s design can we truly live joyfully in this world.
I want to take a giant spotlight and shine it on select scriptures to highlight what God says about motherhood.
You were made skillfully and uniquely from man.
• only you create life with your body (despite what the most recent emoji on your phone says)
• only you supply food with your body
• only you support and help your children with that unique, motherly intuition
• only you can nurture in that unique, motherly way (my kids never come to my side of the bed in the middle of the night or when they get hurt)
Motherhood is, at its core, a fulfillment of one of God’s first commands (be fruitful and multiply). It is also seen throughout the Bible to be a blessing from the hand of God. Over and over, you see God showing his compassion to women in the OT by opening their womb and making them fruitful.
You are a living metaphor of a healthy tree that produces fruit in its season
Childbearing is a central role that women play. It’s not your identity, but it is a divine provision to perpetuate the human race.
Psalm 127:3 (ESV)
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.
I also want to point out that many of the texts we will be covering today are not only for mothers but for women of all ages and all circumstances, so even if you are not a mom, may I encourage you that today’s sermon will still apply to you.
Outline
How Mother’s display the Imago Dei
This will assume she loves and fears God and has a personal relationship with Jesus
• Instruct
• Nurture
• Support
Instruct
The heart of family discipleship can be found in Deuteronomy 6, after the beautiful words of the Shema.
Deuteronomy 6:4–9 ESV
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Proverbs 1:8–9 (ESV)
Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.
Proverbs 6:20–22 (ESV)
My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching. Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you.
Proverbs 29:15 (ESV)
The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.
These are just a few references to the instructional heart of mothers. I think that is why oftentimes, teachers in elementary and middle school are women. You are wired to speak directly into the heart of a child with wisdom and instruction that will connect with their forming hearts.
My mom was a teacher and administrator. Whenever I did something stupid as a kid, which was much more often than I would like to admit, it was almost always her that yanked me back from the wrong path.
My wife is a teacher. It is in her DNA. She is amazing at instructing young hearts. When it comes to speaking on their level, I cannot hold a candle to her skill.
Why? Because it is how God designed you.
Want more proof? Let’s take a look at an example from scripture. Let’s take an average nobody who became a herald to thousands… ten’s of thousands. Timothy.
Yes, Timothy was a protege of Paul’s, but before Paul took him under his wing, the foundation for Timothy’s faith had already been laid.
By who? His father?
No. In fact, we don’t even know his father’s name. The only thing we know about him is that he was a Greek, which means, he likely had ZERO regard for the Jewish faith (see Acts 16:1).
We do know his mother’s and grandmother’s name though.
2 Timothy 1:5 ESV
I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.
2 Timothy 3:14–15 ESV
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
As you read through the book of Acts, you will see that Timothy played a key role in the expansion of the gospel throughout the known world. Paul would often leave Timothy in charge when he needed to move onto the next city, and in his final letter, he instructed his young mentee how to firmly grasp the reins of his ongoing ministry to the gentiles.
That was only made possible through the investment Lois and Eunice. Their faithful instruction led to countless thousands hearing about the name of Jesus.
But, the call to instruct your children doesn’t stop at the foot of the family tree. Paul goes on to instruct his other protege, Titus, in how to encourage the women under his care.
Titus 2:3–5 ESV
Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.
What are the two imperatives in verse 3? Teach what is good and train the young women. My goal isn’t to fully exegete this whole passage, but I want you to catch this.
The full picture of the call to instruction is like a bird in her nest, feeding her young, but who is also flanked on either side by two other birds. One older and one younger. You are in the middle. As you have need to care for your own, you are provided for by the older bird to your left, and as the younger bird has need, you provide for her. In this way, a community is formed and no-one’s needs go unmet.
The command of scripture is for everyone to have a Paul and a Timothy. Mother’s… you are designed by the God of instruction. Take a look at what is in your hands. This book is God’s instruction to us. As you impart your wisdom into your children and other women… as you are invested in by an older woman… you are fulfilling a core characteristic of God Himself.
So are you fulfilling this intentional design? Who are you mentoring? Who are you being mentored by? It cannot be about IF. ‘If I feel up to it… if I God puts someone in my path…” It is about WHO and to be crystal clear, the time is NOW.
The more you operate in the ways you have been designed, the more fulfilled your life will be.
So, now that we see how a mother is designed to instruct, we can move on from instructing to the second way you reflect God’s nature.
Nurture
Nothing in all of creation can bring better comfort and care like that of a mother. Think back to your childhood. When you fell and scraped your knee, who did you go to? When your feelings got hurt, who’s comforting words did you want to hear? When life dealt heavy blows that didn’t seem fair, who told you that it was going to work out in the end?
Even when we were tiny babies without the ability to remember specific events, we were hardwired to yearn for our mother’s arms, because that is where we spent the majority of our time. As we were fed, rocked to sleep, carried around town, or hugged… we all developed a close, nurturing bond with our moms. So, it isn’t a surprise to see that expressed in scripture:
Isaiah 66:13 (ESV)
As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
1 Thessalonians 2:7–8 ESV
But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.
Isaiah 49:15–16 (ESV)
“Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.
Notice that in both passages from Isaiah, the care of a mother is a reflection of God’s care.
Have you ever noticed parts of yourself in your children? My oldest got my humor and Kelly’s teacher-ness. My son got my athleticism and Kelly’s compassion. Eliza got my go-with-the-flow nature and Kelly’s independant nature. Some may laugh like us, move like us, get frustrated like us, or cope like us. It’s a mystery how some things get imprinted.
But, while our children inherit the good and the bad, praise God, we only inherit the good from God’s nature.
Don’t let the world today tell you that this is a stereotype or a weakness. The world wants to tell you to throw off any and all label of what a mother should be. Nurturing isn’t weakness nor is it an outdated view of motherhood. This nurturing attribute is a reflection of who God is. Mothers – as you exhibit this in your own lives, you radiate the glory of God!
We can see how this nurturing attribute is played out in some of the most prominent women in scripture.
• Ruth – tender care for Naomi
• Esther – care for an entire nation
• Mary – care for her child
Even though this is a core attribute of God, it isn’t the extent. We’ve seen how mother’s are instructors and nurturers, but there is still one more important attribute to consider.
Support
• To her husband
• To her family: Helper – core function of the Spirit
• To her community
To her husband
First, it is important to know that this is a core function of a wife and initial reason for Eve being created:
Genesis 2:18 ESV
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
At first glance, this may seem degrading, as if you have a lesser role in the marriage relationship, but that couldn’t be any further from the truth. Man and woman have complimentary roles. This is God’s design. One role is not more important than another. They compliment one another and display God’s glory through intentional design. When we function according to our design, God is exalted through us and we are most satisfied.
Husbands need their wives. Men, you are called by God to lead your family in worship and service to Him. You are called to protect them. You are called to provide for them and love them as Jesus loves his church.
Wives, you are called to come alongside him to support him. You two were specifically designed to hold one another up so that God’s purposes may be fulfilled in you. You are like to poles of a TeePee that are notched in a way that you fit perfectly together to hold one another up. To counter balance each other, and to be the supporting structure of your home.
Moms – The firstfruits of your efforts are for your husband (as it pertains to human relationships). That is the bedrock of everything else. How many here know that if the marriage is strong, then the children feel secure? And how many here know that if the family unit is strong, then the work in the community is strong? So then, it all comes back to how the wife supports the husband and the husband loves and cares for the wife.
To her family
The support isn’t just for the husband, though. It is for her entire family.
Proverbs 14:1 ESV
The wisest of women builds her house,
but folly with her own hands tears it down.
We’ve already discussed how the mother teaches and nurtures her children, so here, I want to focus on why this is such a crucial role.
Not only do you support and help your family because of God’s wise design, but also because it is part of His image in you. God is our helper. The Psalms herald this trait about the Father and the New Testament highlights the fact that the Spirit is our Helper. Consider these passages:
Psalm 30:10 (ESV)
Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me! O Lord, be my helper!”
Hebrews 13:6 (ESV)
So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
John 14:26 ESV
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
Think about the dependence you have on the Spirit for help.
• He regenerates us (that’s pretty helpful)
• He guides us into all truth (so he helps us understand spiritual truths)
• Helps us with our prayers
• convicts of sin, righteousness, & judgement
• applies the finished work of Jesus to our lives
Being a helper is a core attribute of God. Is it exclusive to mothers? Of course not. Men and husbands can be a helper too, but we are not nearly as good at it as you are.
Just think about the most impactful people in your live. Why are they meaningful? Is it because they gave you really cool gifts? Is it because they were funny and fun to hang with? Or was it because they helped you become a better version of yourself? They stood with you in a difficult time. They cheered you on and supported you as you stepped out to achieve something.
In that context, isn’t the gift of being a helper something to be desired?
To her community
We saw a glimpse of this earlier as women were commanded to pour into and care for other women. We’ve seen how the impact of a mother begins [in terms of human relationships] with just 1 other person – her husband. Then, her impact extends out to her children, then even further out into the community.
To bring all of this together, I wanted to allow scripture to summarize all of this for us.
To do that, I want to end with a list of attributes from the woman found in Proverbs 31
What is a successful, godly woman and mother supposed to look like?
• physically attractive
• adorned with nice clothes and jewelry
• captain of industry
• fit physique
NO! That is certainly what the world thinks, and all of those things are superficial. Look instead at what God defines as beautiful:
• noble character
• trustworthy
• diligent worker
• provides food
• manages finances and assets
• compassionate to the poor and needy
• maintains her household
• strength and honor are her clothing
• wise
• praiseworthy
• God-fearing
Doesn’t this sum up what the other host of scripture already teach?
• God-fearing / God-loving
• Instructor
• Nurturer
• Supporter
Wrap up
So whether you are a mother, wife, or single… whether you are five or ninety-five, you can live out these three core attributes and bring great delight to the God who created you. You get the opportunity to actively live out the very image of God, and as you do, you will be showing those around you what God is like. Just like our children inherit some of our own attributes and mannerisms, you get to model God’s attributes as you instruct, nurture, and support. Live out the Great Commandments (love God – love others) and let the Imago Dei radiate from every thought, word, and deed.
Happy Mother’s Day!