A CROWN FOR HER SON
A Mother’s Day Meditation
The young maiden had never seen anything to equal it. For pomp and splendour and glittering array it far excelled anything this country lass had ever envisaged – even in her wildest dreams.
She turned from the window and called one of the
attendants.
“Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like
pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the
merchant?” (Song of Solomon 3:6).
And the reply comes that it is King Solomon! Surrounded by his 60 “valiant men” all
arrayed in dazzling uniforms and bearing their glistening swords and shields,
comes the King of Israel.
Ostrich feathers gaily wave around his
palanquin; there are tapestry hangings
woven by loving hands, and silver pillars set in gold.
For the young lass from the hills of Shunem it was a
breathtaking sight. She bids the
attendants to “go forth” and meet the coming bridegroom.
“Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold King
Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his
espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart” (Song of Solomon 3:11).
“The crown wherewith his mother crowned him.” It could mean some garland of flowers made
especially for the occasion now resting upon the royal brow.
Or the reference may well be to the part played by
Bathsheba in getting her son crowned King of Israel. It had been a time of intrigue and rebellion as Adonijah,
Solomon’s elder brother, had laid claim to the throne of his dying father.
But through the intervention of Bathsheba – the
story is told in the opening chapter of I Kings – the crown had gone to
Solomon.
Whatever the meaning of the phrase, “the crown
wherewith his mother crowned him”, it becomes a blessed reminder that still
today mothers may crown their children with a diadem more precious than that
which ever sat upon the head of the King of Israel.
Blessed indeed is the child who has a praying
mother!
Solomon may have his wealth and fame and earthly
wisdom and a golden gem-encrusted crown – but the child with a praying mother
is adorned with greater riches.
Oh, I know mothers are busy people.
But the mother who is too busy to pray for her
children … is too busy …
In Holy Scripture we see the example of Hannah who
prayed for Samuel before he was born (I Samuel 1:10). And kept praying for him after he was born! (I Samuel 1:27; 2:1).
Rizpay, the mother who kept watch over her seven
dead sons, and “suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day
nor the beasts of the field by night” (2 Samuel 21:9-10), is a solemn reminder
that in the quiet place of prayer mothers can watch over their children and
protect them from that which would cause harm.
Church history tells of Monica, the godly mother of
Augustine. Forbidden by her pagan
husband to bring her child up in the Christian faith, yet Monica crowned her
son with a prayerful environment. And
Augustine eventually became Bishop of Hippo, the most influential of the Church
Fathers.
He wrote:
“It was owing to the faithful and daily prayers of my mother that I did
not perish”. (Quoted in Mothers of
Famous Men, by A. Wallace, p. 15).
In the saga of Hudson Taylor, founder of the great
China Inland Mission, is the striking incident of June, 1849. His mother, 80 miles away at the time of his
conversion, “had felt such overwhelming desire to pray for Hudson that she
spent hours on her knees and had arisen with the unshakable conviction that her
prayers were answered…” (Hudson Taylor and Maria, by J. Pollock, p. 18).
Dr Reuben Archer Torrey, revivalist and first
Superintendent of the Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, tells of his
conversion: “I had gone to bed with no
more thought of becoming a Christian that I had of jumping over the moon. But my mother was praying … and praying that
I would become a minister of the Gospel.
And though I had gotten over sermons and arguments and churches and
everything else, I could not get over my mother’s prayers” (R.A. Torrey,
by R. Martin, p. 34).
I wash the dirt from little
feet,
And as I wash I pray,
“Lord, keep them ever pure
and true
to walk the narrow way.”
I wash the dirt from little
hands,
And earnestly I ask,
“Lord, may they ever yielded
be
to do the humblest task.”
I wash the dirt from little
knees,
And pray, “Lord, may they be
The place where victories
are won,
And orders sought from
Thee.”
I scrub the clothes that
soil so soon,
And pray, “Lord, may her
dress
Throughout eternal ages be
Thy robe of righteousness.”
- Barbara Cornet Ryberg
Precious indeed is the crown of a prayerful
environment.
So many of today’s great Christian leaders first
learned the Bible stories – and memorised verses – at their mother’s knees.
Two children were comparing the excellencies of
their respective homes.
“We have two maid-servants and a butler,” said one.
“That’s nothing,” replied his little friend. “We have a cook, a maid, a servant, a washer
woman, a messenger, a gardener, and a teacher.” And under his breath he added – “Mum!”
Certainly, whilst the Bible makes it clear that
father is “head of the home” – yet upon mother rests so much responsibility of
shaping the young lives committed to her.
From a child Timothy had known the Holy
Scriptures. And where had he learned
them? - from his grandmother, Lois, and
his mother, Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5;
3:15).
The crown of
Christian instruction placed upon the head of Paul’s young helper was of value
far beyond all the crowns that Solomon ever wore.
Susannah Wesley, that most remarkable mother, “gave
each child an evening in the week during which she counselled and encouraged
him in the Word of God. John Wesley’s
evening was Thursday.” (The
Christian Home, by N. Williams, p. 30).
Dr Campbell Morgan wrote how he used to “play
church” as a youngster – preaching to his little sister. “My sermons were Bible stories I had heard
first from my mother,” he added.
“Punch”, the world-famous English magazine, once ran a
cartoon – a child stumbling over a stone in the road-way looks up to his mother
and says, “Mum, why don’t you look where I’m going?”
And in that amusing quip is a ton of spiritual
truth. So often it is the example set
of mother that will determine the way her children will walk in the years
ahead.
I like the story of the four young fellows
discussing modern translations of the Bible.
“I like the Good News Bible”, said one. Another chimed in, “Give me the Living Bible
any day.” The third spoke up, “I prefer
J.B. Phillips’ translation. What about
you, George?”
George smiled.
“I like my mother’s translation best,” he said.
“Your mother’s?” echoed his friends. “Didn’t know she was a Greek scholar; is it published? What is it called?”
“No,” said George.
“You have got me wrong. My
mother translates the Bible into a godly life.”
And what better translation could a young fellow
have than that?
Thank God for the crown of a godly example!
But not all children are so blessed.
One preacher has posed the question – “What example
did the mother of Judas Iscariot set?”
When he was a toddler, was she out busy with her
social circle? And when he was going
off to school each morning, was she still in bed sleeping off a hangover?
When young Judas had problems that he wanted to talk
over – was she always “too busy” to lend an ear? And when discipline was needed was she “too soft” to administer
the necessary punishment? Did she
threaten … but never carry it out?
What stories did she teach the little fellow … of
David and Moses and Absalom? Or the
myths of the heathen?
On the Sabbath day … did she take him to the
synagogue? Or was it “too hot” or “too
cold”, or was she “too tired”?
And when Judas first met Jesus and the other
disciples, was there a word of encouragement and an invitation to bring his
friends home for a meal? Or did she
berate him about getting mixed up with a group of religious fanatics?
And when Judas betrayed his Master for 30 pieces of
silver, was she praying for her wayward son?
Or was she part of the crowd that cried out, “Crucify Him, crucify
Him!”?
Eternity alone will reveal the answers to those
questions.
But this we do know – there is a wonderful tiara – a
triple crown – that mothers can bestow upon their children even today – the
crown of a Prayerful Environment, the crown of Christian Instruction, and the
crown of a Godly Example.
And if we could call across the intervening
centuries to King Solomon and ask him concerning the crown Bathsheba made for
him, me-thinks we would hear him say, “Would to God she had also prayed for me
and taught me the Word of God. And
lived a holy life. That’s a crown more
to be desired than any that ever adorned my brow …”
D.P.
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