This year we will look at Noah’s family. We will look at Noah’s wife today, Noah on Father’s Day, and Shem, Ham and Japheth on Children’s Day.

Someone once said that it takes all kinds of people to make up this world, and it sure does. One of the strengths of the church is her diversity. The fact that the church of Jesus Christ is made up of different nationalities, people with different levels of education, with different levels of income, with different life experiences, with different occupations and different personalities is a good thing. Because we are different, we are able to connect with a broader range of people outside the church as well.

Noah’s wife was different. You would not see her in corporate board rooms, you wouldn’t see her leading a group, you wouldn’t see her pushing ahead. Noah’s wife is like many of the women and mothers here today, very important, but not noticed.

When I read the passage in Genesis on Noah, I discovered that not much was known about Noah’s wife.

First, we don’t know her name. She is known in history as Noah’s wife. We don’t know her parents, her brothers or sisters. We don’t know any back ground information about her.

This would cause some people a great deal of resentment today. They would want her name right there beside Noah. They would want her to receive credit for all her contributions to Noah’s life. They would want her out in the front, but she took a back seat to the boys.

Second, we don’t know her thoughts or ideas. You will not find any quotes around anything she said, for you will not find anything that she said. How did she feel about Noah’s building the ark? We don’t know. How did she feel about the hundred and fifty days on the ark with the animals? We don’t know. What was her emotions when she stepped off the ark into the sunlight? We don’t know.

This would cause some people a great deal of resentment. They want to be quoted. They want to express their own ideas and stand on their own two feet. They would want Noah’s wife out in the front, but she took a backseat to the boys.

Third, we do not know her skills. Was she a great cook? Did she know how to swing a hammer or work a saw? Did Noah have her help him in the construction of the ark or did she just care for the children? Did she tend the garden and raise the food while her husband worked on this “project”? The answer is we don’t know.

This would cause some people a great deal of resentment. Noah got credit for building the ark, they would want her to get public credit for her contribution. But she didn’t. She took a backseat to the boys.

It seems to me that Moses deliberately puts her in the backseat. Let’s look at the verses that mention her presence.

Ge 6:18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark--you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.

Ge 7:7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood.

Ge 7:13 On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark.

• Ge 8:16 “Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives.

Ge 8:18 So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives.

Notice of the five times that she is mentioned only once is she mentioned with Noah. Four out of the five times it is “Noah and his sons…” Only in Genesis 8:16 when they leave the ark is she mentioned with Noah was one of the first two off the ark! There may be a reason for that!

So why mention her at all? If she is in the background and is not important enough to record her name, her thoughts or her skills, why mention her at all?

Because what was important to Noah, to God and to the story was that she was the wife of Noah.

The ark was important to Noah. The ark was important to God. The ark was important for all who were outside who wanted to get in. But what was important to Noah’s wife was Noah.

She is not called the mother of Shem, Ham and Japheth. She is called Noah’s wife.

Noah was under a lot of stress. He was building an ark against great opposition from those in the community. He was anticipating a flood, an event that they had never seen. He faithfully worked on this ark for years. Some might call him a nut! “Where’s Noah?” “In his shop.” “What’s he doing?” “Building the door for the ark.” “What a waste of time and money to build such an ugly boat in your backyard!”

Noah was obeying God. Sometimes God calls us to go out of the box. When you are alone, there is nothing like finding someone who is behind you and supporting you.

Do you remember Job? When he needs her most, his wife cried out “Curse God and die!” She had enough. What does Noah’s wife do? All we know is that she stood by her man.

What does it mean to have someone who is with you and supports you in what you do? Whether you are male or female, it feels good. Noah’s wife gives Noah what he needs most as he seeks to follow God.

One outcome of this is that when a man and wife are together, they have a better home for the children.

It’s obvious that Noah was close to his sons. This is every mother’s dream, a father who helps with the children! And what greater joy than to have children who, when they become adults, can work together with their parents in harmony.

So who raised his sons? Probably the main responsibility when they were young was Noah’s wife. They turned out pretty good. Not perfect as we see near the end of Noah’s life. But not bad.

Which leads us to the second reason: The children take on a greater significance than the parents.

Is this strange to you? Noah’s wife sees her children gain more attention than her. Is this fair? Is this right?

This woman with no name and no resume is known by her children’s place in history.

What Noah’s wife exhibits is a Christian attitude. We call Old Testament believers saints. A Christian is someone who specifically believed in Christ. But she has the attitude. Look at the interest of others. In love serve one another. Be faithful. Or as John said of Jesus, “He must increase, I must decrease.” Noah’s wife is not self-centered, she is other centered. The only exception may be when they come off the ark. She might have said, “Noah, get me out of here!”

And what was the result? Shem, Ham and Japheth are all in our genealogies. The fundamentals they needed to keep the human race going were given in the home. Were they perfect? No. But credit is due to this unsung heroine from the past.

I think of some of the people with the biggest names in Christianity. We all know about Jesus, but do we know his mother? Yes we do. She is highlighted in his life. The two big names of the apostles were Peter and Paul. Do we know their mother’s? No, but we know their sons. How about Billy Graham? D.L. Moody? Spurgeon? David Jeremiah? Chuck Swindoll? Let’s go to Elizabeth Elliot, Kay Arthur or Ruth Graham? How important were their mothers in their lives? You ask them and they will tell you that their mothers influence was huge.

One of my favorite mothers was Susanna Wesley. She is the mother of both John Wesley and Charles Wesley. Let me read her story from Wikopedia.

Susanna Wesley was the 25th of twenty-five children. Her father, Dr. Samuel Annesley, was a dissenter of the established church of England. At the age of 13, Susanna stopped attending her father's church and joined the official Church of England.

She met Samuel Wesley and was married on 11 November 1688. Samuel was 26 and Susanna was 19.[1]

Susanna and Samuel Wesley had nineteen children. Nine of her children died as infants. Four of the children that died were twins. A maid accidentally smothered one child. At her death only eight of her children were still alive.

Personal life

Susanna experienced many hardships throughout her life. Her husband left her and the children for over a year because of a minor dispute.

To her absent husband, Susannah Wesley wrote:

“I am a woman, but I am also the mistress of a large family. And though the superior charge of the souls contained in it lies upon you, yet in your long absence I cannot but look upon every soul you leave under my charge as a talent committed to me under a trust. I am not a man, nor a minister, yet as a mother and a mistress I felt I ought to do more than I had yet done. I resolved to begin with my own children; in which I observe, the following method: I take such a proportion of time as I can spare every night to discourse with each child apart. On Monday I talk with Molly, on Tuesday with Hetty, Wednesday with Nancy, Thursday with Jacky, Friday with Patty, Saturday with Charles.”

Due to her husband's poor financial abilities he spent time in jail twice. The lack of money was a continual struggle for her. Their house was burned down twice; during one of the fires her son John nearly died and had to be rescued from the second story window. She was the primary source of her children's education.

After the second fire Susanna was forced to place her children into different homes for nearly two years while the rectory was rebuilt. During this time the Wesley children lived under the rules of the homes they lived in. Susanna was mortified that her children began to use improper speech and play more than study.

“Under no circumstances were the children permitted to have any lessons until they had reached their fifth year, but the day after their fifth birthday their formal education began. They attended classes for six hours and on the very first day they were supposed to learn the whole of the alphabet. All her children except two managed this feat, and these seemed to Susanna to be very backward.” “The children got a good education. Daughters included, they all learnt Latin and Greek and were well tutored in the classical studies that were traditional in England at that time.” During a time when her husband was in London, defending a friend against charges of heresy, he had appointed a locum to bring the message. The man’s sermons revolved solely around repaying debts. The lack of diverse spiritual teaching caused Susanna to assemble her children Sunday afternoon for family services. They would sing a psalm then Susanna would read a sermon from either her husband's, or father's sermon file followed by another psalm. The local people began to ask if they could attend. At one point there were over two hundred people who would attend Susanna’s Sunday afternoon service while the Sunday morning service dwindled to nearly nothing.

She practiced daily devotions throughout her life, but, shortly before her death, she wrote to her son Charles, admitting that she had struggled with doubt throughout her life and only now had finally found peace in her faith

Her husband Samuel spent his whole life and all of the family’s finances on his exegetical work of Job. However, his work was not remembered and had little impact on his family other than as a hardship. In contrast Susanna wrote several pieces that would be fundamental in the education of their children. “In addition to letters, Susanna Wesley wrote meditations and scriptural commentaries for her own use. She wrote extended commentaries for instance on the Apostles Creed, the Lord's Prayer, the Ten Commandments. Alas many of these were lost in the rectory fire, but many survive. The most accessible means to her writings is Charles Wallace's excellent and important "Susanna Wesley, Her Collected Writings.” (Pellowe)

Susanna was buried at Bunhill Fields in London.

What a woman. Many of you have never heard of her. But she changed the world through her children.

We are all different people. We have different personalities and callings. But the calling of the mother is a high calling.

There are some things that mothers do that I want to point out.

First, only a mother can give a mother’s love. Men and women are different. We relate and connect differently. Children who grow up in a home where there is only one sex are going to miss out on what the other one brings to the table. Only a mother can give a mother’s love.

Second, though parenting is a two-person job, the interaction of the mother with her child in the earliest years sets the stage for the future. Some have even said that what a baby hears in the womb makes a difference in how they start life. I am curious as to which baby they interviewed. If a child hears a mother singing, quoting scripture, praying, loving her husband and her other children, this makes a huge impression on a child.

Third, there is a great reward for the mother when she sees her children walking with the Lord. Did you know that diaper spelled backwards is repaid? The total dependence on you in the early years will bring fruit in later years. And God also blesses the mother. When a woman is faithful to God, to her husband and to her children, God blesses that faithfulness.

Don’t give up. Keep on keepin’ on. And may God bless you.