THE STRUGGLES OF VARIOUS WOMEN IN THE BIBLE - MOTHER’S DAY 2025
Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms - whether you are a birth mother, a step mother, a grandmother, or perhaps a mom figure in someone’s life.
Mother’s Day can be a joyous day for many. For others, it is painful and a struggle for various reasons.
As I thought about you ladies here at our Church, I thought about your various struggles, your joys, and your heartaches. Then my mind began to think about the various women in the Bible who shared similar heartaches and struggles as well.
Sometimes, we overlook that they were real women with real struggles the same as you and I.
WRONG CHOICES OF CHILDREN....
Let’s start with the very first mother that ever lived - Eve. Life was perfect. She had a loving husband. They lived in a beautiful garden UNTIL Eve messed up. She questioned God’s Word. She willingly disobeyed and did what God had instructed not to do.
I do believe Eve was sorry for her sins. She realized she did wrong. But there were still consequences. The consequences affected not only her, but also her husband, and then her children
The Bible does not really say much about Cain and Abel’s raising, but it appears that they tried to raise their boys to serve God. One tried to live and do what was right; the other chose to do wrong. Eventually, Cain’s jealous heart caused him to murder his own brother, hide the body, then act like he didn’t know where Abel was.
I can only imagine the excruciating pain that mother’s heart felt when she learned the truth. She lost both sons that day because Cain was sentenced to wander the earth. We do not know if she saw him very much or maybe never again after that. That’s difficult for a mother.
Eve eventually had another son whom she named Seth, saying, “God hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel whom Cain slew.” She did her best to raise Seth to be godly. And eventually Seth grew and had a son whom he named Enos, whom he also raised to be godly. We know this because Genesis 4:26 says that after Enos was born, men began to call upon the name of the Lord.
As moms, it is painful when our children make wrong choices and go the wrong direction. And sometimes, we struggle blaming ourselves. “It must be my fault. I must have done something wrong. Maybe if I had done this differently. Maybe it wouldn’t be like this if only I had....” Moms, don’t blame yourself for the choices they make. Cain could not blame Eve for his decision to murder his brother. The choice was his alone although the consequence were felt by everyone, unfortunately.
CHILDLESS WOMEN....
Some women struggle with the pain of never having had a child of their own. Some women choose not to have any children while others are unable to. In Biblical times, a woman was looked down upon if she didn’t. Thankfully, that stigma is gone.
I thought about Sarah and Abraham. I have to wonder if Sarah prayed many times for a child and thought God was saying ‘No.’ She may have finally given up hope when she grew too old and past the childbearing age. She didn’t understand that God was not saying ‘No.’ He was saying ‘not yet.’ The timing wasn’t right.
Sarah was well up in age before God promised they would have a child. She couldn’t believe what she heard. To be her age and have a child was impossible. She laughed at the thought, understandably so. But, God scolded her for laughing. Her laugh was because she didn’t believe. God is not a God who can lie. He works in the impossible, and if He said it, He WILL bring it to pass.
She was 90 years old before Isaac was born. That was a miracle! Everyone knew it had this child was given by God. With man it was impossible, but not with God. I don’t know that I would be excited to have a child at 90 years of age. Yet, God had a purpose and plan for Isaac and his descendants. It is through Isaac and his descendants that we have the nation of Israel. It is through Isaac and his descendants that Jesus came and then died to purchase our Redemption on Calvary.
And there was also Hannah who struggled, desperately wanting a child. Her prayers were so desperate that Eli, the priest, thought she was drunk. Perhaps, God was waiting for Hannah to get so desperate that she was willing to pray, “God, if You will give me a child, I will give him back to You all the days of his life.”
When Hannah came to the place where she was willing to give up her child and let God have complete control of his life, then God gave her a child whom she named Samuel. I don’t know what dad thought. He didn’t seem to have any say in the matter.
That had to be difficult as a mother to hand her child over to Eli, the priest, when he was approximately 4 or 5 years old, knowing she would probably only see him once a year. But she kept her promise to God and Samuel became a prophet used mightily by God.
God blessed Hannah with many more children after Samuel, but Samuel is the only one that the Bible records God using and raising up to be a prophet.
Samuel was the prophet who anointed Saul to become king over Israel and then anointed David to become king over Israel. There are 2 books in the Bible dedicated to Samuel, the prophet, because of Hannah’s desperate prayer and promise.
ADOPTIVE MOMS....
Did you know there are adoptive moms mentioned in the Bible?
Leah stepped in to raise her nephews, Joseph and Benjamin, after her sister, Rachel, passed away in childbirth. There were contentions between the two of them at times, but they loved each other. I’m sure Leah missed Rachel often.
This is only speculation on my part, but I can see her looking at Joseph as he would smile a certain way reminding her of Rachel’s smile. Or baby Benjamin’s eyes would gleam with excitement reminding her of the gleam she used to see in Rachel’s eyes. Leah was their aunt, but she also became a mother figure to those 2 boys.
There was another aunt who stepped up to raise her nephews after her sister passed that many do not think or know about.
King Saul promised David that he would marry his oldest daughter, Merab. But then, for some reason, when it came time for David to marry Merab, Saul married her off to a man named Adriel. (1 Samuel 18:19)
King Saul did not want David as a son-in-law. He was jealous of him. When he found out his daughter, Michal, loved David, he sent David on a sure-death mission, but God was with David and helped him to conquer the Philistines. Saul was backed into a corner and had to keep his word to allow David to marry Michal.
Eventually Saul was killed and David became King, making Michal the queen. But Michal despised David’s worship and mocked him for it. God heard and closed her womb. She had no children until the day she died. (2 Sam 6:23)
However, 2 Samuel 21:8, tells us that Michal raised the 5 sons of her sister, Merab, for her brother-in-law, Adriel, indicating that her sister had passed away at some point so she stepped in to raise her nephews. Michal was their aunt, but she also became a mother figure to those 5 boys. Unfortunately, it does not appear she was a godly figure to them nor did she raise them to be godly.
MOTHERS, TEACH YOUR CHILDREN DILIGENTLY....
I think about Jochebed and what the heartache she must have felt as a mother. She and her family were in slavery in Egypt. She already had two children named Miriam and Aaron. Then, she found out she was expecting another child.
She may have anticipated the child’s arrival with a mixture of joy and fear - not knowing what the future held for her soon coming little one and because they were all mistreated daily. Then, terror gripped her heart as news spread that Pharoah ordered all the male children to be killed as soon as they were born. She didn’t know if she was having a boy or girl, but she knew didn’t want to lose her baby.
Time came for the baby’s arrival, and she may have cried with fear as the midwives announced, “it’s a boy!” But the fear of God was in the hearts of those midwives and they did not kill the child. Jochebed did her best to hide him for 3 months until she couldn’t hide him any longer.
In her desperation, she made an ark out of bulrushes and sealed it with slime and with pitch, then laid her precious baby boy inside and laid it in the edge of the water. (Ex 2:3) Perhaps, she was hoping the rocking of the ark in the water would soothe and rock her baby to sleep so no one would know he was there while she went back to work.
That was not an easy task for that mother’s heart. She had to trust him into the Lord’s care. God had preserved him this far. This is speculation on my part, but I believe Jochebed prayed for God to continue to protect and watch over her baby.
Big sister, Miriam, stood a little ways off, keeping watch over him. She watched anxiously as Pharoah’s daughter approached the water’s edge where her baby brother was hidden. Then her heart sunk as Pharoah’s daughter noticed the ark with her baby brother inside.
Pharoah’s daughter opened the ark and saw the baby inside. She immediately recognized that it was a Hebrew baby, but had compassion when she heard him crying. Miriam came quickly out of hiding and asked Pharoah’s daughter if she wanted her to find someone to take care of the baby for her. Pharoah’s daughter said yes so guess who Miriam went to find? Her and her baby brother’s mother.
I would imagine Jochebed felt fear as she approached Pharoah’s daughter. But her fear quickly turned to relief and joy when Pharoah’s daughter handed the baby over to her and told her she would PAY her to take care of the baby until he was old enough to be brought back to her home.
Jochebed was able to care for and raise her baby until he was approximately 4 or 5 years old. She did not spend those few precious years haphazardly. She DILIGENTLY taught him about the ONE TRUE GOD. She instilled godly values into his heart and mind. She knew she only had a few short years to teach him that there is only ONE GOD and HIM ONLY shall we serve.
Then, time came where she had to hand him back over to Pharoah’s daughter. Oh, that had to be a struggle and so painfully hard for that mom. She had to trust that she had taught him enough to keep him from serving the false gods and idols that the Egyptians served. She had to place him in God’s hands as she placed him into Pharoah’s daughter’s care.
He would be well taken care of financially, but if he gains the whole kingdom yet loses his soul, he has lost everything.
The Bible does not say he was given a name until then when she called him ‘Moses’ because she drew him out of the water. What Jochebed taught and intilled in Moses stayed with him as he grew. Once he became an adult, he made the decision to serve the One True God and stand with the Hebrews rather than to continue to be called the son of Pharoah’s daughter. God used Moses to deliver the Hebrews out of Egyptian slavery.
Moms/Grandmas/anyone who can be a godly influence in these children’s lives, we only have a few short years with these children before they go off into the world. And the world is pulling hard at their hearts and minds through the things they see, things they hear, and what they are being taught in schools and in colleges. TEACH THEM DILIGENTLY THE WAYS OF THE LORD every chance you get. Read the Bible to them daily. Talk about God and His Word often.
The Bible instructs us in Deuteronomy 6 to TEACH THEM DILIGENTLY, to talk about the things that are written in God’s Word as you’re sitting in your house, as you’re walking by the way (driving down the road), when they first get up in the morning and as they lay down to go to sleep at night.
Get God’s word in their heart so that when they see things on tiktok or some other social media, they will know and be able to discern between what lines up with God’s truth and what is a lie from the devil. And so that they will CHOOSE TRUTH and reject false doctrine as Moses did.
The most important thing that we can invest into our children is the eternal. Invest into them the things of God, because if they become successful in this life yet lose their soul, they have succeeded in nothing. Because where they spend eternity is what matters most.
SINGLE MOMS AND WIDOWS....
There was a mother named, Naomi. Many know of her. She had a husband named Elimelech and two sons named Malon and Chilion. Mahlon means ‘sick’ which seems to indicate that he was born with some health issues. It is thought that Chilion had health issues as well.
As a mom, I’m sure Naomi did all that she could to help her boys be as healthy as she possibly could. Then a famine afflicted the land and food was scarce so Elimelech moved their family to the land of Moab which was not affected by the famine.
They were in a strange land amongst strangers when Naomi’s husband died. She was now a widow and a single mom raising 2 teenage boys....alone in a foreign place without friends or family near to help. Still, she did the best she could under the circumstances.
The boys grew up and married. I’m sure Naomi’s heart was torn as she watched the boys she raised to love and serve God both choose to marry women who did not know or love the God they served. Still, she loved Orpah and Ruth, her new daughter-in-laws, and I’m sure she tried to be a godly influence on both of them.
They were settled in and adjusting to life in Moab. Ten years had now passed, and I have to wonder if Naomi pondered as to why she did not have any grandchildren running around her feet yet.
Then, tragedy struck again. The Bible does not say what happened, but both Mahlon and Chilion passed away. Naomi had lost her husband and now her boys. There were no grandchildren and Naomi saw no reason to stay in a strange land with no family or friends nearby.
She packed up her things and told Orpah and Ruth to go back to their fathers’ houses. Orpah cried at the thought of leaving Naomi, but returned back to her home. She missed her old life and went back to the ways of the world and back to serving the same false gods that she once served. (Ruth 1:15)
While Ruth made the decision to stick with Naomi no matter where they went or what may happen. She saw something in Naomi that she wanted more of.
She told Naomi, “Whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.” Ruth made the decision to continue serving the same God that Naomi served.
Everyone back home was so excited to see Naomi return. Naomi was glad to be back home yet her heart hurt as memories flooded her mind of a happier time in her life when she walked those roads with her husband and two boys.
When she left, she had her family. Now, she felt so empty. She felt alone. She felt God was against her. She felt BITTER as she told those who greeted her, “Call me not Naomi, call me MARA (meaning BITTER) for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.”
Life can deal some bitter blows that zap all joy out of us. That’s how Naomi felt.
Ruth tried to stick close and help her as best she could. Ruth offered to go into the fields and glean ears of corn so they would have something to eat. Naomi, told her she could go.
Ruth was a stranger in a strange land that considered her a pagan ungodly woman, yet she wanted to learn to serve the God they served and become more like them. God saw not who she was, but who she would become as He led her to the field of Boaz, a relative of her deceased father-in-law.
Boaz recognized there was a stranger in his field and inquired who she was. The servant told him she is a Moabite who returned with Naomi. Boaz had compassion as he told her she would not need to worry or search for any other field to glean in. He let her know she would be safe there and no one would mistreat her. He even instructed the reapers to leave handfuls of extra on purpose.
Ruth was so grateful for his kindness. When she came home with an abundant amount of food, Naomi was overwhelmed as she saw it and realized that God had not forsaken her.
It wasn’t long before Boaz married Ruth.
Naomi’s bitterness turned to joy as God blessed her with a grandson named Obed. Obed, grew and eventually had a son named Jesse. Jesse grew and eventually had a son named David, who became King of Israel.
Ruth, who was once considered an outcast, became the great grandmother of David, the King of Israel; is in the bloodline of Jesus, the Messiah; and has a book in the Bible dedicated to her story.
Naomi no longer wanted to be called Mara (bitter); she wanted to be called by her name Naomi (which means pleasant).
We can learn from Naomi that even in the bitter times, God has not left nor forsaken us. Keep your eyes on Him. Naomi could not see how the bitter things she went through would eventually be for not only her good but for all of our good.
If she had not went to Moab and went through all that she went through, she would not have brought Ruth back to Israel. If she had not brought Ruth back to Israel to meet Boaz, King David would not have eventually been born and the bloodline through which our Messiah and Redeemer came.
It’s difficult to see the sun shining beyond the clouds due to the rain of tears, but it’s still shining.
JOB’S WIFE...
Job’s wife gets a bad wrap. Every time she is mentioned, it is with a negative connotation. Her name is not ever mentioned, but think about what she went through....
She was married to a succesful, wealthy man, whom many esteemed, therefore, she, too was esteemed. It is said of Job that he was the greatest of all the men in the east. (Job 1:3) They had an abundance of livestock, servants, a very great household - they kinda needed that having 10 kids.
When Job lost everything, she lost everything, too! It is one thing to lose your wealth and cattle, but she also lost her babies - all 10 of them at once. That is a very painful difficult blow for a mother. The reports of their loss were back to back - she didn’t even have time to process everything before they received another and another and another report that this was gone, that was gone, everything was GONE!
Job handled it better than his wife. After all reports had come in, Job fell down and WORSHIPPED the Lord. (Job 1:20) People began to look at them as if they had sinned and angered God. She was grieving. She was confused. She may have even done some soul searching trying to understand why all this came upon them - and all at once.
Then, her husband becomes afflicted with gross ooozing sours. Now, everyone thinks for sure they have sinned. Even Job’s comforters were not comforting. They were accusing. Job’s wife heard all this.
Those who once greeted her with honor, most likely avoided her now. She could see them whispering as they glanced over at her with upturned noses.
I truly believe Lot’s wife battled bitterness. She didn’t understand why God had allowed these calamaties to come upon them. Those she needed comfort from now scorned her. Her husband is sick so she has extra work trying to care for him. Most of the servants were killed so she has no help and they lost everything so they couldn’t afford to pay them anyway.
She was in the gall of bitterness. It appears she was suffering possibly because of her husband’s secret sin since he was now covered in sores. Finally, she had enough as she frustratedly told her husband, “Dost thou retain thine integrity? Curse God and die.”
No, her heart was not right. No, she shouldn’t have said that. But think about all she was going through. Her heart was broken. Her mind was reeling. She was in the pit of despair and it caused bitterness to spew out of her.
Eventually, God restored back to Job and to his wife everything they had lost plus more. God was merciful and forgiving to Job’s wife and blessed them with 10 more children. They didn’t take the place of the ones they had lost, but it helped comfort that mother’s heart. All of a sudden, everyone who forsook and condemned them, returned and showered them with gifts.
There are so many lessons to be learned from each of these women.
Eve - we cannot be blamed for our children’s actions.
Sarah and Hannah - God has a purpose in the waiting. Trust Him!
Leah and Michal - Women who stepped up to help raise someone else’s children. One was a godly influence; the other was not. We need to be a godly influence. Children are watching and learning from each of us...good or bad.
Jochebed - when we’ve done everything we can to teach our children God’s ways, we have to then trust them into God’s hands.
Naomi - life’s bitter blows may bend us low, but God will bring joy from the pain one day if we keep our eyes on Him.
Ruth - a person’s past does not define their future.
Job’s wife - We focus on what Job was going through but I never hear anyone discuss what Job’s wife must have been going through. His trial affected her. Just because someone is going through the worst trial of their life and it looks to man’s eyes like God is against them, doesn’t mean that He is.
Everyone talks about mental health - Job’s wife was not in a good state mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. She needed someone to be there for her and walk with her through her trial. She needed an encourager and a shoulder to cry on. She needed a friend. I think God understands women and our emotions more than we do. He made us and He cares - thank God that He does!
There were so many more women in the Bible and what they went through that I could have mentioned, but time wouldn’t allow. Perhaps you can relate to one of these women mentioned...or several. Perhaps you thought of how it relates to someone else as you listened to each of these women’s stories.
God knows and He understands us.
We need each other and need to pray for each other more than ever before. I am praying for each and every lady (not just moms).
