June 10, 2007

God Sees
Genesis 29: 31- 30:24

The whole affair was out of her hands. Father had the final say and he had laid down the law. Jacob was furious when he found out, now he hated her as much as he loved her younger sister. Oh Why ,why did things have to be this way? From the moment she saw Jacob, his smooth manner and his caring attitude toward the girls had won her heart. But this was not the way she had wanted to have him, not in a way that would make him angry at her...it wasn't her fault..Oh God why? Why? Why?

All her adult life she had been living in the shadow of Rachel:, Rachel the pretty one:, Rachel the helpful one: Rachel the...The BRAT!!! Sometimes that girl riled her to no end...now especially since both of them were married to the same man and especially since...since (it made tears well up in her) since Jacob quite obviously LOVED Rachel and only tolerated her. Is there no justice? How she had longed for him to notice her, realize that even though she had some problem physically with these horrid eyes, that she was kind and compassionate and caring and she wanted to be loved too. But it was evident from the first that He had been quite taken with HER. ...all the men were attracted to HER. Couldn't they see that she was spoiled? Selfish a lot of the time and had a stubborn streak?

But she knew that there was a God who cared. She had trusted him even in this; even though she had done things that were dishonest to get her Jacob, yet she was sure he had heard her cries in the night, the lonely, lonely night... And now, now maybe Jacob would pay attention to her as well because she was pretty certain that she was carrying his child.

A sense of peace came over her. even if Jacob didn't love her, God did and had heard her, and soon there would be someone else to love her as well.

As the next years passed Leah had occasion to rejoice over and over as her three sons began to grow. She had adored little Reuben, and Simeon in spite of his impatience was loyal to his mom. And that Levi was such an imp...and by the time Judah came along, beloved little Judah, she was beginning to gloat over her little family, all her children which only she had been able to give Jacob.

Her sister was becoming very distant from her in those days, there was between them a greater wall than had ever been before. Now Rachel was a bitter woman and Leah couldn't help it if she held her head up a little when she passed...as if to say, “You may have his heart, but I have borne his children.”

That was what began the intense rivalry that was in existence between them. Leah smugly recalled hearing the loud and impatient voice of her beloved as he lashed out at her sister. Rachel must have begged him for children and blamed him somehow....God knew she couldn't blame him much, he spent most of his time with her, but she could still hear those words, “Who do you think I am? Am I in the place of God who has stopped you from having children? Don't blame me lady.”

It was after that that the sisters began to use their maids to bear children for them. My what a conflict, a struggle to provide the most children some how. Rachel had sent her maid Bilhah in to Jacob and finally gotten two sons to her credit.

But Leah had another card to play and pretty soon her Maid Zilpah was pregnant by her Jacob as well.

She had to admit there were times when she wondered what God, the God of mercy who had given her those sweet boys, thought of all this, but she quickly dismissed those troubling thoughts. Thoughts of the rivalry being stirred up amongst the boys of hers and the ones of the handmaidens.

Also the bitterness between she and Rachel made the tents of Jacob a place of constant turmoil and was bound to leave its mark on the children. Leah had also begun to regret her duplicity in joining with her dad to deceive Jacob on their wedding night and that made her a little more irritable at times too. But she was able to justify that in her own mind because she really did love that man and that was the only way to get him. Besides, dad had told her she must and God would lay that on HIM wouldn't he?

Now though, she was learning the high cost of her deception. Even the mercy that Jacob showed her was from pity and not from love.

Rachel knew that she had been unnecessarily harsh on her sister. BUT she just had to understand the bitterness that she felt toward her and toward Jacob and toward...why not say it...toward God. It wasn't fair that Leah had all those handsome sons while she had none of her own to present to Jacob. Oh sure she had given her maid to Jacob and claimed those children, but that was not the same was it. NO and it seemed a monumental tragedy that she would not bear. The whole thing had become sort of like a barter for time and affection.

This surely was not what the Lord God had in mind for a marriage. Surely a man was to love and cherish his wife...but the bidding had gone on ...one wife. One wife 4 sons. One wife a maid and more sons...pah it was really a sad little game.

Then there was the indignity of having to barter Jacobs affections to get some of those Mandrakes...It was Reuben who started it that time...really. He was only 5 or 6 and was out in the fields during the harvest of wheat and found those mandrakes ..and of course EVERYONE knew that mandrakes, with those special orange berries, was a sure way to become fertile. Oh, Leah wanted those badly but so did Rachel...why had she begged .. .how foolish she now felt.

But any chance had to be taken to become mother to a child for her Jacob.

Leah's response was explosive. I mean sure she had been snippy before but this was ridiculous. she had accused Rachel of stealing her husband. As if it was her fault that Jacob loved her more ... and then accused her of trying to steal her mandrakes too.

Humph! And hadn't Leah forgotten something? Hadn't she forgotten that it was She in collusion with her dad who had taken away Jacob on the night of the nuptials. Rachel was tempted to say that. to throw it in her face but thought better of it. There had been too much fighting anyway and someone had to make peace somehow.

Then she agreed to send Jacob over to Leah in exchange for the mandrakes that she hoped would cure her childlessness. Now she knew that they were just a fraud as Father had said all along ... but who could blame her for trying.

Worse than that, after that bargain for Jacob, LEAH was given another child. Oh God .. why? Why? Why?

Jacob heard the weeping from the tent of Rachel. He had heard weeping from both tents many times but this was different than before. There was no selfish hurt in this and he walked softly to the flap and listened before entering.

“Oh Lord how excellent are thy ways and how merciful is thy heart. Great is the power and strength of Jehovah, but greater still is thy mercy for those who trust in thee.”

Jacob called out, “Rachel?”, and the tear streaked sweetness of his beloved wife's face moved him to his core. Oh Jacob, Jacob, God has blessed me and I have conceived. Blessed be the Lord God of your Father Isaac.

Jacob pulled his wife close and a song burst into his heart and then full upon his lips, a song of praise to the God who sees.

Can we talk? What sort of situation are you in that you are wrangling about? What trial or problem or test has been laid on you that you can’t trust God for? What situation is it that is beyond the mercy of God in your life.

You see God desires above all else to have us dependent in a trust relationship with him. He brings us through the fires if need be to forge in us a true faith, to bring to us the recognition that God is indeed God. That He is sovereign and that we are not here to compete with others for His attention and affection, but that we are to live to please Him and trust Him.

Robert Candlish wrote: “Who are these poor worms of the dust. Laban, Leah, Rachel and Jacob himself, and all the rest f them, that they should go about plotting and planning, after so vile a fashion, for the building of the house or family in which the God of Abraham is to record his name, and out of which the son and Lord of Abraham is to spring, for the saving of the nations? What mean these wretched bickerings and Jarrings in that ill assorted home? To what purpose is the indecent haste of these women? Why all this miserable game of rivalry, defiling honorable marriage - this pitiable trade for mandrakes-and all other incidents which so offend us - enacted beneath the roof of a professed man of GOD? Does the Lord stand in need of such devices and doings as these for the raising up of the seed of Abraham?

You know the answer to that:, NO, God does not need our willful contriving for our own way, much less our rivalries. What he needs and desires is hearts and minds sold out to Him and his kingdom. Let HIM make the changes that stick.

Are you at war with others over your rights? Causing discord among the brothers? Pushing with your will for your own way? Surrender, quit the warring and join the army. You can become a functioning part of Christ's plan or a thorn in its foot.

You see from this episode in the lives of these Women that God is truly capable of bringing to pass what He desires to be brought to pass. He can and does use the circumstances of man, but is careful to point out that even though offenses come, WOE to the one by whom they come. He calls us to trust in Him and His mercy. His love for us is way above ours and He will complete the work he has begun. His ways are best and He is trustworthy.

Where is your confidence? Where is your hope? In The Lord or in your devices?

The ship had perished on the coral reefs and one sailor swam in the raging surf until he clambered to a rock. He clung to this rock for hours till the storm abated and the tide receded. Later a friend asked Hi, Jim, didn't you tremble with fear while you were hanging on to that rock?” “Yes I did” He replied, “But that rock didn't.”

Think about that Amen.