Genesis 30:1-6
When Rachel saw that
she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So
she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”
Jacob became angry
with her and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having
children?”
Then she said, “Here
is Bilhah, my servant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and
I too can build a family through her.”
So she gave him her
servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her, and she became pregnant and
bore him a son. Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; he has listened to my
plea and given me a son.” Because of this she named him Dan.
Comments
Rachel does not come across well in this story. She is loved
by her husband, Jacob, but is jealous because he continues to have children
with her sister, Leah, his other wife. She insists Jacob should give her
children and he says it is not his fault.
Rachel is unwilling to accept her childlessness and decides
her servant, Bilhah, should bear children on her behalf. Perhaps she didn’t
know the story of Jacob’s grandmother, Sarah, who had done the same thing by
giving her servant, Hagar, to Abraham in order to have a son. Or maybe she knew
the story, but chose to forget how the birth of Ishmael didn’t turn out the way
Sarah had hoped.
In any case, Rachel decides her servant should sleep with
her husband. The birth of a son is viewed by Rachel as vindication by God of
the choice she has made. Nothing in this passage indicates God views this
situation in the same way.
In this story Rachel is angry at her husband, jealous of her
sister, callous to her servant, ungrateful with her lot in life and
presumptuous about God’s approval of her actions. In spite of this, God
continues to love Rachel and chooses to bless others through her as the story
unfolds.
Reflections
Rachel has much, but yearns for the one thing she doesn’t
have. Do you have difficulty finding contentment in life? Are you more likely
to be grateful for what you have or resentful about what you don’t have?
Have you ever prospered from doing wrong and decided it must
have been God’s will after all?
Prayer
Blessed are you, O Lord
our God, King of the universe, who can love even a clueless and scheming malcontent.
I would never feel good about prospering from doing wrong. This inherently involves another person who has been harmed as a result. We are interconnected even in ways we do not see with our eyes. I have had much from a material standpoint. I was following God's calling to me, and I did well in my profession as a result. When I became malcontent with my job, I prayed to God to get me out from under the bondage the job had finally become to me. Bondage to money, and other things. He did get me out from under that job within six months. God is good. My husband and I suffered financial loss--of everything--No retirement funding; no large home; no more fancy cars; trips of our choosing; collecting Gold coins; amassing antiques, and basically doing and getting whatever we wanted mostly because of my high-powered job that began to dominate my life. We took for granted that these were luxuries, not necessities. We lost it ALL, from a material standpoint. I now have to trust God completely for my future. What about my kids' futures? How will I retire? Where will I live? What happens when my $1,200 car won't drive anymore? I was malcontent for a long time. Then I turned it over to God with complete faith that He will take care of what I need, and what my girls need. I realize now what I can do without and be content. I still have the knowledge to start my own business. I can still work with the senior citizens I love. Clueless is solved in God's word.
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