In the past few decades here in the US the idea of “choice” has rocketed to fame in such a way that you might think it is some new idolized boy band. In the popular American worldview choice of identity and choice to kill the unborn is viewed by many as an inalienable right. So choose who you want to be, choose your sex, choose your pronoun, choose your species, and choose whether or not your unborn child lives. Choose anything outside your god-given nature, choose anything that relieves you of responsibility or commitment and you will be praised and celebrated.
However, there is another choice that can be made. Sadly, it is becoming rarer, it is often not celebrated, and sometimes even looked down on. Motherhood is a choice. It’s not a popular choice these days, it’s not a choice that’s going to get you a big following on social media and a book contract. Nevertheless it is a choice, it is a choice that recognizes the inherent value of life, that promotes the God ordained purpose of women, and that willing chooses sacrifice, commitment, toil, and pain over “free living.” The choice to become a mother and to do the work of a mother looks beyond temporary discomfort to the greater value and joy of new life.
Ultimately, the choice of motherhood is willing submission to God’s sovereignty, God’s plan, and God’s will. Modern culture tells us that we should honor women, not mothers. However, they can’t even agree on what a woman is. Womanhood, as great as it may be, is not a choice. Motherhood, however, is a holy and sacred choice that should be honored by us all.
Today I want to look into God’s Word with you to see what it says about the choice of motherhood. Through these Biblical choices we can gain a clearer picture of what it means to be a mother.
A mother is a woman who chooses to give life (Exo 1:15-21)
We must begin with the most basic definition of motherhood. A mother is a woman who chooses to give life. With the rise of abortion and childfree living this is no longer a given or expected of women. If God is the author of life, then Satan accomplishes his greatest goal by destroying life. The simplest way to do this is by putting a halt to procreation. The next simplest approach is by destroying the lives of the unborn or destroying those lives as they are in the process of being born.
Anti life, anti children, and anti family movements are nothing new to the world. Wherever evil is present so also will be the destruction of life at the very earliest stages.
One powerful example of this is the story of the Hebrew midwives in Exodus chapter 1. These courageous women went against the most powerful individual in the world at the moment. They risked everything for one simple reason, to give live!
[Exo 1:15-22 NIV]
15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah,
16 “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.”
17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.
18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”
19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”
20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous.
21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.
22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”
- It is a choice motivated by the fear of God
Above all else we must note that the choice made by Shiphrah and Puah was not based upon a whim, a wave of emotion, or a wish to get more followers on instagram! Do not overlook this choice, this bold, dangerous, and righteous choice! A choice that saved many lives but could have very well ended their own lives. A choice motivated primarily by a deep and abiding fear of God.
It is not coincidence that Mose twice mentions that these midwives feared God. It’s hard to imagine the pressure they were under. These women had no political influence, no means of protection, no way to defend themselves against Pharaoh. This isn’t mere social influence, they choose to oppose Pharaoh himself. Which one of us would not have some sort of fear standing before Pharaoh? Certainly they had fear knowing whom they were opposing. Yet, they had a greater fear that overcame their fear of Pharaoh.
We must imagine that they did not make this decision lightly. They probably went home and spoke to their families about it. They probably prayed and asked for wisdom. They probably had thoughts of at least running away. I believe that many in these same circumstances might not have agreed to kill the baby boys but instead they would simply give up their midwife practice. Keep their conscience and keep themselves safe too.
Oh, no, not here! We see no concern for personal safety in Shiphrah and Puah! Like true mothers they risked their own lives for the lives of the smallest and most innocent. And why did they do this, how did they do this? There is no other answer than the fear of God! Here we see the great power of the fear of God at work! The fear of God in these women is so powerful that it does more than simply keep them from obeying Pharaoh’s command to kill the baby boys. Instead, they go directly against Pharaoh’s instructions knowing very well that they could lose everything, even their very own lives for this choice!
Oh how we need women who choose the fear of God over the false freedom of childfree living. Oh how we need bold mothers that choose to give life rather than take life. Oh how we need courageous mothers that instill the fear of God in their children, knowing that their investment into these little lives is worth every tear and every pain.
Without the fear of God the choice of motherhood is an inconvenient, painful, and even dangerous choice. However, with the fear of God the choice to give life, to raise life, to promote life, is non negotiable. And as we will see, there is an innate blessing in this choice. There is joy in following God’s plan and pursuing God’s purposes.
Can you imagine the kind of children these midwives raised, bold uncompromising young men and women who were not afraid to step forward for righteousness, to speak out for the innocent, to stay the course, faithful to God, no matter the difficulties and dangers.
The fear of God vs self-fulfillment and self-determinism
The problem most people have with the fear of God is that the fear of God directly opposes two common ideas associated with the cult of choice. The fear of God is ultimately, willing submission to the sovereign reign of God in my life. In the fear of God I choose to live in a role that God has designed, I choose to live by his plan and his purposes, for his glory. Thus, the fear of God opposes and destroys both our attempts at self-fulfillment and self-determination.
Self-fulfillment
The idea that above all I must choose what I desire, I must pursue what I think will make me happy, I must follow my heart. Thus, all unhappiness and discontentment is the result of barriers placed in the way by others.
“I’m not happy because I was tied down with kids”
“I’m not happy because I couldn’t pursue my dream job”
“I’m not happy because I had to sacrifice my time and energy for the sake of my family”
“I’m not happy because I don’t get enough ‘me time’
“I’m not happy because someone else stopped me from pursuing my own self-fulfillment.”
Can you imagine if Shiphrah and Puah operated on the basis of self-fulfillment? Thousands of children would have died!
Mothers, women, please read the book of Ecclesiasties! Self-fulfillment is vanity and is a deception of the devil. Pursuit of your own fulfillment will always result in more emptiness, greater discontentment, frustration with life, and victim mentality.
The fear of God chooses selfless services to others over self-fulfillment. It finds joy in pursuing God’s purposes over personal pleasure and it finds contentment in the sacrifices of family.
Self-determination
The second idea that the fear of God destroys is the idea of self-determination. Ultimately, the cult of choice is nothing more than a finite human’s effort to determine his own existence. Self-determination says, I will determine my identity, I will determine my gender, I will determine my role, I will determine my future, will determine my own existence, I will self create! Self determination is the futile effort to be self created. It is an unwillingness to bow your life, your gender, your role, your existence to the only Self-existent One!
[Pro 31:30-31 NIV] 30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. 31 Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
The fear of God destroys our efforts at self-determination and instead submits to God’s sovereignty in our own existence.
We need women who choose to give life, give birth, and raise families, not for their own self-fulfillment but because they fear God! This is the foundation, the motivation, and the inspiration for motherhood.
Women, do you fear God? Women, are you establishing your families in the fear of God? Oh how we need women who live and raise their children in the fear of God!
A mother is a woman who chooses to create a home
20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous.
21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.
Notice what it does not say here. It doesn’t say,
“…he gave them burdens of their own”
“…he gave them sleepless nights, poopy diapers, and screaming tantrums”
“… he gave them children”
First, we see that it says that God was kind to the midwives, thus what follows is part of God’s kindness, his blessing, his grace in their lives. Let us make no mistake in our attitude and position concerning family and homes, they are, first, God’s blessings.
It literally says that God gave them households. The word here is “בַּיִת It can be translated as family, home, household, clan. I think this is an important word because it means much more than simply “children.” The idea of “home” refers to the cohesive structure of familial relations. A home is the unified workings of parents, children, and sometimes extended family. A home is an oasis of stability and safety. A home is a place for discipline, growth, and mutual care and concern. A home is that which gives both comfort and at the same time challenges all its members to grow.
The home is a God ordained structure designed for the multiplication of blessings! Gen 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.
How ironic it is that today the home is often viewed as something that we must liberate ourselves from. To liberate ourselves from the home is like a tree that longs for his roots to be freed from the pressure and weight of the soil. Finally, a strong wind blows the tree over and the tree says, “finally, my roots are free to be who they want to be without the constant pressure of the soil.
Women and men, we must not look at the home as a burden that stands in the way of true freedom. On the contrary the home is a blessing that despite its difficulties brings greater contentment, deeper joy, and lasting goodness into our lives.
*I remember coming home after school some days and my mom wasn’t there. How empty and disappointing the house felt!
A mother is a woman who understands the significance of home life. A mother is a woman who not only gives birth but also seeks the prosperity of her own household. She works to create a home environment that is nourishing, protective, disciplined, and provided for. A mother is a homemaker. The idea of a “homemaker” is thoroughly biblical, just read Proverbs 31:10-31. Here you will find this word “b’et” 3 times.
[Pro 31:15, 21, 27 NIV]
15 She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her household and portions for her female servants. …
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. …
27 She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Mothers, choose to build a home through sacrificial care and concern. Through intentional and consistent discipline, through wisdom and planning, through love and hard work.
A mother is a woman who chooses to nurture her children (Exo 2:1-10)
A mother gives life, creates a home and then she nurtures here children. What do I mean by nurture? Certainly there is the obvious, God created women to nourish their children by their own breast. In this we can see God’s design and purpose for women. Yet, it goes beyond simply feeding her child. A mother is uniquely created to provide a sense of safety, comfort and tender emotional care needed especially in young children. A mother’s sense for when something is wrong, when someone is sick, when someone needs help is mysterious and at times miraculous. To nourish is to provide the necessary conditions for growth and development.
We can see an example of this in Exodus chapter 2. In chapter 1 we read about the midwives who risked their lives to deliver the baby boys. Now we read about one mother who undoubtedly used the services of these midwives to save the life of her baby. The boy was born yet, the battle was not over. As a mother she knew no boundaries when it came to caring for her child, for insuring his safety, and providing for his development.
[Exo 2:1-9 NIV]
1 Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman,
2 and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months.
3 But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.
4 His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
5 Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it.
6 She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said.
7 Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?”
8 “Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother.
9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him.
Moses’ mother Jochebed nourished Moses. She protected him, and she provided for him. She was ingenious and brave. She saved her son and her son saved a nation. But let’s be clear, she did not know that her son would save a nation. She saved and nourished her son because she was a mother who feared God. Mothers, you don’t know what your children will grow up to do or be. Nurture them not because they might some day be a Moses but because they are today your child. Nurture them because it is the right thing, nurture them because it is the best and greatest thing you can do for them and often is the greatest thing you will ever do for others!
Nurture is more than providing physical sustenance. I’m convinced that Jochebed also nourished Moses in the faith.
[Heb 11:23-25 NIV]
23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.
25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.
Why did Moses refuse to be known as the son of the Pharaoh’s daughter? His mother had taught him his true heritage. Yes, that’s part of it but there is far more to the story here. Moses was offered the most privileged life imaginable. He was offered the power, fame, he would literally become a god to the Egyptians. Yet, he rejected it. He rejected it because it meant that he would have to comprise his faith, it meant that he would have to reject the one true God.
[Heb 11:25-26 NIV]
25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.
26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.
There is no greater testimony to the power of motherhood than children who have grown up and been offered the world on a platter and rejected it because their mother taught them to love Jesus more!
Mothers, there is power in nurturing, but I want to warn you that by nature nurture is sacrifice. True nurturing always comes at an expense. There will be an expense of your
- To nurture is to give your children a real living example of Christ’ love for us.
[Isa 40:11 NIV] 11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.
A mother is a woman who chooses an honorable task (Exo 20:12)
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- It is honorable because it is God ordained
No matter what kind of a mother you have, there is a certain honor that God has intrinsically placed in the role of mother. We honor mothers first because God calls us to honor them. That being said, we understand that not all mothers are “honorable,” that is to say, that not all mothers are loving, caring, kind and nurturing. Nevertheless, we recognize their role as an honored role and we honor the fact that they brought new lives into this world. The honor given to mothers and to motherhood in general keeps a certain god ordained order to life.
Those who grew up in families where there was the presence of a strong mother can attest to the fact that it is often the mother who is glue of the family. It is mother who brings together all the loose ends of the home. It is Mother who knows where everything is. It is Mother’s presence that makes the home whole. I’m convinced that this is god ordained and it must be honored.
What does Satan love to do? He comes in and he calls into question good things that God has established. The loss of motherhood doesn’t start with divorce and broken families, it doesn’t start with feminism and women’s liberation, it doesn’t start with the LGBT movement. No, the loss of motherhood starts with a subtle discontentment and disbelief in the goodness and honor of simple motherhood.
Motherhood is not something to be freed of but rather something to be fought for!
- It is honorable because it is not an easy task
Child bearing, childbirth, and bringing up a child are not for the faint of heart! We have lived through a war but I have to telling you that raising children is more difficult. It’s a battle every day, every night and every moment for the heart of that child. It’s a battle to not lose our own way as parents. Motherhood is honorable because it is not and easy task but it is a worthy task!
- It is honorable because it’s purpose it to give life
- It is honorable because it is sacrificial
- It is honorable because it has unspeakable value
