Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb?" Isaiah 49:15 (NKJV)
God's relationship with the children of Israel would have driven any sane person mad. Over and over, time and again, generation after generation, He would pour out unprecedented blessings on their lives, only to watch them turn their backs and forsake Him.
In fact, when you pull back and look at the Old Testament from beginning to end, it's really a gut-wrenching relationship. No one could blame God for forsaking them as they had done to Him on countless occasions. Yet He didn't. Why is that?
That answer comes from a question. It was through the prophet Isaiah that God posed this question to His people: "Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb?" God is pointing them to the intimate connection shared between a mother and her nursing baby, which is a reflection of His love for His people.
As most all of us know, there are very few things in this world that can come between a mother and child. And yet, sometimes this bond can be broken, which is why God goes on record as saying that even when maternal bonds break, His bond with His own children won't:
"Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you." (Isaiah 49:15b NKJV)
God is saying, "Look at the most sacred and secure relational bond out there and know that my love for you as my children goes even beyond that!" It's this bond that prevented God from forsaking His children, even after they had forsaken Him.
That's good news for us too, because those who are in Christ are also God's children (1 John 3:1). And He will never leave or forsake us because we have a bond with Him that goes beyond any other we could ever experience in this lifetime.
Discuss with your group the special bond children have with their mother. What words would you use to describe the relationship you had with your mom? How is that relationship unlike any other?
Dig into Isaiah 49:14–16. What is the claim in verse 14 based on? What is the promise provided in this passage? What do you find interesting in verse 16?
Decide as a group to pray for mothers. Remember these special servants who help us understand the nurture and care God has for his children.
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