True Biblical Womanhood

By: Brad L Horton, Th.B

On the second Sunday in May almost every preacher will have his eyes on the text of Proverbs 31. For those who come to church only about three times a year, the others being Easter and Christmas, this sermon is practically memorized. Everyone who is a mother will be recognized, including oldest, youngest and the one with the most children. Tradition does run rampant, no matter what kind of church you are in.

I purposely preached something else every mother’s day. Folks frowned when I did but to be honest, I didn’t care. I shared what I felt the Lord would have me to. Now, for those who preach this text on the second Sunday in May because God wants you to, then by all means go ahead, I am just laying the foundation for my message.

Proverbs 31 describes Biblical womanhood. The problem in most churches is the women (and the men) only hear this text once a year. In today’s post modern, feminist culture the man is often viewed as bigoted and the woman’s role of wife and mother is archaic. In America today the role of motherhood is taboo. Our society has taught a feminist view of womanhood that is even present in our modern day churches. May I ask the question, is there anything wrong with a woman who desires to stay at home, raise her children and honor her husband? According to the current normal view there is, but what does the Word of God say?

THE WAR ON MOTHERHOOD

The war on motherhood is real. We just recently found out we were

expecting our fourth child. From some, we have received some awkward

looks we received, as if they were saying, “did you plan this?”

 Why?

Because we have been indoctrinated that we should only have two at the most and if we have three it is because the first two were of the same sex and we should try for the other one. That’s the unwritten rule.

One of the greatest casualties of the war on motherhood is the decline in birthrate for American women. Women are taught today that children will interfere with your career. We can choose when and how we want our children, if any. The Population Research Institute says virtually every Western or Westernized nation on the planet is slowly dying off because birth rates have fallen below the 2.1 child per woman replacement level. Muslim birth rates hover around 6.1. It is not what Muslims are doing, it’s what Christians are not doing and that is having children. The war on motherhood is adding up to a slowly dying culture.

Children are a blessing from God. Psalms 127:3 “Lo, children [are] an heritage of the LORD: [and] the fruit of the womb [is his] reward.” What a joy to hear the words, “we’re pregnant”. However, walk into a church with a string of children behind you and you will be the center of attention. People will be thinking to themselves, “don’t they know what causes that”?

We had only planned on having two children. But with each one God began to mold us into what He desires for us. Our culture and even other Christians trained us that too many children would not be a good idea.

A mother should be honored for her work that God has given her. My wife spends countless hours teaching and managing our home. She has expressed to me that there has never been a Titus 2 woman in her life. In all of her years at church growing up no one ever taught her the role of Biblical womanhood.

There are five commands given to us in Titus about the role of true Biblical womanhood.

The first, is to live holy.

Not a perfect life but a life that honors God. None of us are perfect nor will we be but a desire to be pure before God should be evident. Second command is be not slanderers.

Third, not given to wine.

Fourth, be teachers of good things.

What are those good things?

Well, they are motherhood, womanhood, how to be a godly wife and mother, honor your parents and husband.

Fifth, teach the young women.

How are young women going to know the importance and honor of Biblical womanhood unless someone teaches them?

The world has taught women for years now and we are into the third

generation of feminism. It has taught our women about birth control,

abortion, lesbianism, sexual freedom, and don’t be tied down at home. The real problem also is evident because this teaching is often in the church. We have even been taught instead of glorifying the womb to cut off the very seed of life.

I spoke with a young lady the other day about her one-year-old child she was planning a birthday party for. I asked her how many other children she had. Her response was one. This was her second child. I said how wonderful children are and she replied, “I’m getting all that taken care of in a couple of weeks and I can’t wait.” What she was saying was, she was cutting off the seed so she didn’t have to worry about those pesky children anymore and she was excited about it.

How many times have you heard womanhood being honored in the church? How many times from the pulpit have you heard someone say, “Have all the children you can so we can raise Christian generations”? I have never heard it.

MEN HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE DECLINE

It’s not a real surprise that men are to blame as well. In fact, Adam

 watched in the beginning as Eve took of the forbidden fruit. Several

generations ago men would have been abhorred at the thought of women in the military. This may sound bigoted, but it is not. There is great honor in a woman’s role of mother and wife, and being off trying to show you can be a man in not normal. The men have allowed this to happen because they have been passive in defending the honor in biblical manhood.

Men have allowed the insidious work of feminism to hinder their calling as well. Men have lost their manhood by not stepping up spiritually and being what God designed them to be. Many men are lazy and reliant upon someone else to take care of them. Men must work and provide for their family or he is worse than an infidel. A real man cares deeply about women.

I have four in my house right now, maybe five in the near future. I love my wife deeply and want to see her desire to be a wife and mother be fulfilled. Whatever that takes if I have to work extra side jobs or cut spending to see that role fulfilled that is what I will do. It is not impossible but many men don’t take the notion to do so because they have too many other priorities in their life. Proverbs 22:18 “[Whoso] findeth a wife findeth a good [thing], and obtaineth favour of the LORD.” Men lose their identify when they don’t protect and honor the women in their life.

CHURCHES DON’T TEACH BIBLICAL WOMANHOOD AND MOTHERHOOD

Yes, it is true you will hear a Mother’s Day message on the second

Sunday in May. However, what you are likely not to hear is the

unbiblical role of motherhood and womanhood defined.

....Preach a sermon upon the fact that women should be at home with their children to teach them and train them in the things of the Lord and you will offend the career woman.

....The woman who rushes to work everyday because of the stress of preparing lunches for school and getting children off to daycare will be offended because she is a liberated woman not being put down by the society of men. She is successful, has climbed the corporate

ladder, and does not have to rely upon the man for her independence.

....Yes, they will be offended when you teach that a woman should be a keeper at home. Titus 2:5 “[To be] discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.” Most women and men don’t want to hear that.

....Were not in the 16th century anymore. That’s the mentality.

When and if you do hear such a message, the reply is that we can’t

afford to do that. In certain circumstances that is true, but we have

found out that diligence, budgeting, cutting back on spending, saving

for items and not going into debt and extra side jobs can make the

impossible, possible. Some people I talk to have so much debt and

payments they can’t afford to. My advice to them is to sell that stuff. They don’t want to hear that either.

Yes, you will hear the honoring of motherhood this Sunday but it

probably will have secular overtones to it. I doubt but I could be wrong that you will hear anything truly biblical about womanhood. It just isn’t taught in churches anymore.

YES IT DOES COST SOMETHING

There is a cost of motherhood. And the price is no small sum. And if you are not willing to pay this price, no amount of encouragement about the joys of motherhood will satisfy.

But the price of motherhood is not fundamentally different from the

price of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. In fact, Christian mothers

see their duty as mothers flowing from their calling to Jesus Christ.

And what is this cost?

Christian motherhood means dedicating your entire life in service of

others.

It means standing beside your husband, following him, and

investing in the lives of children whom you hope will both survive you and surpass you.

It means forgoing present satisfaction for eternal rewards. It means investing in the lives of others who may never fully appreciate your sacrifice or comprehend the depth of your love.

And it means doing all these things, not because you will receive the praise of man — for you will not — but because God made you to be a woman and a mother, and there is great contentment in that biblical calling.

In other words,

Motherhood requires vision.

It requires living by faith and not by sight.

In Titus 2:5 we are given the final instruction for why we should honor Biblical womanhood, “…that the Word of God be not blasphmed.” God has changed our hearts over time. With each child we saw the mighty hand of God in each great blessing. I truly desired for my wife to be at home but we didn’t know how we were going to make it. Somehow we have and for those accountant types, I cannot explain.

Should all women go into work on Monday morning and quit their jobs?

 No,

I am not saying that. What I am saying is for men and women to evaluate the true roles of motherhood and fatherhood. As we celebrate the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day, let’s look at the true role of biblical motherhood.

I would like to hear a message in the modern day church on biblical womanhood. I am afraid that those days are gone.