This post by Joe Tyrpak comes from Gospel Meditations for Women (Day 11: “God Compares Himself to a Mother”).
Throughout the Bible, God (Who is not human, so neither male nor female) consistently reveals Himself as Father rather than Mother, King rather than Queen, Shepherd rather than Shepherdess, and Husband rather than Wife. However, there are a few occasions when He reveals the greatness of His love by comparing Himself to a mother. Three of these are found toward the end of Isaiah.
God compares His uniqueness to a mother’s uniqueness
In confronting Israel’s idolatry, the Lord calls her to consider His uniqueness. Through Isaiah He says: “Listen to me…all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you” (Isaiah 46:3–4).
In other words, God says, “You have only one mother. There is only one person in the world who carried you in the womb for nine months, and went through the travail of labor and delivery for you. I, the Lord, am like that to you.” Like a mother, God lovingly gave you new life through Christ and promises to love you forever (John 1:12–13; 3:3–8).
God compares His attentiveness to a mother’s attentiveness
In Isaiah 49 the Lord declares that He will certainly save His people through His Servant, a prophecy of the Lord Jesus. Although Israel is blaming God for forgetting about them, God reassures them that He has certainly not forgotten.
And He communicates this with the most powerful illustration—a nursing mother: “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you” (v. 15). The Lord is even more attentive to His people’s needs than a mother is attending to her nursing child. Wow!
God compares His comfort to a mother’s comfort
In Isaiah’s final chapter, the Lord assures His people (who are presently suffering) that He will most certainly comfort them. Listen to how God describes life in the new heavens and earth: “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse, you shall be carried upon her hip, and bounced upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you” (Isaiah 66:12–13).
We all can imagine a well-fed baby, smiling as she bounces on her mother’s knee—laughing with glee as Mommy plays peek-a-boo with her. That picture of a mother comforting her child is what God draws to tell how He will soon comfort and bless His people in the New Jerusalem.
Believer, do you realize that God loves you more than a mother loves the child she carried for nine months, that God is attentive to you more than a new mother is attentive to her nursing child, and that God will forever bless you with joy just like a mother comfortingly plays with her infant? Consider a mother’s love, and let that give you a tiny glimpse of the greatness of God’s love for you.
Let the gospel remind you of God’s great love.
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31 daily Bible studies on a wide range of topics, with relevant encouragement for all women, whether married or single. Each day’s article suggests a Scripture reading, unpacks a portion of the passage, then concludes with an application to everyday life. The booklet includes articles that are evangelistic, that focus on general Christian living, and that address singleness, marriage, and motherhood.
