From Eden to Today: 5 Biblical Moms and Their Lessons

I want to talk to ya about five biblical moms and their lessons for modern motherhood. The motherhood journey is not a straight shot between two points. It is a long game, with a winding path. These women walked that path before us, and even in today’s modern society, I think they can teach us valuable lessons.

As we just celebrated Mother’s Day, I have found myself thinking about the moms who have come before us, their experiences, how they navigated the world, and the time period they raised children. This train of thought led me to think about mothers in scripture and the joys and challenges they must have faced.

Pioneer

Eve – Genesis 1-4 (NIV)

Yes, Eve is credited with the first sin, but that is not the end of her story. I mean, imagine, who among us has had to move with their young family and start over? She did first. And think about what that wild world outside of Eden must have been like. She lost two children, the one who was murdered and the one who killed. She had to figure it all out…without her own mother to call for help. Could you imagine how fearful she must have been?

Her husband honored her by naming her Eve, “the mother of all the living” (Genesis 3:20 NIV).

Trust

Sarah – Genesis 16-23 (NIV)

Sarah is the mother who trusted God’s promises. She endured what many of us do when we are ready to start our families. She waited a long time, and for all intents and purposes, at the age she was when she conceived, she and her husband had given up on having a child of their own.

Sarah’s story can encourage us still today as modern moms face infertility, challenges with adoption, or even just the anxious among us.

Hebrews 11:11 (NIV) says, “And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise.”

Courage

Jochebed – Exodus 2: 1-10 (NIV)

I remember reading this story to the children a while back. Jochebed’s story is really a story of two mothers. Faced with an unimaginable situation, Jochebed had to make the hardest decision of her life to save her son. The amount of strength she must have had to put Moses in that basket and the faith she put in God is a testament we can all learn from. Jochebed embodies resourcefulness, courage, and the fierce love of a mother.

“But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile,” Exodus 2:3 (NIV).

And God worked it all out, didn’t He? The pharaoh’s daughter chose to adopt him and then brought Jochebed in to wet nurse him was no accident. And of course, this hid the child in plain sight of the pharaoh, allowing the child to evade the death decree made against him.

Prayer and Sacrifice

Hannah – 1 Samuel 1-2 (NIV)

Hannah is one of my personal favorites. A friend suggested her scripture when I was dealing with my third miscarriage years ago. Hannah exemplifies the power of prayer and selfless love.

Hannah’s deep desire for a child was all-consuming. She prayed faithfully and promised God that if He would only give her a child, she would return him to His service. Her story teaches us to prioritize spiritual values and make sacrifices for our children.

1 Samuel 1:10-11 (NIV) tells us that, “In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, ‘Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.’”

Faith and Obedience

Mary – The Mother of Jesus

Arguably, there is too much to unpack when we discuss Mary. I often think about her age and what it must have been like for her as such a young bride during a time when women would be shamed and possibly put to death for becoming pregnant before marriage.

But no matter how scared she must have been, she emphatically and without hesitation said yes to Gabriel, showing her profound faith and obedience to the Lord. She then raised Jesus and his brothers and supported Jesus’ ministry from that first day at the synagogue to the cross.

She had that devotion from the moment she replied to Gabriel’s good news, “’I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May your word to me be fulfilled.’ Then the angel left her,” Luke 1:38 (NIV).

We are Blessed

Thank you, Eve, Sarah, Jochebed, Hannah, and Mary, for teaching us how despite our own circumstances, we can learn lessons in courage, faith, protection, sacrifice, and devotion as we navigate the wonderful chaos of motherhood with all of its challenges and joys.

Remember friends, Proverbs 31:28 (NIV), “Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.” God is there even amid the hard stuff. He saw these women through, and He will do the same for us too! You’ve got this. You’re doing a wonderful job. Happy Mother’s Day!