Rizpah is little known Bible character. She was taken by Saul as a concubine and bore him two sons. Later, after the death of Saul, these two sons were hung for the crimes Saul committed against the Gibeonites when he broke the covenant that the Israelites made with them (Joshua 9:1-27).

This is when we read of the greatest demonstration of maternal affection we see in the Bible.

2 Samuel 21:10 (ESV)
¹⁰ Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until rain fell upon them from the heavens. And she did not allow the birds of the air to come upon them by day, or the beasts of the field by night.  

This period between the beginning of the harvest until rain fell would roughly correspond to the time between May and October on our calendar. WOW! Can you imagine Rizpah staying at this site of execution for 5 or 6 months, protecting the corpses of her sons from being devour by birds and wild animals? What would cause anyone to do that? Only a mother’s love.

Today is Mother’s Day. It is a day to honor mothers and the great influence they have on society. While fathers are the heads of households, mothers often have more influence on children than anyone else. This is true for a variety of reasons but none greater than their unique love. I think Helen Steiner Rice’s poem sums it up well.

“A Mother’s Love,” Helen Steiner Rice

A Mother’s love is something
that no one can explain,
It is made of deep devotion
and of sacrifice and pain,

It is endless and unselfish
and enduring come what may,
For nothing can destroy it
or take that love away,

It is patient and forgiving
when all others are forsaking,
And it never fails or falters
even though the heart is breaking,

It believes beyond believing
when the world around condemns,
And it glows with all the beauty
of the rarest, brightest gems,

It is far beyond defining,
it defies all explanation,
And it still remains a secret
like the mysteries of creation,

A many splendored miracle
man cannot understand
And another wondrous evidence
of God’s tender guiding hand.

Mothers who are godly and faithful to the Lord deserve double honor. They not only influence the world, they have a great impact on the church of Christ. More times than not, elders, preachers, deacons, Bible class teachers, and faithful, active members, have mothers who taught them the Word of God and showed them what the unconditional love of Christ looks like in practice. Timothy, a man with unfeigned faith, certainly would not have been what he became were it not for his godly mother.

2 Timothy 1:5 (ESV)
⁵ I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.

These godly women transferred faith to Timothy by teaching him the scriptures from an early age.

2 Timothy 3:14-15 (ESV)
¹⁴ But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it ¹⁵ and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Faithful mothers have been doing this ever since and the church is far better off because of it. Let us honor our mothers and grandmothers today, and be thankful for all that they have done and continue to do. Do you remember what Solomon said of the virtuous woman?

Proverbs 31:28 (ESV)
²⁸ Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:

Let us help this to be so on this Mother’s Day.