Mothers of the Bible Speak to Mothers of Today

Mothers of the Bible Speak to Mothers of Today

By: Kathi Macias

 

Publisher: New Hope Publishers

Release Date: April 1, 2009

ISBN: 978-1-59669-215-2

 

Copyright © 2009 by Kathi Macias

 

 

In Mothers of the Bible Speak to Mothers of Today, readers are challenged and encouraged to be the moms God created them to be, when they meet ordinary women of biblical times who, by God’s incomparable grace, were used for extraordinary purposes. Complete with a dedication page, this beautifully designed hard-cover study/devotional book is a perfect gift for Mother’s Day, Christmas, or any time.(sent in another email)o, Camy, since I imagine you need all/most of this info for the newsletter as well.

View the book trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phSjutQT_UI

 

 

Introduction

           

Life is busy—and never more so than when you’re a mom. I know; I’ve “been there, done that.” And though my children are all grown and gone and I’m thoroughly enjoying being a grandma now, I’ll never stop being a mom—and I’ll never forget what it was like to deal with some of the issues unique to that title.

 

I would like to tell you that the reason I decided to write a book to help moms deal with some of those issues is because I did such a great job of it myself. I’d like to tell you that—but I can’t because sometimes I didn’t. Instead, I decided it would be a much better idea to write about those “mom issues” by allowing the mothers of the Bible to speak to you, using their own life experiences to set the scene and paint the picture. In addition, you will find thought-provoking quotes about motherhood from a wide spectrum of women—some famous, some not—sprinkled throughout the book, as well as a question/journaling and prayer section at the end of each chapter.

 

As I researched these amazing women of the Bible who grappled with the issues of motherhood, I discovered that many of them would have considered themselves failures as mothers, even as you and I sometimes do. Yet God included their stories in the Scriptures for several reasons, one of which I’m sure was to help mothers of today navigate their own lives and find the sure footing and direction they need to lead their children down the right path.

 

If that describes you, then no matter how busy you may be, you need to set aside a few minutes a day to find out what God wants you to know about motherhood. It is, after all, an honorable position, one designed and appointed to us by our own heavenly Parent. True, the responsibilities of wearing the title of “mom” are great—but the rewards are even greater. So join me in exploring the lives of these mothers of the Bible, will you? And then listen to what they have to say.

 

I promise, you’ll be glad you did—and so will your children.

 

Chapter One

Eve: Without a Role Model

 

Then the LORD God made a woman

from the rib he had taken out of the man

(Genesis 2:22).

Suggested Scripture Readings:

Genesis 2:18, 21-23; 3:6-7, 11-13, 16; 4:1-5, 8-12, 16, 25

 

I can think of no more awesome an experience than the birth of my first child. At the young and naïve age of eighteen, it was the most joyous, as well as the most terrifying thing that had ever happened to me. It was as if I were experiencing love for the very first time as I gazed at that precious little life that had been entrusted to me by God. And I thought, What in the world do I do now? How do I care for him? How do I make sure I’m doing everything right? What if—God forbid—I do something wrong? Now, two more sons, nine grandchildren, and nearly four decades later, I smile at the memory, knowing those babies weren’t quite as fragile as I’d once imagined. But I can’t help but wonder how much more challenging and overwhelming motherhood must have been for Eve, who was not only the first woman but also the first mother. What can women today learn about mothering from studying the life of this exiled Garden dweller who had no role model to imitate, no how-to-be-a-good-mom books to read? Quite a bit, I believe. Let’s take a look.

 

***

 

Eve, whose name means “life giver,” was the only woman ever to become a mother without first having had a mother of her own. In fact, not only did Eve not have a mother, she also had no sisters, aunts, grandmothers, or girlfriends to turn to for advice. In short, she had no role models and no one with whom to compare notes.

 

She had Adam, of course, who, like her, had been made in the image of God. She had the greatest assortment of pets anyone could ever imagine. And, of course, she had her relationship with God. But as we know from the creation account in Genesis, all of Eve’s relationships changed because of sin.

 

How alone she must have felt once those relationships were no longer perfect. And how frightened and overwhelmed she must have been when her two oldest sons, Cain and Abel, were born, thrusting her into an entirely new realm of responsibility. I am quite sure that more than once throughout the ensuing years she heard God’s words echoing in her mind: “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children” (Genesis 3:16). By the time Eve’s children were grown and she had experienced the horror of her oldest son murdering his younger brother, she must have realized that the truth of God’s words tying together pain and motherhood didn’t stop at childbirth. The same is true for mothers today, as we will see as we look at Eve’s life before the fall, immediately afterward, and years later when her children were grown.

 

 

Before the Fall

 

The book of Genesis is a book about beginnings. In fact the Hebrew word for Genesis, Bereshit, actually means “in the beginning.” The first chapter of Genesis, which, of course, is also the first chapter of the Bible, is about the beginning of creation; the second chapter goes on to tell about the beginning of mankind; the third chapter gives a vivid account of the beginning of sin; and the fourth chapter depicts the tragic and inevitable result of sin’s introduction into the human race: the beginning of human conflict.

 

It all started out so beautifully. When God used Moses to write the creation account in Genesis, He made it clear that He had made Eve, as well as Adam, in His own image: “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27, emphasis added). The Hebrew root word tselem, translated here as image, can also be translated as shadow, giving the impression that mankind—the only part of God’s creation cast in His image or shadow—represents the very shadow cast by God upon the earth.

 

How perfect Adam and Eve must have been, not only mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, but physically, as well. They were so perfect, in fact, that God described the two humans made in His image as “very good.” God had previously pronounced everything He had made prior to Adam and Eve as “good,” but He reserved “very good” only to describe the beginning of humankind. In fact, the only thing God pronounced as “not good” was for man to be alone (see Genesis 2:18).

 

And so, with the addition of Adam and Eve into the Garden, things were indeed “very good.” They lived in an idyllic situation—perfect weather, gorgeous scenery, harmony with the animals, unbroken relationship and fellowship with God, and the absolutely flawless “marriage made in heaven” relationship between one another. Adam and Eve were the original and perfect example of the one-flesh relationship God intended for all marriages. Genesis 2:22 tells us that God made Eve “from the rib he had taken out of the man.” God could have created Eve from the dirt, as He had done with Adam, but He wanted Adam to understand that Eve, unlike the animals created before her, was of the exact same essence as Adam. Adam must have recognized that fact immediately because, as soon as he saw Eve, he said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man” (verse 23). Then, following the verse that introduces God’s desire for a one-flesh relationship between them, we are told in verse 25, “The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.” Not only were Adam and Eve made of the same essence, perfect partners in a perfect relationship, but they were also completely comfortable and unashamed in each other’s presence.

 

They were also comfortable and unashamed in God’s presence, for in addition to the perfect one-flesh relationship between Adam and Eve, the two Garden dwellers shared a perfect, ongoing relationship with God. The Creator regularly spent quality time with His creation, as we can easily deduce from Genesis 3:8, immediately following Adam and Eve’s fall into sin: “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day….” Adam and Eve immediately recognized the sound of God’s walking in the garden. Why? I would imagine it was because they had heard it many times before. The three of them—God, Adam, and Eve—had spent time in intimate, face-to-face communion ever since the creation. And, as has always been the case, it was God who came down to commune with them, not the other way around. The Creator always initiates the contact; He is always the one to first offer the hand of fellowship, the one to give of Himself that relationship might be restored and maintained between Him and His creation.

 

Prior to the fall, communion between God and those made in His image was as natural as breathing. It was all part of the “very good” setting in which Adam and Eve lived. The name Eden, by definition, means “delight.” Adam and Eve had the perfect relationship with each other, with God, and even with the animals. Everything in Eden was “delightful.” How is it, then, that these perfect people, introduced into a perfect setting by a perfect God, would soon find themselves hiding from God and even cast out of the Garden?

 

Immediately After the Fall

 

I’ve heard it said that God did not make Eve from Adam’s head so she could “lord it over him,” nor did He make her from Adam’s feet so she could serve as his doormat. God made Eve from Adam’s rib so she might walk at his side, next to his heart, as his helper and partner for life. I like that explanation, and it sounds very much like the relationship Adam and Eve enjoyed prior to the fall in Genesis 3. But as soon as the serpent entered the picture, everything changed.

 

The opening verse of this chapter describes the serpent as “more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made.” The dictionary defines crafty as “skillful, clever; adept in the use of subtlety and cunning; marked by subtlety and guile.” The first words out of the serpent’s mouth verify this description perfectly, as he said to Eve, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’” (verse 2).

 

This very cunning creature approached Eve with a challenge to God’s word: “Did God really say…?” The first temptation recorded in the Bible is the same temptation that assaults us today—an attack on the veracity of God’s Word. This serpent was indeed crafty, knowing that if he could get Eve to question God’s word, he would have achieved the first step in leading her into rebellion against her Creator.

           

 

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No Special Considerations

 

Topics Addressed: Motherhood, biblical examples, biblical studies, childrearing, financial difficulties, rebellion, sacrifice, loss, surrender, barrenness, sibling rivalry, role model

 

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AUTHOR BIO

 

Kathi Macias, popular speaker and prolific author, is an Angel-award winning writer who has published nearly thirty books, including BEYOND ME: LIVING A YOU-FIRST LIFE IN A ME-FIRST WORLD and HOW CAN I RUN A TIGHT SHIP WHEN I’M SURROUNDED BY LOOSE CANNONS? Whether keyboarding her latest book, keynoting a conference, or riding on the back of her husband's Harley, Kathi “Easy Writer” Macias is a lady on a mission to communicate God’s vision. Her insightful words—filled with passion, humor and soul nourishment—refresh audiences from all walks of life. To learn more about Kathi or to book her for your next event, visit http://www.kathimacias.com/.

 

You can order this book directly from your local bookstore, or online here: http://www.newhopepublishers.com