Scripture
1When 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!”
2Then Jacob became furious with Rachel. “Am I God?” he asked. “He’s the one who has kept you from having children!”
3Then Rachel told him, “Take my maid, Bilhah, and sleep with her. She will bear children for me,[1] and through her I can have a family, too.” 4So Rachel gave her servant, Bilhah, to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her. 5Bilhah became pregnant and presented him with a son. 6Rachel named him Dan,[2] for she said, “God has vindicated me! He has heard my request and given me a son.” 7Then Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son. 8Rachel named him Naphtali,[3] for she said, “I have struggled hard with my sister, and I’m winning!”
9Meanwhile, Leah realized that she wasn’t getting pregnant anymore, so she took her servant, Zilpah, and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10Soon Zilpah presented him with a son. 11Leah named him Gad,[4] for she said, “How fortunate I am!” 12Then Zilpah gave Jacob a second son. 13And Leah named him Asher,[5] for she said, “What joy is mine! Now the other women will celebrate with me.”
14One day during the wheat harvest, Reuben found some mandrakes growing in a field and brought them to his mother, Leah. Rachel begged Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
15But Leah angrily replied, “Wasn’t it enough that you stole my husband? Now will you steal my son’s mandrakes, too?”
Rachel answered, “I will let Jacob sleep with you tonight if you give me some of the mandrakes.”
16So that evening, as Jacob was coming home from the fields, Leah went out to meet him. “You must come and sleep with me tonight!” she said. “I have paid for you with some mandrakes that my son found.” So that night he slept with Leah. 17And God answered Leah’s prayers. She became pregnant again and gave birth to a fifth son for Jacob. 18She named him Issachar,[6] for she said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband as a wife.” 19Then Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to a sixth son for Jacob. 20She named him Zebulun,[7] for she said, “God has given me a good reward. Now my husband will treat me with respect, for I have given him six sons.” 21Later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
22Then God remembered Rachel’s plight and answered her prayers by enabling her to have children. 23She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. “God has removed my disgrace,” she said. 24And she named him Joseph,[8] for she said, “May the Lord add yet another son to my family.”
Translation notes (8)
- 30:3 Hebrew bear children on my knees.
- 30:6 Dan means “he judged” or “he vindicated.”
- 30:8 Naphtali means “my struggle.”
- 30:11 Gad means “good fortune.”
- 30:13 Asher means “happy.”
- 30:18 Issachar sounds like a Hebrew term that means “reward.”
- 30:20 Zebulun probably means “honor.”
- 30:24 Joseph means “may he add.”
The churches here in the province of Asia send greetings in the Lord, as do Aquila and Priscilla and all the others who gather in their home for church meetings." 1 Corinthians 16:19
If you have young kids, grandkids, or nieces and nephews, you have likely had them argue that they can do things themselves that would be dangerous or unsafe for them to do on their own. For example, maybe they claim they can pour their drink by themselves when you know they will undoubtedly spill it, or maybe they want to use scissors alone when you know they are not ready. Unfortunately, even as adults, we have this same tendency as kids to rely on ourselves rather than ask for help. There is a much better way to live, however. We have a God who is ready and willing to help us so that we do not have to live depending on ourselves.
Genesis chapters 29-30 tell about the messy marriage between Jacob, Leah, and Rachel. Leah was jealous of Rachel because Jacob loved Rachel more, and Rachel was jealous of Leah because she was able to have children, and she was not. Both women fought hard to get Jacob's favor and have children. Throughout Genesis 29 and 30, they competed with each other and tried to do things in their own power when life did not look how they wanted it to. Their fighting and striving must have left them weary, bitter, and exhausted. Rather than turning to God, they were fighting for their marriages to look how they wanted them to look. When we turn to God, He works in our lives and changes us, ultimately changing our environments and the people around us.
The question becomes, how do we turn our situations over to God? We read His word, pray, have conversations with Him, and grow in our small groups. As we do these things, God develops fruit in us and grows us. We become more like Him and point the people in our lives to Him.
Moving toward action
Pull out your journal and evaluate. Do you depend more on yourself, or are you turning to God? What would it look like for you to depend solely on God rather than trying to do things on your own? Think of one step you can take this week to turn to God instead of trying to do everything alone. Ask God to help you as you seek to turn to Him.
Going Deeper
Genesis 30:1-24 (NLT)
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