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The Baby Battle

Words of Faith Final

The Baby Battle
Words of Faith 5-30-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Genesis 30
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!"
[2] Jacob became angry with her and said, "Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?"
[3] Then she said, "Here is Bilhah, my maidservant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and that through her I too can build a family."
[4] So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her, [5] and she became pregnant and bore him a son. [6] 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.
[7] Rachel's servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. [8] Then Rachel said, "I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won." So she named him Naphtali.
[9] When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her maidservant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. [10] Leah's servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. [11] Then Leah said, "What good fortune!" So she named him Gad.
[12] Leah's servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. [13] Then Leah said, "How happy I am! The women will call me happy." So she named him Asher.

You may have heard of competition between sisters, but this is the stuff of legend! The truth is that out of this fierce baby-making competition, the nation of Israel was born.
Because of Laban's trick, Jacob ended up with two wives. God had chosen the "despised" mother, Leah, and exalted her to be the first mother of Israel. Interestingly, the kingly tribe of Judah and the priestly tribe of Levi trace back to her, despite Jacob's love for Rachel and her son Joseph.
Don't miss the names. Names always have meaning. The name Reuben, the oldest son, means "behold a son," something like "Wow, a boy!" Simeon means "hearing" or "one who hears and obeys." Levi means "attached" as in "this will stick us together." And Judah means "celebration," finally a connection with God. Round One of the contest definitely went to Leah.
But Rachel was not about to give up to her sister. In Round Two, Rachel brought in Bilhah, her maidservant, to substitute for her. In sports, we would say that Rachel brought in a "ringer". Bilhah was a designated hitter. Using such a surrogate was not uncommon in the ancient world.
The main problem would be that God never directed this. Rachel's sons through Bilhah do not reflect the faith Leah had grown to express, but God was still at work in all this.
Rachel's effort through her maidservant was similar to Sarah's attempt with Hagar (16:1-4). The difference was that Sarah actually had a promise from God that she ignored.
The names of the two sons born to Bilhah reflected Rachel's bitter struggle and feeling of victory. The name Dan means "judge" and is explained as "God has vindicated me" or "judged in my favor." Rachel now proclaimed that God had corrected her wrong, her barrenness. Naphtali means "my wrestling" and reflects the great struggle as Rachel "fought" with her sister.
Leah responded in Round Three by bringing in her own ringer, Zilpah. More babies! The most interesting note is that these babies were born of joy. Gad means "good fortune," and Asher means "happy."
So, were these sons, born of such human struggle, not part of God's plan and design? By no means. God was clearly at work even in the human stuff of sibling rivalry. God was using the competitive struggle of these women for His intention and glory. The family of Israel was being formed, and we can see the ancient roots of some of the conflicts between tribes that would occur centuries later.
If we trust that God was at work even in such competition, perhaps we can also trust that God is at work in our world as well. Sometimes we are dismayed at the struggle, competition, and conflict among humans. The rivalry of churches and denominations and competition among men does not reflect the fruit of God's Spirit. Yet, God can use even our most human frailties for His glory.
This is not a reason to excuse bad behavior or motivation, but it is a reason to have great hope. When we see competition or division that we cannot heal or change, we can have hope that God is still in charge. God is still God. God can use even our failings to His glory. Thanks be to God.

Lord, I confess my own competitive nature. It is so easy to be jealously motivated by the wrong things in our world. Forgive me. Give me peace about this world in the knowledge that You are God. You are in charge. You are sovereign. 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.