John K. Jenkins Sr - Distinctive Traits Between a Good and a Bad Mother

Turn with me to First Kings chapter 3. Here is a passage about Solomon, who became king at the young age of 20. He was 20 years old when he ascended to the throne and would reign for 40 years. During this reign, he faced a challenging situation recorded in this third chapter of First Kings, beginning at verse 16. It says, «Now two women who were harlots came to the king and stood before him.» One woman said, «Oh, my Lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house, and I gave birth while she was in the house. Then it happened the third day after I had given birth that this woman also gave birth, and we were together; no one was with us in the house except the two of us.»

Consider the situation: these two harlots, these two women of the night, both became pregnant and gave birth to two sons within three days of each other. They live in a house without a man — no husband, no boyfriend. In verse 19, it says, «And this woman 's son died in the night because she lay on him.» So, she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom and placed her dead child in my bosom. When I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead; but when I examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne.

Then the other woman said, «No, but the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.» The first woman said, «No, but the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.» Thus, they spoke before the king. He is in a situation where he must determine how to resolve this issue. These two women are fighting over a living child; one child has died, while the other is alive, and they are debating over who is the mother of this child.

I want to talk to you for a few moments about the traits-the distinctive traits-between a good and a bad mother. There are some traits, some indicators, and some characteristics. This is not an exhaustive list, but just a few things that I want to highlight in this particular case.

First, I want to spend a few moments discussing what a child is. I believe it’s important for people to understand that the responsibility of being a mother is a serious one. A child is not your toy or your prize; a child should not be used as a pawn in your disputes with their father. Children need nurturing, development, teaching, and discipline. Unfortunately, our culture and community have lost the art of mothering. We live in a generation where people are leaving their kids to raise themselves instead of raising them, and, if you’re not careful, the kids will raise you instead of you raising them.

My mother never asked me what I wanted for dinner. She didn’t make dinner according to my wishes or desires; she made dinner and put it in front of me. If I didn’t like what she put in front of me, she would wrap it in Reynolds Wrap and stick it in the refrigerator. When I got hungry later that night because I hadn’t eaten, she would bring it back out and say, «Here 's your dinner.»

This is the responsibility of parenting. So, Solomon is faced with these two mothers who have given birth to these sons, and one child has died in the night. Now they are debating about whose child it is. How does Solomon solve this? I’m glad you asked the question. In verse 24, look at verse 23. It says that the king said, «The one says, 'This is my son who lives, and your son is the dead one.' The other says, 'No, but your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.'» Then the king said, in verse 24, «Bring me a sword.» So they brought a sword before the king. The king said, «Divide the living child in two and give half to the one and half to the other.»

Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son. She said, «Oh, my Lord, give her the living child and by no means kill him.» But the other said, «Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.» So the king answered and said, «Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.»

What is demonstrated in this situation is the king 's wisdom, but it also reveals the traits of a true mother, a meaningful mother. Yes, these two women had some things in common: they were both prostitutes, they both had a history they would not be proud of, they both lived in the same house, and they both gave birth to sons within three days of each other. They both were without husbands and lived alone with their children. However, late in the middle of the night, a horrible thing occurs .