1 Now when Rachel saw that she had not borne Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I am going to die.” 2 Then Jacob’s anger burned against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” 

3 Then she said, “Here is my female slave Bilhah: have relations with her that she may give birth on my knees, so that by her I too may obtain a child.” 4 So she gave him her slave Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob had relations with her. 5 Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me, and has indeed heard my voice and has given me a son.” Therefore she named him Dan. 

7 And Rachel’s slave Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 So Rachel said, “With mighty wrestling I have wrestled with my sister, and I have indeed prevailed.” And she named him Naphtali.

9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her slave Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 And Leah’s slave Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, “How fortunate!” So she named him Gad. 12 And Leah’s slave Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 Then Leah said, “Happy am I! For women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher.

Genesis 30:1-13 (NASB) 

Race for sons

It just goes from bad to worse! We saw yesterday that Leah is able to have children because God saw she was unloved and opened her womb (Gen 29:31). But Rachel’s womb has not been opened by the Lord. Now the race is on. How does Rachel respond? Does she seek the Lord and cry out to Him and trust Him for the outcome? And when Leah sees the competition has stiffened, does she continue to thank the Lord and seek Him?

Where’s God?

No. She does the opposite. They both, like those before them (specifically Abraham and Sarah but also Rebekah and Jacob), resort to their own solution, their own way. Rachel first blames Jacob – showing she doesn’t trust that God is in control, that it’s up to man. Second, she gives her slave, Bilhah, to Jacob to be a surrogate mother (as has been done previously by even Sarah). And Leah then gives Zilpah.

Envy – a root of sin

Why? Envy. Jealousy. We could say envy and pride are the root of all sins. Some people misquote 1 Tim 6:10 and say “Money is the root of all evil” rather than what the verse actually says: “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil…” So what is the source? This message from John Piper helps us understand from Romans 1-3 the root of evil, of sin. Underneath the actions of our sin is … sin. “And so there is a sin beneath sin that produces sin.” (Piper)

RЯeflection

• How do we respond when things don’t go as planned? How about when the other employee gets the promotion we should have gotten? What is your response when your neighbor or classmate gets a new car or phone? Do we envy and covet? Do we get disappointed with God and angry? It’s natural. It’s also sinful. Why? We are not looking to God as our source. We, as Piper highlights from Romans 1:25 “worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator”. It’s never too late to repent. Don’t fear punishment for Christ has already taken all the wrath of God toward sin. Confess and repent so your relationship with Him is restored.