Mothers and Birth

“MOTHERS and BIRTH”
Isaiah 66:7-13

 

INTRODUCTION

  • We know that the first woman was called Adam until she sinned and caused Adam to sin. After that, Adam in Genesis 2:20 named her “Eve, because she was the mother of all living.”
  • Then we see in Genesis 17:16… where Sarai (Abram’s wife) had her name changed to Sarah “…and shall be a mother of nations.”
  • Later in Genesis 24:60… “… they blessed Rebekah (Jacob’s mother), and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.
  • Then I want us to remember the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ…Mary. In Matthew 1:18…Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
  • There are many mothers mentioned throughout the Bible. We have learned of good mothers and bad mothers.
  • The word “mother” is mentioned 245 times in the Bible. The word “father” however is mentioned 979 times. Not that it is important or that that reflects on the status of either parent, just an FYI.
  • Mothers throughout the Bible have played important roles in the upbringing of their children into the ministry for which God has called them to.

 

I. Mothers and The Birth Process

  A) Labor pains come first

  • This passage of Isaiah is teaching us two things… 1) No birth can come until labor pains have occurred (happened).
  • Looking into our text of Isaiah 66, note verse 7…Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.
  • To understand the KJV translation you must know that the structure of a sentence is often written backwards to our writing of today.
  • That being said…verse 7 tells us that pain must be experienced before birth can happen. This is not only talking about birth of children, but also spiritual birth.
  • In this chapter we can see God explaining the “True worship and false worship” in verses 1-4. Israel had problems with their worship.
  • Here in these verses of 5-13 we can see that God is telling Israel that their suffering and pain must come before they are delivered.
  • “The Kingdom of God” is what? “Within you” Christ said.
  • That means pain, it means torture, it means a hardship must take place in your life making sacrifices and changes that are really undesirable to the flesh.
  • We have been studying “The Kingdom of God” as of last week and this ties right in with our study.
  • A woman (soon to be a mother) must go through pains before the child can be delivered. Common sense tells us this.
  • But, the same is with your spirituality. Do you want righteousness? Do you want heaven? Do you want to have the Kingdom of God in you? It cannot be birthed within you until you suffer with pain.
  • Just as women suffer differently while carrying the child or giving birth to a child, so it is with spiritual birth. Some are more painful than others.
  • Look at Isaiah 66 and verse 8) Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
  • Was the earth created in “one day?” Go to Genesis 1 and know that it took God six days to create the earth and all that is within.
  • Was any nation created in “one day?”
  • As Isaiah said in Isaiah 66:8… As soon as Zion (Israel) had suffered through pain, she was delivered.
  • My father had always told me that anything worth having is worth fighting for. In other words… If you are not willing to go through the struggles and pain it takes to get what you want, then it is not worth your effort to continue to get it.
  • Children are a blessing of the Lord. Mothers go through the pain to produce life that can be used of God in His Kingdom.
  • Mothers, are you all you can be for your husband? Have you suffered pain and endured your love with your husband or your children?
  • Church members what pains have you gone through with to show your never ending love towards another member.
  • The birth of love, the birth of forgiveness, and the birth of blessings cannot be experienced until you have gone through the pain it takes to make it real (heartfelt).

  B) After labor, birth follows

  • There is nothing like the birth of a child.
  • In the United States, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, the rate of babies dying at birth was about 13 per every 100,000 live births in 2004.

II. Mothers, Rejoice In The Birth

  A) Should God not allow the birth?

  • Isaiah 66:9…Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God.
  • The question posed to Israel by God is this… “Should I allow your pain and suffering to continue and never give you the blessings of the birth?”
  • God sees our pain and suffering in this life, He sees our struggles, He knows the temptations that beset us. He has experienced it in the flesh through Jesus Christ our Lord.
  • The only reason God would not allow a spiritual birth is if the heart of the person was not right.
  • Anytime that a person has experienced the pain and labor of trying to please God, it brings rejoicing of the saints when they see perseverance.  
  • Note now verse 10) Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her:
  • We as Christians today should be rejoicing when someone comes to know Christ as their Savior. Mothers rejoice when your children have grown up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

B) Does a child need milk?

  • Isaiah 66:11 (KJV)… That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.
  • Isaiah here is comparing Jerusalem to a nursing mother. Basically Isaiah is saying to Jerusalem… “That you may suck (eat, consume) my blessings and be satisfied. I want you to “milk out” drain every drop necessary for you to obtain happiness and fruitfulness with the abundance of my glory and grace towards you.”
  • God wants to see His children grow and depend upon “His milk of the word.”
  • This passage of scripture in Isaiah brings to mind another verse in the New testament…I Peter 2:2…As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3) If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is
  • This too is part of the “Kingdom” within us according to Matthew 5:6…Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
  • A mother who is nursing her baby desires for her child to be nourished. God wants to nourish us with His word. He says… “we shall be filled.”
  • All we need to do is be thirsty for His word and seek the truths in it.
  • Mothers, do you really want your children to grow up in the Lord? Nurse them by taking them to church, feeding them the word of God, encourage righteous living.

III. A Mother’s Comfort

  A) God’s promise to comfort us

  • Isaiah 66:13…As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
  • There is nothing in this whole wide world that is as comforting as a mother who truly loves her children and comforts them in their time of need.
  • I dare say that there are many church members across this world that love and comfort one another as we should…like a mother.
  • God has promised Israel (Jerusalem) that He would comfort them. Why did they need comforting? Because they had struggled, suffered, and lived through God’s judgment upon them for their sins. Now they are in need of comfort.
  • Today and since the 1st advent, Jesus had promised the apostles (and His disciples of today) that He would send a comforter…the Holy Spirit.
  • Not to discredit our mothers here today by any means… but the Holy Spirit’s comforting is much better than a mother’s comfort.

B) Comfort brings joy/rejoicing

  • Look at our last verse today in Isaiah 66:14) And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the LORD shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies.
  • Our heart can rejoice (be happy) when you recognize God’s comforting.
  • Sometimes you may be trying to comfort someone and you go about it all wrong. Or maybe someone tries to comfort you and you don’t recognize the fact that they are truly trying to help.
  • A depressed or unhappy person is always looking from a negative perspective.
  • We need to view life through God’s eyes not our own.
  • Mothers, today think of birth as pleasant, desirable, and attainable. The birth of God’s love in you and your children and your husband.

“HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!”