SATURDAY, 10/25/14 Genesis 30:1-13 “Things Get Weird Between the Lamb and the Cow!” (By Barry) WORSHIP: I LOVE this one! https://youtube/watch?v=OcVs1WkYZGA SCRIPTURE: blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Gen&c=30&t=NLT Wow. Seriously? It has come to this? You remember these two ladies, right? Rachel and Leah. Do you know what their names mean? “Rachel” means “female sheep,” which was a great compliment. “Leah”? Well, it means “cow.” Poor Leah! (We could say that Rachel’s name means, “ewe.” And Leah’s name means, “Ew!” I wonder if I will have to explain that bad joke!) Both are married to Jacob, and both desperately want to please him. The lovely Rachel is his favorite, but last week, we saw Leah move up the ladder by having four sons for him, while Rachel had none. Sometimes, we hear about “sibling rivalries,” where brothers are sisters are incredibly jealous of each other, but I think Rachel and Leah take that to a new level. Check it out: 1 When Rachel saw that she wasn’t having any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She pleaded with Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!” 2 Then Jacob became furious with Rachel. “Am I God?” he asked. “He’s the one who has kept you from having children!” 3 Then Rachel told him, “Take my maid, Bilhah, and sleep with her. She will bear children for me, and through her I can have a family, too.” 4 So Rachel gave her servant, Bilhah, to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her. 5 Bilhah became pregnant and presented him with a son. 6 Rachel named him Dan, for she said, “God has vindicated me! He has heard my request and given me a son.” 7 Then Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son. 8 Rachel named him Naphtali, for she said, “I have struggled hard with my sister, and I’m winning!” 9 Meanwhile, Leah realized that she wasn’t getting pregnant anymore, so she took her servant, Zilpah, and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 Soon Zilpah presented him with a son. 11 Leah named him Gad, for she said, “How fortunate I am!” 12 Then Zilpah gave Jacob a second son. 13 And Leah named him Asher, for she said, “What joy is mine! Now the other women will celebrate with me.” Crazy, right? Sometimes, the Bible is a giant soap opera. You might remember that Jacob couldnt get along with his brother, Esau, and now, Jacob’s wives can’t get along, either. There are LOTS of lessons in today’s passage. Whether you see yourself as the “lamb” or the “cow’, I think you can probably identify with our story! THOUGHTS & QUESTIONS: —1. This whole story begins with the very dangerous emotion of jealousy. Rachel, the beautiful one who Jacob ended up having to work 14 long years to earn as his bride, seems to have lost her place-at least, that’s the way she sees it. —2. How about you? Do you ever get “jelly”? What are some of the causes? Would you agree that jealousy is one of the most dangerous and destructive emotions? (During today’s worship song, I couldnt help but add, “Jealousy dont live her no more!!) —3. Did you notice that Rachel’s jealousy causes her to be very unreasonable? (Does that seem to be a common result of jealousy?) She goes to Jacob and demands that HE cause her to get pregnant! —4. Verse 2 implies that God is actively involved in the most intimate details of our lives. Think that’s true? Do you also think Jacob was correct, or incorrect? —5. Bilhah and Zilpah. Have you ever heard of them? They aren’t exactly famous. But they both play a huge role in our story, don’t they? I wonder if Jacob remembers the stories of his grandparents when he agrees to sleep with his wives’ servants. (Do you remember Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar? They are the ones that started this weirdness, right?) —6. Desperation. Rachel goes to Jacob and says, “Give me children, or I will die!” Desperation is a funny and strange thing. It can produce greatness, or it can cause chaos. If we are desperate for popularity or acceptance, we might make some really poor decisions. On the other hand, if we are desperate for a deeper relationship with God, that just might change everything. —7. What kinds of things are YOU desperate for? DIGGING DEEPER: It’s the weekend. Can you take a few extra minutes to check out the Profile on Rachel on page 0038 of the TLASB? There is a TON of information about Rachel on the internet. If you don’t have a TLASB, do a little Googling, or check out this link: wordlibrary.co.uk/article.php?id=167 PRAYER: —A. Barry: I adore you, Father, because you see me as a beautiful lamb, and not as a cow! Your turn! I adore you, Father, because… —C. Barry: I confess, Lord, that I am sometimes jealous of other relationships. Help me with that, please! Your turn! I confess, Lord, that I… —T. Barry: Thanks, Lord, that you control every aspect of my life, even when they don’t make sense to me! Your turn! Thanks, Lord… —S. Barry: God, I ask you to please help me to not make stupid decisions, based on jealousy or insecurity. Help me to see that you value me! Your turn! God, I ask you to…
Posted on: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 04:53:46 +0000
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