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No More Shame

Words of Faith Final

No More Shame
Words of Faith 6-1-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Genesis 30
[22] Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb. [23] She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, "God has taken away my disgrace." [24] She named him Joseph, and said, "May the Lord add to me another son."

It must have been a wonderful day around the camp when Rachel finally gave birth! I think even Leah must have rejoiced greatly. But no one was happier than Rachel herself, who exclaimed, "God has taken away my disgrace."
People considered barrenness a "disgrace"-- a shame or reproach in the ancient world. There was an assumption that God had a reason for withholding the blessings of a baby, and that some sin had offended God. Barrenness would later be considered a reason for divorce under Jewish tradition.
The Bible does not teach that all infirmity is the result of sin. In fact, Jesus taught that some infirmity happens simply to glorify God (John 9:3). The Bible also teaches that God causes all things to work for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). This would undoubtedly be the case in the life of Joseph!
The Scripture tells us that God had remembered Rachel. He listened to Rachel and opened her womb. God was literally "mindful" of Rachel and "heard carefully" her prayer. To this day, Jewish women with infertility problems pray at the tomb of Rachel, which is not far from Bethlehem. They do not pray to Rachel but sense that such prayer near her place of rest is significant.
There is no question in the view of Scripture that God is the giver of life. Rachel did not conceive because of the mandrakes she purchased from Leah. God alone gives birth and life.
The name Rachel gave to this baby is interesting. "Joseph" means "let him add" or "increase." Rachel stated her meaning with the prayer, "May the Lord add to me another son." But there was more to this name. "Increase" would be a perfect nickname for Joseph.
Joseph would one day bring such prosperity and increase to the land of Egypt that the family would be saved from famine. Joseph would actually "add" two sons to the tribes-- the half tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, making the total of twelve. Joseph's leadership in Egypt would one day facilitate a place at Goshen where the children of Israel would increase to number more than a million. But right now, Rachel was simply looking ahead to the blessing of another son.
There is always a danger in being too symbolic in reading the Old Testament text. But it is not difficult to think of another long-awaited birth. The birth of Jesus was one that took away our disgrace and shame. The birth of Jesus was a sign of God's blessing and increase. We look not to another Son but to His coming again. We can rejoice today in the truth that was foreshadowed in the Old Testament.
This text is not so much about infertility as longing and emptiness in life. Here is the good news. As we seek the Lord, He will remember. He will hear. He will fulfill the longing. He will complete us. He will fill us. He will remove any shame that our culture may have put upon us. He will cover our sin. He will give us increase. He will come again for us. Hallelujah.

Lord, my life is in You. You are my all in all. Remember me in my longing and hear my prayer. Thank You for taking away my shame in Jesus. Thank You for increasing my life in Jesus. Thank You for the gift of life that abundant and eternal. In Jesus' name.

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© 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
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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.