The responsibility Mothers have

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Hosea 10:14Therefore a tumult will arise among your people,
And all your fortresses will be destroyed,
As Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle,
When mothers were dashed in pieces with their children.

Hosea 11:9-10
9 I will not execute My fierce anger;
I will not destroy Ephraim again
For I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst,
And I will not come in wrath.
10 They will walk after the LORD,
He will roar like a lion;
Indeed He will roar
And His sons will come trembling from the west.

Hosea the prophet said that the day that punishment falls upon God's people will be like the time when Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel. When that happened, the women were dashed in pieces with their children. Lately, I've been reading of horrific details such as pregnant women being ripped open (2 Kings 15:16) and the slaying the precious ones of Ephriam's womb (Hosea 9:16). It's easy to glaze over such discomforting words. God is an all loving God, right? But I must examine this closer. I am compelled to. What is evident in these descriptions is that women and their children have a special bond. They have a symbiotic relationship. God has placed his creative characteristic in women by giving her the ability to bear new life and create more humans. Of course, she can't do it alone. She needs man and man needs her. However, it says in the Bible that sons do not pay for the sins of their fathers and fathers do not pay for the sins of their sons (Deut. 24:16). Yet, it is not the same here for women. When the children must be cut off, their mothers go with them. Is it because women are vessels of the children until birth? Is it because the women can produce more children, so they must go as well? I think I'm missing the point here. I don't think God wants to destroy women and children. He says, "be fruitful and increase in number" (Genesis 1:28). Also, God says in Hosea 11:9-10 that He will not execute His wrath, but He will roar so that His children return to Him. God never wants these horrible things to happen to women and children, but He knows that if they continue in sin, the worst is coming. God must roar so that we listen to His authority. It is because He loves us that He sends His Word to us to lead us to repentance.

So, the point I believe God is teaching me today is that I have a huge role to play as a mother. I need to be listening to God all the time. If I don't listen, God will roar. Not because He wants to frighten me, or intends to devour me, but because He loves me and doesn't want me to continue in that direction. As a mother, I have a direct responsibility in raising my child to listen to God's voice and to be obedient to what He says. God is the one protecting my baby and I. He has also appointed a righteous and trustworthy father, Hanzo, who will lead the family in God's way. My life is forever tied to this baby. It's a beautiful and miraculous thing! However, that also means that I must approach motherhood with all the respect and reverence that it deserves. Motherhood is never to be taken lightly. There are consequences of sin although repentance is never far away. I must make sure to be upright and listening to God, not only for my sake, but for the sake of my baby as well.

Heavenly Father, this is a very complex devotion, but I thank You for sticking by my side through it all. I pray that I meditate on Your word all the time. Please reveal to me every gem of wisdom that You want me to catch. Lord, I pray for forgiveness. I desire all the thoughts and desires of my heart to be pure. Please cleanse me and sanctify me, Lord. I love You and praise You for the miracle that is developing inside of me! Lord, I pray for my husband, that You would continue to pour out Your wisdom and love in His life. I pray for Lianne and her mission team in Israel! Lord, protect them and anoint them to do Your good works! I pray all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.