Looking for Honor

Looking for Honor
Words of Faith 5-31-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><<><

Genesis 30
[14] During wheat harvest, Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants, which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes."
[15] But she said to her, "Wasn't it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son's mandrakes too?"
"Very well," Rachel said, "he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son's mandrakes."
[16] So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. "You must sleep with me," she said. "I have hired you with my son's mandrakes." So he slept with her that night.
[17] God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. [18] Then Leah said, "God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant to my husband." So she named him Issachar.
[19] Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. [20] Then Leah said, "God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons." So she named him Zebulun.
[21] Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.

Reuben found some mandrake plants and brought them to his mother, Leah. Mandrakes are extremely rare in that part of the world and were valued for their narcotic property and medicinal use. Because the plant's root resembled a human figure and had a pungent fragrance, it was also used in fertility rites and was considered an aphrodisiac. It would have been quite desired and valuable.
Rachel wanted some of the mandrake plants, presumably to help the condition of her barrenness. She had not given up on bearing a baby for Jacob. Though Jacob had two wives and had children through the maidservants Bilhah and Zilpah, Rachel was the principal wife. Rachel was the beloved of Jacob, and she apparently exercised some control over Jacob's bed. To get the mandrake plants, she struck a bargain with Leah. Leah would be permitted to sleep with Jacob in return for the mandrake plants.
This is a strange story, to say the least. The baby competition seemed to have degraded to Jacob being hired out for breeding purposes. Yet God continued to be a work in this family! The Scripture says that God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant. Somehow, in the desperate striving of Leah that degraded her hiring a night with Jacob, God was listening and blessed her with a child. The Scripture always views life as a gift from God, even when a birth comes out of a wrong motivation or sinful action.
From Leah's perspective, it is interesting that she had been rewarded for her willingness to offer her maidservant to Jacob. "God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant to my husband." Leah named this son Issachar which means "reward" or "hired"-- like a "hired man" or "hireling." In this play on words, Leah seems to see this son as a reward for having offered Zilpah. It was also a reminder of the circumstance of his conception.
Another child came to Leah. This child she named Zebulun, which means a "dowry," "gift," or "to honor." "God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor because I have borne him six sons."
Finally, Leah gave birth to the only daughter we know of and named her Dinah. Her name means "justice" or "artistically formed." The "justice" we will learn about later.
There is a sense in the story that Leah longed to be loved all her life, but finally settled for "honor." Interestingly, in modern marriage vows, we say several things-- "Will you live together in holy marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her… All of those are important-- love, comfort, honor, and keeping. But in the final placing of the ring on the finger of a bride, we usually say-- "I give you this ring, as a sign of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you." While love is very, very important, honor is critical.
This text causes me to look inward and ask, "Am I honoring" those I love? Is there anyone around me desperately trying to be loved but more importantly, needing my honor?

Lord, show me the best way to honor those you have given me as a gift in my life. Show me the best way to love and cherish. Show me the best way to comfort and bless. In Jesus' name.

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SUBSCRIPTIONS - To receive the Words of Faith devotion five days a week, send an e-mail message addressed to join-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. To stop receiving Words of Faith, send an e-mail message addressed to unsubscribe-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. The daily devotion and archive are posted at https://www.faithfellowshipweb.com/blog
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2022 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.