(Genesis 29:31-35) Now the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. 32 Leah conceived and bore a son and named him Reuben, for she said, “Because the Lord has seen my affliction; surely now my husband will love me.” 33 Then she conceived again and bore a son and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.” So she named him Simeon. 34 She conceived again and bore a son and said, “Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore he was named Levi. 35 And she conceived again and bore a son and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.
(Genesis 30:1-24) Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die.” 2 Then Jacob’s anger burned against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” 3 She said, “Here is my maid Bilhah, go in to her that she may bear on my knees, that through her I too may have children.” 4 So she gave him her maid Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her. 5 Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me, and has indeed heard my voice and has given me a son.” Therefore she named him Dan. 7 Rachel’s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 So Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and I have indeed prevailed.” And she named him Naphtali.
9 When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, “How fortunate!” So she named him Gad. 12 Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 Then Leah said, “Happy am I! For women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher.
14 Now in the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” 15 But she said to her, “Is it a small matter for you to take my husband? And would you take my son’s mandrakes also?” So Rachel said, “Therefore he may lie with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.” 16 When Jacob came in from the field in the evening, then Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he lay with her that night. 17 God gave heed to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Then Leah said, “God has given me my wages because I gave my maid to my husband.” So she named him Issachar. 19 Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob. 20 Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good gift; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun. 21 Afterward she bore a daughter and named her Dinah.
22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God gave heed to her and opened her womb. 23 So she conceived and bore a son and said, “God has taken away my reproach.” 24 She named him Joseph, saying, “May the Lord give me another son.”
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
This is not God's design for us - to have more than one spouse! So, by his own hand, Jacob was kept very busy. And I can't imagine he experienced a lot of "marital bless" as the sisters competed over him, throwing their maids into the fray.
The women also used God's name a lot, but this would not have been used sincerely, with any sort of faith. Like when Rachel gave Jacob her maid to bear a son, Rachel claimed that God had vindicated her. Yet God was nowhere in that scenario. Why, these women also fought over mandrakes, thinking that they might have special powers to make them more fertile.
God still gave them good things, even though they were not living in His will... but this does not make their actions or those outcomes "His will". Yes, every child is a blessing, but the parents' mistakes are still actions that were not right in God's eyes.
We cannot justify our sinful behavior if and when good things happen in between or afterwards. I hear too many people say things like - it was God's will that they married an unbeliever, otherwise they would not have become the person they are now. If this were true, then we could just go ahead and do whatever, and expect God to make everything good and right for us, without there being any consequences to our actions.
It is never God's will for a believer to marry an unbeliever! It is never God's will that we commit any sin. It is God's will that we confess our sins, learn from our mistakes, and grow in the knowledge of God. God then works out all things for good to them that love Him (Romans 8:28), because He does know that we will still make mistakes, and we will experience injustices because of other people's mistakes.
So when we see good things from God, this should grab our attention. This should propel us to continually look to the One who gives us every good and perfect gift (James 1:17).
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