Faith Bible Church of Lake Charles
A Mom Who Gave
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  • A Mom Who Gave

    We all have a mother. So...We all have expectations of what a mother should be. Each one of us place (and have placed) certain expectations on our mothers. We expect Mother to be there when we most need her.
    Mother is the person who knows everything.
    And if she doesn’t, you can be sure sooner or later, she’s going to find out.
    I love the story about the frazzled mother who sent her little boy to bed, and the little boy was mumbling to himself, “How come every time she gets tired, I’m the one who has to take a nap?”
    Or there’s the one about the family that just had their FOURTH child, all under the age of five. Some friends sent a playpen over to the family and a couple days later they got a thank you note from the mother of the four kids. It read: “Just what we needed. I sit in it every afternoon and read, and the kids can’t even get near me!”
    I heard one just recently about a mother who had spent all day with her kids, and nothing was going right. She was exasperated and tired and frazzled. And in the evening a soul winner from the local church came and knocked on her door, and she invited him in. His first question was, “How would you like to live forever?” And that tired, worn-out mother said, “I don’t think I could handle that!”
    There is no other job in the world that is as heart-breaking, or as rewarding, as motherhood. And no other job will have the influence, or the impact on the world, like parenting does. 90% of teenagers, when asked who influences them most, still say their parents. That influence can be a godly one, or a worldly one. The world these days, and the feminist movement, the economic structure, society, places all kinds of expectations on mothers these days. A sign posted in a restaurant says it all: It reads: “Our pies are like the ones your mother used to bake - before she entered the workforce.”
    This morning I want to talk about three things - three that are expected of moms, by God. Moms, if you have these three characteristics, God is pleased with you and you will be a blessing to your children, and that blessing will be visited to their children, and their children’s children. That’s God’s promise.
    Men, if you support your wife, the mother of your children, to develop these three attributes, your relationship will be blessed.
    Hannah had these three characteristics. And her husband, Elkanah, nurtured them in her - he respected her for them and as a result, their relationship was blessed of God. Let’s take a look at 1 Samuel.
    1 Samuel 1:1–12 NKJV
    1 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the mountains of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2 And he had two wives: the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. 3 This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. Also the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there. 4 And whenever the time came for Elkanah to make an offering, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although the Lord had closed her womb. 6 And her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the Lord had closed her womb. 7 So it was, year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, that she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat. 8 Then Elkanah her husband said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?” 9 So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the tabernacle of the Lord. 10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish. 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.” 12 And it happened, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli watched her mouth.
    What do we learn first about Hannah?

    Hannah was a woman of prayer

    1 Samuel 1:12 NKJV
    12 And it happened, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli watched her mouth.
    She was a woman of prayer - we’re told in verse 12 Hannah CONTINUED praying before the Lord and Eli observed her mouth.” He watched her.
    She wasn’t just praying some mundane, repetitive prayer, she prayed passionately. Vs 10 says, in bitterness of soul, she wept and prayed, so much so that Eli thought she was drunk and chastised her for it in vv 13-14.
    Why did Hannah pray so fervently? Because she knew that Elkanah wasn’t the source of children, God was.
    Every child that is ever conceived in this world is a gift from God. Hannah knew that. She knew the scripture. She knew that children are a heritage from the Lord, and she desperately wanted God’s gift to her - so she prayed.

    Hannah was a woman of faith

    1 Samuel 1:7 NKJV
    7 So it was, year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, that she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat.
    - We’re told she went up to Shiloh with her husband to worship
    - Hannah had a believing, worshiping husband and she faithfully went with him
    - he made the trip to Shiloh yearly
    - that means, by the way, that he went up each year the number of times that were required - and according to Exodus 23, that would have been three times
    - so she was faithful in worshiping with her husband
    - had that common bond - worshiping the same God
    - now Elkanah was not perfect - he was a polygamist - not condoned in the OT, but was culturally accepted
    - we’re told Elkanah loved Hannah - most likely she was the first wife and when it was discovered that she was going to be barren, Elkanah married another wife to have children
    - but he loved Hannah - when he gave them gifts, he couldn’t give gifts to Hannah’s children because she had none, so he gave her, it says, a double portion -
    - you see - he felt obligated to Peninnah, but loved Hannah
    - Hannah didn’t have to go to the temple with her husband, but she made the journey - despite Peninnah - and she worshiped there with her husband
    - another area where we see the great faith of Hannah is in vs. 18. After praying, and receiving Eli’s blessing, we’re told Hannah went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast. She believed. She had faith that God was going to give her the son she asked for and she want away and ate and was no longer bitter of soul.
    - now that’s a great attribute. She came to God, she worshiped, she wept, she prayed, and she believed - and she went away “no longer downcast”

    Hannah was a woman of integrity

    - She kept her promise.
    1 Samuel 1:24 NKJV
    24 Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh. And the child was young.
    Vs. 24 tells us after he was weaned, she took the boy with her, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh.
    Now notice verses 27 and 28:
    1 Samuel 1:27–28 NKJV
    27 For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. 28 Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord.” So they worshiped the Lord there.
    Hannah says: “I prayed for this child and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.”
    - best part of this story? - it’s always amazed and encouraged me.
    - did you notice? It wasn’t when Hannah HAD Samuel that she rejoiced - we’re just told then that she named him Samuel because she asked the Lord for him. Samuel means, “Heard by God.” - it was when she gave Samuel to the Lord - that’s when we have record of her breaking out in prayerful song to the Lord - when she fulfilled her promise to the Lord, there was great joy.
    Can you imagine how painful it must have been for Hannah to turn Samuel over to Eli? She would only see him three times a year, he may have only been about 3 or 4 years old - and she rejoices that she has fulfilled her promise to the Lord, and he has answered her prayers.
    Mom, what kind of expectations are you feeling the pressure of today? What are you trying to live up to?
    I trust you are a:
    Woman of Prayer
    Woman of Faith
    Woman of Integrity
    Prayer...

      • 1 Samuel 1:1–12NKJV

      • 1 Samuel 1:12NKJV

      • 1 Samuel 1:7NKJV

      • 1 Samuel 1:24NKJV

      • 1 Samuel 1:27–28NKJV

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Faith Bible Church of Lake Charles
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