“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” ( Isaiah 49:15).
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my role as a mother, primarily because both my children have recently experienced challenging situations, and I found these situations were either out of my hands or out of place for me to intervene. Sometimes God uses circumstances to solidify our role as a parent rather than as a god in the lives of our children.
While meditating on my role as a mother, I came across Isaiah 49:15. The prophet Isaiah was speaking to the nation of Judah when the kingdom was divided, but in a larger sense, He was speaking to God’s people in general. Here, specifically, the subject was the upcoming salvation and restoration. However, the Lord’s people were struggling to see that this salvation and restoration was even possible for them. Zion (God’s people) feared that they had out-sinned their blessings. The previous verse (v. 14) states, “But Zion said, ‘The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.’” Isaiah answers with three truths in his prophetic role of speaking God’s Word to the people.
The first truth comes in the form of a rhetorical question: “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?” The point of a rhetorical question is that the answer is obvious. Rather than making a definitive statement, an author uses a rhetorical question to evoke a sense of certainty about the answer. Mothers are pros at rhetorical questions:
“Are you really going out dressed like that?”
“If all of your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do it too?”
“What do you think your father would have to say about that?”
In all cases, the answer is obvious, and an intuitive child recognizes the need to act in accordance with the implied message, rather than provide an actual answer.
God’s rhetorical question reveals the obvious truth here in Scripture: obviously, women are loving toward their children. A mother’s love is a gift from God, written in her design. Her instinct is to love, to care, to nurture. This is all very much a part of who God designed her to be.
A mom is tender; she will wipe a stray tear off her child’s cheek. A mom is strong when her child is struggling. A mom selflessly provides her own body to give life to her child. A mom is a very real, live, tangible illustration of God’s love for us. This first truth reminds us that God created mothers this way. A mother’s God-designed nature is at the root of the rhetorical question here.
But that doesn’t really paint the entire picture, does it? Because even though a mother’s love is a gift from God, that love is not perfect because mothers are not perfect. Non-perfect mother love is the point of the second truth we find here: “even these may forget.”
As much as we wish it was not so, mothers are flawed, sinful, selfish human beings. If she is being honest, even a good mom can tell you about a time she neglected to be careful of her child’s needs.
Some time ago, I was walking from Sunday School to the main worship service when I caught up with my teenage daughter in a flurry of adolescent girls. Her eyes were red and puffy. Knowing she was struggling with allergies that morning, I greeted her with “Wow! Your eyes look REALLY bad!” It was the look of horror on her friends’ faces that caught my attention, and I realized that they all had puffy red eyes. As it turned out, it was not allergies. The youth pastor had just announced he was moving, and the girls were understandably upset. Not only did I overlook her emotional distress, but I embarrassed her by pointing out her off-putting looks in front of her friends. Ack!
This is a relatively small thing, of course, but every parent misses the mark. Many times we make decisions that are not entirely best for our kids. Even while a mom is loving and kind, she is still inherently selfish and sinful.
Unfortunately, as Scripture says, some moms do completely forget their children. Some are present physically but not emotionally. Some moms are slaves to addiction or abuse or mental illness. Some moms love themselves too much to have any love left over to give their child. Some moms abandon their children and never look back. Some moms simply do not give their children motherly love.
But Scripture does not let this sad truth linger long. In His mercy, God loves us too much to leave us in the consequences of our own sinful nature without providing hope. As Romans 5:21 tells us, “Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.”
A third truth found in this verse begins with a very powerful word—yet—at the end of verse 15—”Even these may forget, YET I will not forget you.”
Even in our flawed nature, God gives us the capacity for kind, nurturing, motherly love. How much more loving is our flawless God?
A mom might wipe a stray tear off her child’s cheek, but Revelation 21:4 tells us that God will wipe every tear from our eyes, for all eternity. A mom might provide strength when her child is struggling, but Psalm 46:1 tells us that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble.” A mom may sacrifice her body to give her child life, but Jesus sacrificed His body and gave His life for each of us. Moms show love that is merely an echo of God’s love for us. I John 4:19 tells us that “we love because He first loved us.” Motherly love only exists because God loved first.
As Isaiah says, in His love, the Lord did not forget His people going into exile. They knew from their nation’s history that God did not forget His people. He didn’t forget the promise He made to Abraham. He didn’t forget Joseph when he was sold into slavery. He didn’t forget the Israelites wandering in the desert. He didn’t forget Rahab as she hid in her home. He didn’t forget David tending his father’s sheep. Even though the people knew God was faithful to remember, they looked around and felt discouraged by circumstances. It was hard to see that He was still there. Isaiah was the voice of the message that they needed to hear in that moment—God would not forget them.
When I feel discouraged and saddened watching my children struggle, I find meditating on God’s character and faithfulness in Scripture encouraging. Amidst difficult circumstances, He will not forget me. He will not forget my children. He loves them more than even I do. And He will not forget you either.
So, ladies, let’s revel in these three truths. First, motherly love is a gift from God as He designed us to nurture. Second, let us not idolize mothers, as we know mothers are sinful and prone to forget. Last, let’s praise the Lord who has not and will not forget us.
