Give Your strength to Your servant, and save the son of Your maidservant. (Psalm 86:16)
It is always important to consider the specific wording used in the Scripture, especially considering that we believe “holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). Obviously, David is one of those holy men of God who was often moved by the Spirit of God to compose psalms that are prophetic and profitable for the people of God. That being said, let us take note of the fact that, in this verse, David refers to himself as both a servant of God and “the son of Your maidservant.”
Now, why does David refer to his mother rather than his father, Jesse? This is particularly interesting to me considering that the Bible does not refer to David’s mother by name. So is this to honor her in some small way? Perhaps so, and maybe for this reason: a child’s being, before and after birth, is oftentimes more deeply intertwined with their mother more so than with their father. Few would argue that a mother’s influence on her children in the formative years is lifelong and life altering, and it would seem in David’s case, this was particularly significant. In a manner of speaking, David was saying that, of his own free will, he chose to serve God but, at the same time, he acknowledged the Godly influence of his mother. His words seem to hint that he had learned to be a servant of the Most High because he was positively impacted at a young age by “Your maidservant” — a humble servant in her own right.
All of us are born with free will and are responsible for our own actions and decisions, but at the same time, our parents and the environment we grow up in has a lot to do with our mindset and decision making process. What we observed in our parents, both father and mother, has an important effect on our character. More importantly, if we were presented a Godly example at home, it is more likely that we will enter into adulthood with a knowledge of our Creator; whether or not we follow Him will be left to us. Therefore, whether you are a father or mother or hope to be, let us consider the immense importance of depositing in our children a genuine love and respect for God. As we see, no one has to know your name to see how wonderfully influential you were, especially when your child declares the glory of God to generation after generation. What a testimony!
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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