12 Inspiring Mothers in the Bible

12 Inspiring Mothers In The Bible

With Mother’s Day coming up next month, I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to share with you a list of inspiring mother’s in the Bible. These women were faithful, obedient servants of God and give us such great encouragement for how Christian moms are to be. Essentially, these women are our role models. 

When we think about these mothers in the Bible as our role models, it should inspire us to become more like how they were, and less like worldly women. There are too many negative influences in this world, especially for women, for how we are supposed to look, act, think, behave and dress. But this is such a great reminder that God’s Word is so powerful and so insightful. He has given us a chance to better understand Godly women that have lived throughout history. God gives us role models to look up to, and be encouraged by.

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at these 12 inspiring mothers in the Bible:

OLD TESTAMENT MOTHERS IN THE BIBLE

1. Eve – The Mother Of All Living

   Genesis 3:20 – ““And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living”. 

   Eve was the first woman who was created by God from Adam’s rib. She was also the first wife, and first mother, ever. She was the first mother to go through child birth. There were many other firsts that she also experienced which was experiencing her sons being at odds and the loss of her son, Abel (whom Cain killed).

2. Sarah – The Mother Who Waited

   Genesis 17:16 – “And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her”. 

   Sarah and Abraham longed to have children together, but she was barren for such a long time. She even gave her maiden, Hagar, over to Abraham, to conceive. When they were in their old age, God sent three angels to Abraham to let him know that God’s promise to Abraham would be that he would become a father of many nations. As promised, Sarah was with child and gave birth to Isaac.

3. Hagar – The Mother Who Was Able To Endure Such Hardships

   Genesis 16:1-4 – “Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes”. 

   The story of Hagar comes from Genesis 16; 21:1-21, and was a servant to Abraham and Sarah. Because Sarah couldn’t have children at this point in time, she made Hagar have sex with Abraham, and thus, became pregnant with his first-born son, Ishmael. Hagar began to despise Sarah and ended up fleeing into the wilderness. An angel of the Lord came to her and said that she should return to Sarah and submit to her. The angel also said that God will multiply her seed for she was pregnant with Ishmael. God saw her, and came to her. He comforted her and gave her the right advice on what to do at this point (Genesis 16). 

   God later opened up Sarah’s womb and was able to give her the gift of bearing her own son, Isaac (Genesis 21:1-8). Through this, Hagar and her son became a threat to Sarah because Ishmael had the first-born rights of inheritance. Sarah didn’t like this because she wanted Isaac to have it all. So, Hagar was cast out; Abraham gave Hagar a fraction of what her and Ishmael were rightfully entitled to, and then decided to wander in the wilderness of Beersheba.

   Hagar found herself alone in the desert near a spring. She was running out of food and water for both herself and her son and could see her son struggling, so she started crying. God heard her and came to her and said do not be afraid, I have heard your son struggling. He opened up Hagar’s eyes and got her to see the well of water where she was able to get more water for her son. He also told Hagar that He would make Ishmael a great nation (Genesis 21:17-21). Later on, Ishmael grew up, and dwelt in the wilderness of Pa’ran with his mother. 

   The moral of this story is that if you or your children are struggling, God will come to you and help you out. Hagar was basically kicked out of her home where Abraham and Sarah were, and were hardly given anything to survive. Her son was struggling, and she broke down into tears, calling out for God to help her. Read more about the story of Hagar here. 

4. Rebekah – The Mother Who Had Great Faith

   Genesis 24:67 – “And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death”. 

   Rebekah was barren, just like Sarah, and Isaac prayed to God to allow Rebekah’s womb to be open. She conceived and gave birth to twins: Esau and Jacob. Rebekah favored Jacob more than Esau. When Isaac was old in age, he told Esau that he was going to bless him, but first, needed Esau to go out and hunt some venison for Isaac. Rebekah overheard what Isaac had told Esau and risked it all when she made Jacob pretend to be Esau and went to Isaac with the venison and received the blessing, instead of his brother. Rebekah truly believed in the blessing that Isaac had spoken to Esau about and wanted to follow God’s promise. Despite what Rebekah did to Esau, God is sovereign over all, and it all worked out as part of God’s plan/glory.

5. Leah – The Mother Who Was Unloved

   Genesis 29:31 – “And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren.”

   Leah had a sister, Rachel, who was dearly loved by Jacob. But because Leah was the firstborn daughter, she was given to Jacob first. He didn’t love her as much as he loved Rachel, and truly felt this. However, she was able to conceive, whereas her sister was barren. In spite of feeling unloved by her husband, Jacob, she remained faithful to God.

6. Jochebed – The Mother Who Protected Her Son

   Exodus 2:1-10 – “And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink. And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him. And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river’s side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children. Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child’s mother. And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the women took the child, and nursed it. And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water”.

   Jochebed was the mother of Moses (along with Miriam and Aaron), and during this time, the Pharaoh had threatened to kill all male Hebrew babies. When Moses was only a few months old, Jochebed decided to hide him in a basket that she weaved, and place the basket in the river. Funnily enough, the pharaoh’s daughter discovered the baby hidden in the basket when she went to wash herself in the river, and decided to take care of the baby (after realizing that the baby was a Hebrew and she remembered the threat that her father made). Jochebed’s daughter, Miriam had witnessed the pharaoh’s daughter finding the baby, and suggested that she should allow a Hebrew woman to become a nurse for the baby. So, Jochebed became the “nurse” for Moses and was able to raise him up.

7. Hannah – The Mother Who Kept Her Promise With God

   1 Samuel 2:1-2 – “And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine horn is exalted in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God”. 

   Hannah was the mother of Samuel and unfortunately, was unable to have children at first. She would go to the house of worship at Shiloh, and pray to be able to conceive. The high priest at the time, Eli, blessed Hannah. God made a promise that He would bless her with a son as long as she would remain faithful to Him and dedicate her son to serving God. Samuel grew up to become the first prophet of Israel. Hannah was blessed with more children thereafter (three other sons and two daughters).

8. 2 Mothers, 1 Baby – A Story About A Mother’s Love For Her Baby

   1 Kings 3:16-28 – “Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him. And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house. And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house. And this woman’s child died in the night; because she overlaid it. And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear. And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king. Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living. And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king. And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other. Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it. Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof. And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment”. 

   In these scriptures, we read the story about two mothers who lived together and both had a baby. Unfortunately one of the babies had died in their sleep and so one of the mothers swapped the babies so that the other mother would awake to find the dead baby in her arms. They went before King Solomon to fight over whose baby it was. King Solomon decided to take a sword and split the baby in half, so that way, the mother’s would have half a baby each. One of the mother’s thought that that was a great idea. But the true mother of the baby said, no! don’t do that! Give that baby to her!

   King Solomon knew who the real mother was. This story gives us a powerful representation of true mother’s love for her child. She loved the baby so much that she would rather him be alive, and given to the other mother, than to have him split in half.

9. Naomi – The Mother Who Stayed Faithful

   Naomi is first mentioned in the Book of Ruth who was married to her late husband, Elimelech. She lived in Judea with her husband and two sons, before needing to move to Moab due to a famine. While they were in Moab, Naomi’s husband dies, and her sons marry two women, one of which was Ruth. After some time had passed though, both of her sons had died and she decided to return to her homeland in Bethlehem (Ruth 1:1-5). She told her two daughter-in-laws, Orpah and Ruth to return to their families, but Ruth refuses to leave Naomi alone. As such, both herself and Ruth go to Bethlehem together (Ruth 1:6-15).

   Naomi became bitter and did not think that her life was going to get any better, after being the only one left in her family. She decided to change her name to Mara, which meant bitter (Ruth 1:20). That is why Ruth stepped up and took on responsibility for providing for both herself and Naomi when they moved to Bethlehem.

   Later on in the Book of Ruth we learn that Naomi helps Ruth to marry Boaz (who was a distant relative of Naomi’s father-in-law). Ruth and Boaz have a son, and the lineage is restored.

   No matter how bad things may get in our lives, we don’t know what the future may hold for us. We need to stay strong, and focus on God, and what He has install for us. We have to put all of our faith and trust in God alone, for only He knows what is going to happen. Read more about the story of Naomi here. 

10. Bathsheba – The Mother Who Was Loyal & Wise

    Bathsheba went through a lot in her lifetime. Her husband was killed, and she lost her newborn baby, after moving in with King David. But God comforted her and blessed her with a son, Solomon who becomes apart of Jesus’ lineage. She remained loyal to God and shared a lot of wisdom and insight with her son, Solomon.

    Bathsheba was King David’s wife, and King Solomon’s mother. Mothers of kings were treated with respect in those days, and Bathsheba had some wisdom to share with her son, Solomon, as we can see in Proverbs 31.

    Bathsheba wanted to make sure that everything that Solomon would be taught in his upbringing, he would continue to follow later on in life, as a guideline. She didn’t want Solomon to be tempted or influenced by women who were vile or cruel-hearted, nor to be influenced by the love of win. She wanted him to be with a Godly woman, and not fall into the trap of temptation by bad women or drunkenness.

NEW TESTAMENT MOTHERS IN THE BIBLE 

1. Elizabeth – The Mother Who Believed In God’s Miracles

   Luke 1:13, 57 – “But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John…Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son”.

   Elizabeth was old in age and was blessed to have a son by God. He sent His angel Gabriel to tell Zechariah, Elizabeth’s husband, that she was going to be with child. Gabriel instructed them to name their son, John, which they did and he became John the Baptist, who was a prophet foretelling others about the coming of Jesus.

2. Mary – The Mother Of Jesus, Blessed Among Women

   Luke 1:29-38 – “And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

   Mary, the mother of Jesus, is well-favored in the Bible. Mary was a virgin when an angel appeared to hear and said that she was going to be blessed among women and have the role of carrying Jesus in her womb. She gave birth to the most perfect man who ever lived, and who became the sacrifice for our sins and savior of this world.

I hope that these stories of these incredible mothers in the Bible inspire you today, and encourage you to stay on the right path with God. With Mother’s Day just round the corner, I pray that you have a wonderful time celebrating motherhood with your family, your children, and know that you are doing an amazing job! I pray that these stories of these mothers in the Bible will encourage you to grow in the faith and seek His Will in your life. After all, God chose YOU to be the mother of your children. You are created with that purpose. So, embrace it! 

Check out the list of scriptures to encourage you this Mother’s Day, here. 

If you need more encouragement, subscribe to my FREE resources library and receive my FREE Mother’s Day Scripture Cards you can download and use.