Rachel's Period.

Rachel did it! She stole the idols from her father and hid them in her tent. Then she covered them up and sat on top. When her dad comes to see if they have been stolen she says "Forgive me for not getting up dad, I'm on my period. You know how that is". He believes her and moves on.

Have you ever just told a straight out lie to someone's face, even someone you love and care about? Unfortunately,  I have and I bet I'm not alone.

Rachel ' s sin, like ours most times, started way before the lie however. She wanted and coveted an IDOL! Perhaps she was hoping that the god of fertility would give her more babies or that her sister would stop competing with her for Jacob ' s affections. In any case, she did not seek God, she wanted a false god and lied to protect it. How twisted!

Idolatry is putting anything in place of the One, True God. The bible never says that Rachel repented. We may never know, but we do know what we covet after in our own hearts. What thing would you turn your back on God to have? Would it truly be worth it?

Rachel attempts to cover her own sin by her blood, but only Christ's blood is pure enough to hide our sins.

If you are hiding your secret sins, don't cover up any longer. Your blood is not powerful enough to shield your wrongs. Confess your sins to God who abundantly pardons, heals and forgives.

Praise be to God for His blood that never loses its power!

Leah's Baby Mama Drama

This week we are taking a closer look at Leah. She was the tender-eyed sister of Rachel who Jacob loved even though they were both married to him by trickery of her father. If that was not enough family drama, we see a constant rivalry between these two sisters over who can have the most children by Jacob.

As I read and studied, the Lord began to reveal to me how women often respond when they are hated by the men who are supposed to love them. What happens when you are the unloved wife. In the world's gospel, everyone deserves to be loved and if you are not, you need to ditch that zero and find a hero! However, in bible times, it was not that simplistic at all, and what was even MORE important than a healthy marriage was a healthy baby.

Now He Will Love Me

Once married to Jacob, Leah had several sons and with each birth, she thought that surely she would know her husband's love. Notice that sex was not love to her. She desired his heart. No all of us wives have the heart of our husbands, especially if another woman has children by him. It can be a trying situation to say the least. Will we ever be The One? The bible never says that Leah was truly loved by Jacob.

Earning His Love

She even gave her maid Zilpah to Jacob when it seemed that she could no longer earn his love through having children of her own. How many times have women pushed their husbands into the hands of another man through their unrestrained emotions? By taking matters into our own hands, we complicate God's gift of marriage. When we make a covenant with more than one person (sexually speaking), it drives them further away, not closer to us.

Hiring His Love

When Leah's firstborn son finds mandrakes in the field and gives them to her, she uses this blessing as a manipulative tool to get pregnant once again. She literally prostitutes her husband to her sister! Many women do the same - using their children as pawns to get a man in bed!

We can learn some valuable things from Leah:

1. It is God who brings any good thing into your marriage. Realize that He is the source of every good blessing!

2. God can bring fruit out of an unfruitful situation. When her sister Rachel (although loved by her husband) was barren, God gave Leah children. She was fruitful. She contributed half the tribe of Israel including Jacob's firstborn. Not only that, but her son Judah continued the lineage all the way to Jesus Christ Himself!

3. The last shall be first and the first shall be last. We may be hated, despised, rejected and unloved, but so was Christ. We must continue to praise God in the middle of our storms. Leah was Jacob's first wife and the last of his wives to die. She was buried in the cave of the other matriarchs and left a legacy that is incomparable.

No matter if you are loved or hated by a man, God's love for you is what matter most.

Communion, Sex and the Church of Jesus Christ

Questions for Discussion & Reflection

1. Have you taken of communion unworthily? How can you change that?

2. Fasting is essential. Are you holding fast or taking communion? Is this what you should be doing at this time?

3. If you are married, communion should be part of your lifestyle. How can you improve your sex life to the glory of God?

4. Unity in the body was the prayer of Jesus in the book of John chapter 17. Read this prayer and pray with Christ!

Rebekah's Heart Problems

Rebekah was a hard working girl. She had her priorities in order and was doing what she was supposed to be doing. While drawing water from the well she showed a stranger generosity and hospitality. Little did she know that her act of kindness would be a blessing in her life and that she would be married in the next few days!

When we focus on the path that God has given us at the moment, we open doors of opportunity for blessings to come and overtake our lives. 

Rebekah was not afraid to take a chance on God. When God speaks we should obey immediately. When we are in right position then we can move quickly in obedience to God's will for our lives. 

Unfortunately, like most of us, Rebecca did not stay in right position all of her life. Her heart began to sway towards one of her sons in particular. Her focus changes. The Bible says that our hearts are deceitfully wicked. Rebecca allowed her affections for one of her sons to distract her and caused her to be deceptive. She used her blessings as manipulation to feed her own desires. She caused her older son Esau to hate his brother Jacob, who she loved best. 

Sometimes the repercussions of our actions against God's will are so severe that we struggle with the results for the rest of our lives. Small things can make a big difference!

This is what I learned from Rebekah's life:

1. Work hard. We serve God, not man.

2. Attitude is everything. It may be one step away or towards the next blessing in your life.

3. Be ready to move into whatever position the Lord has prepared for you. Walk by faith.

4. Guard your heart! Examine your affections. Are you placing anyone or anything in God's place in your heart?

5. Stop to reflect on the results of your actions. Is what you are about to do going to bring glory to God?

I'm so glad that God shows us characters in the Bible with their flaws and all. None of us are perfect and even though we start out on the right path we can easily be turned out of the way. Let's be determined to trust God with our whole heart and lean not to your own understanding.

* See my vlog on this topic at Wifestyle Image Network on Youtube. *