Mother’s Day 2023

Jochabed: A Mother’s

And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a godly child, she hid him three months. And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink. - Exodus 2:1-3

Unnamed Widow: A Mother’s

He went to the town gate and saw a woman there gathering wood for a fire. She was a widow. Elijah said to her, “Would you bring me a small cup of water to drink?” As she was going to get the water, Elijah said, “Bring me a piece of bread too, please.” The woman answered, “I promise you, before the LORD your God, that I have nothing but a handful of flour in a jar and a little bit of olive oil in a jug. I came here to gather a few pieces of wood for a fire to cook our last meal. My son and I will eat it and then die from hunger.” Elijah said to the woman, “Don’t worry. Go home and cook your food as you said. But first make a small piece of bread from the flour that you have and bring it to me. Then cook some for yourself and your son. The LORD, the God of Israel, says, ‘That jar of flour will never be empty and the jug will always have oil in it. This will continue until the day the , the God of Israel, says, ‘That jar of flour will never be empty and the jug will always have oil in it. This will continue until the day the LORD sends rain to the land.’” So the woman went home and did what Elijah told her to do. And Elijah, the woman, and her son had enough food for a long time. The jar of flour and the jug of oil were never empty. This happened just as the LORD said through Elijah. - 1 Kings 17:8-16

Hannah: A Mother’s

Now this man used to go up dyear by year from his city eto worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts fat Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord. On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, ghe would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb.1 And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? hAm I not more to you than ten sons?”
After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of ithe temple of the Lord. She was jdeeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. And she kvowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed llook on the affliction of your servant and mremember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life - 1 Samuel 1:3-11