When God Speaks like a Mother (Is 49 & 66; Matt 23)

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As you know, I believe that sermons should not be the preacher coming up with a message and then trying to find a few verses to make it sound “biblical”.
Sadly that’s what often happens today
No, sermons should be God preaching through his Word.
- The preacher is just explaining God’s sermon
So it’s not good me thinking up some nice things to say about mothers, and then throwing in a few verses to make it a sermon.
- But the Bible does not have explicit teaching about motherhood, like it does, say on salvation.
However, there are stories of mothers, and they do come with lessons.
- Although they come with important teaching about motherhood, that is not what I am going to speak on today.
- I decided to see how many stories I could find that said something about being a mother, and I found 16
- But although I am going to use one of these stories today, my mail focus is gong to be on

Goal

That all of us would be able to take in God’s maternal attention to us
and care over us.

Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing!
For the LORD has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted.
But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.”
“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…

Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them.
I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them.

So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
When the water in the skin was gone, she put the child under one of the bushes.
Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bow-shot,
for she said, “Let me not look on the death of the child.”

And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept.

And God heard the voice of the boy,
and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her,

“What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is.
Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”
Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water.
And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

-There is something special about God that he will praise him for:
My soul makes its boast in the LORD;
let the humble hear and be glad…
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor man cried,
and the LORD heard him

and saved him out of all his troubles.

You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you, and you forgot the God who gave you birth.
now back to v.10
“He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.
Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions,

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge…
Jesus picks up these images when he laments over Jerusalem:

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a mother hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.”

Shall I bring to the point of birth and not cause to bring forth?” says the LORD;
“shall I, who cause to bring forth, shut the womb?” says your God.
“Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her;
rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her;

For thus says the LORD:
“Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river,

and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream;…
As one whom his mother comforts,
so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

God who watches over you: “Can a woman forget her nursing child…? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.”
God hears you: “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.”
God cares for you:As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you”