The God-honoring Hope of Faithful Mothers

By Jonathan Ellis

“Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external — the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear — but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered” (1 Pet 3:1-7).

I want to celebrate the great gift of mothers today, but because we live in a perverse and confused generation, and I desire as many of you as possible to join me in this celebration, I want to first persuade you of two things:

First, God’s design imposes different functions and purposes on different groups of people, but this does not mean one is more valuable than the other.

Second, it is God’s intention that there be a diffusion of purposes within the body — this is a good thing — and because of these giftings, some have strengths in one area while others have strengths elsewhere.

My hope is that once you join me in agreeing to those two principles you can join me in celebrating and giving thanks for the unique and God-glorifying purpose of mothers.

A difference in purpose does not equal a difference in value.

In Numbers 16 a man named Korah, a member of the tribe of Levi, joined with some other men from the tribes of Reuben and Eliab (a tribe of Judah) and complained to Moses accusing him of bigotry and that Moses was being unfair.

Korah said, “How dare you say that only the sons of Aaron be permitted to be priests.” Note their specific accusation against Moses: “…You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?” (Num 16:3).

Doesn’t that mirror so much outrage that you hear today? “How dare you say that men have a primary duty of leading, protecting, providing, and sacrificing! Are you saying a woman can’t do those things? Do you think men are more valuable? How dare you say that women have a primary duty of childbirth and rearing, submission, and care for the children and household! Are you saying that is all a woman is good for and a man doesn’t have to do those things? Are you saying that a woman is less valuable?”

If you read on further, Moses notes the flaw in their argument: “…You have gone too far, sons of Levi! ... Hear now, you sons of Levi: is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do service in the tabernacle of the Lord and to stand before the congregation to minister to them, and that he has brought you near him … And you would seek the priesthood also? Therefore it is against the Lord that you and all your company have gathered today. What is Aaron that you grumble against him?” (Num 16:7-11).

Notice what Moses points to here: 1) he notes that it was God who made them of the tribe of Levi but not sons of Aaron, so why are they angry at Aaron and Moses? And 2) he further notes that God had given them a particular purpose — a good purpose — as Levites, which was to care for the tabernacle and perform public service there. Moses seems to be asking why they are devaluing their current purpose and coveting another purpose that God had given to someone else.

Does that sound familiar?

A similar point can be seen a few chapters earlier in Numbers 1, where we see a census was taken in the preparation for war and all of the tribes were accounted for … except for Levi. That is because the particular purpose of the Levites was to care for the tabernacle. Their purpose did not include going to war with the rest of the tribes.

It was not for Levi to join in the warfare of the nation. Did that make them less valuable? No.

It was not for the tribe of Reuben to be priests in God’s temple. Did that make them less valuable? No.

God has given different purposes to different people and that is a good and God-honoring thing, and our proper response to that is 1) submission and 2) to faithfully act out of that God-appointed purpose.

Different Giftings. Different Strengths. Different Weakness. One Body.

One of the first ways in which we can act out of our God-appointed purpose is by recognizing where we fit within the larger context of God’s people.

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul describes the church as comprised of many different kinds of people with many different giftings and purposes. Notice also that because of the differences in purposes and giftings and strengths and weaknesses he acknowledges that it may necessitate extra care in some ways for some purposes:

“The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together, if one member is honored, all rejoice together” (1 Cor 12:21-26).

If we read this passage in light of 1 Peter 3:1-7 we must come to the conclusion that women are “indispensable” and deserving of great honor, mothers in particular.

Celebrate mothers.

Our society is sick with great confusion. In the greatest halls of worldly power, the intellectual champions of our age cannot define what a woman is and indeed are attempting, despite the lessons from many dictatorial governments throughout history, to encourage a genderless society, necessarily erasing the unique, glorious, and good purpose of mothers.

Thus, we cannot turn to the world in order to know how to celebrate mothers. Rather we must look to Scripture, first to even know what a woman is (Matt 19:4), and then likewise to see how the unique purpose of mothers is worthy of celebration.

First, all women are called to be mothers, either by spiritual means (Matt 28:19-20, Titus 2:3-5) or by natural means, or both, and training children in the instruction of the Lord (1 Tim 2:15, 2 Tim 1:5). In this way, they fulfill the Great Commission.

But let us distill down further, for what does 1 Peter 3:4-6 commend Sarah for primarily? Is it begetting children or is it something more fundamental? Hebrews 11:11 notes, “By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.”

She hoped in the promises of God and because she had hope in the promises of God it enabled her to submit to a sinful and sometimes foolish man … and she was honored for it (1 Pet 3:5-6).

I think this is the fundamental thing to celebrate about mothers. Men, husbands, and fathers have a greater obligation to sacrifice (Eph 5:25). Women, wives, and mothers necessarily have to have a greater necessity to hope, because while all Christians are called to submit to God, wives, and mothers are called to also submit to husbands, and without superior hope in the steadfast promises of God, that would be utterly impossible.

I think it is impossible because I see my own sin, and that Scripture calls my wife to submit to me. If I were in her shoes I think I’d die from despair in the first month of trying. But rather a superior hope in the promises of God empowers and enables wives and mothers to submit to sinful men and to patiently love and raise sinful children.

If your hope is not in the steadfast promises of God then it will be tremendous anxiety and stress to live in a household headed by a redeemed sinner of a man who might not be as wise as you. But that is exactly the point, a godly mother’s hope is not in a “good” or “wise” husband or father. But rather because her hope is rooted in the bedrock of God’s promises and thus she is able to live day to day as described in the one who trusts in the Lord in Jeremiah 17:8, she “is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

Honor your mother today, being confident of this: her submission and service to raising you were not informed by inability, weakness, or incompetence. The tireless labor of a mother to submit to a sinful husband and to patiently and lovingly care for (often) ungrateful children is informed by her steadfast hope in God and trust that his plan and his purpose will bring fruit.

For more info: Click here to watch our Mother’s Day Message!