A Tale of Two Mothers

A Tale of Two Mothers

(1 Kings 3:16-27)

Yearly Theme:  “Kindness is… Action”

Series Title:  “In the Meantime”

May 14^th, 2023

Something to think about:

GOD created the moms to be strong and soft, trusting and self-sufficient, beautiful and tough, smart and compassionate.  Different from fathers, GOD created mothers to carry a child in her womb for 9 months; to feel every change in the very center of her being as the child grows.  Being created in the image of GOD, a mother reflects love, tenderness, nurture, and hope.  As a mother, she is fierce and fearless as she runs the gauntlet of parenthood.  From birth to the empty nest, she cares and protects as only a mother can.  And though not every mother is perfect, and though some women are unable to bear children of their own, women are indeed special, unique, and wholly a part of GOD’s perfect design within GOD’s good creation.

To highlight the uniqueness of GOD’s special design of mothers on this Mother’s Day, we will be looking at a passage of Scripture that isn’t really looked at for such an occasion.  It’s the story of two mothers who brought a case before King Solomon; a case fraught with confusion, deception, and death.  This case is a case of two moms, two babies, and the death of a child.  Let’s take a look…

1 Kings 3:16-27 (NLT),

¹⁶ Some time later two prostitutes came to the king to have an argument settled. ¹⁷ “Please, my lord,” one of them began, “this woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth to a baby while she was with me in the house. ¹⁸ Three days later this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there were only two of us in the house.

¹⁹ “But her baby died during the night when she rolled over on it. ²⁰ Then she got up in the night and took my son from beside me while I was asleep. She laid her dead child in my arms and took mine to sleep beside her. ²¹ And in the morning when I tried to nurse my son, he was dead! But when I looked more closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t my son at all.”

²² Then the other woman interrupted, “It certainly was your son, and the living child is mine.”

“No,” the first woman said, “the living child is mine, and the dead one is yours.” And so they argued back and forth before the king.

²³ Then the king said, “Let’s get the facts straight. Both of you claim the living child is yours, and each says that the dead one belongs to the other. ²⁴ All right, bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought to the king.

²⁵ Then he said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to one woman and half to the other!”

²⁶ Then the woman who was the real mother of the living child, and who loved him very much, cried out, “Oh no, my lord! Give her the child—please do not kill him!”

But the other woman said, “All right, he will be neither yours nor mine; divide him between us!”

²⁷ Then the king said, “Do not kill the child, but give him to the woman who wants him to live, for she is his mother!” ^[1]

This passage is commonly referred to in order to illustrate the great wisdom with which GOD had blessed King Solomon.  Rarely, if ever, have I heard a message comparing the two mothers in the story.  For our purposes today, we will look at the qualities of the true mother of the living child in this story rather than the wisdom of Solomon.  And here’s the main point this morning:

Key Point:  “GOD’s compassion is reflected in the love of a mother.”

As we break down this passage today, there are some very specific expressions of true motherhood that stand out. 

First,

• A mother  her child.

1 Kings 3:21 (NLT),  And in the morning when I tried to nurse my son, he was dead! But when I looked more closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t my son at all.”

Second,

• A mother  for her child.

1 Kings 3:22 (NLT),  Then the other woman interrupted, “It certainly was your son, and the living child is mine.”  “No,” the first woman said, “the living child is mine, and the dead one is yours.”  And so they argued back and forth before the king.

And third,

• A mother  for her child.

1 Kings 3:26 (NLT),  ²⁶ Then the woman who was the real mother of the living child, and who loved him very much, cried out, “Oh no, my lord! Give her the child—please do not kill him!”

Something to take home:

To all the mom’s out there, you might feel unknown, underappreciated, and inadequate; you might experience loneliness, frustration, embarrassment, or shame; you might even, at times, want to throw your hands in the air and just give up.  Stay the course!  GOD is able to fill in your gaps.  You are strong and courageous and GOD has created you for this!  You are raising the next generation of leaders, men and women alike.  And though you may not see it now, the indelible imprint you are leaving on your children is a blessing even if they don’t see it, or notice it, right away.  Seek GOD always as you walk with fear and trembling this road of motherhood, and leave the rest in GOD’s hands.

Key Point:  “GOD’s compassion is reflected in the love of a mother.”

^[1] Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2015), 1 Ki 3:16–27.