relationships (Genesis 29:31-30:24) Finding Our Soulmate

(Genesis 29:31-35)  Now the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. 32 Leah conceived and bore a son and named him Reuben, for she said, “Because the Lord has seen my affliction; surely now my husband will love me.” 33 Then she conceived again and bore a son and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.” So she named him Simeon. 34 She conceived again and bore a son and said, “Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore he was named Levi. 35 And she conceived again and bore a son and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.

(Genesis 30:1-24)  Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I 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 She said, “Here is my maid Bilhah, go in to her that she may bear on my knees, that through her I too may have children.” 4 So she gave him her maid Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to 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 Rachel’s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 So Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and I have indeed prevailed.” And she named him Naphtali.

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

14 Now in the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” 15 But she said to her, “Is it a small matter for you to take my husband? And would you take my son’s mandrakes also?” So Rachel said, “Therefore he may lie with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.” 16 When Jacob came in from the field in the evening, then Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he lay with her that night. 17 God gave heed to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Then Leah said, “God has given me my wages because I gave my maid to my husband.” So she named him Issachar. 19 Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob. 20 Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good gift; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun. 21 Afterward she bore a daughter and named her Dinah.

22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God gave heed to her and opened her womb. 23 So she conceived and bore a son and said, “God has taken away my reproach.” 24 She named him Joseph, saying, “May the Lord give me another son.”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

The sin of having more than one wife, led to favoritism, led to jealousy and accusations and anger, which only led to more "wives" and game-playing in order to win the heart of the husband.  In the competition to give Jacob the most children, the children themselves were unwisely drawn into the drama!  And they resorted to seeking out worldly "remedies".  Mandrakes were thought to be an aphrodisiac or something that could enhance fertility.  The end result of the women's bartering was that Jacob was "paid" for sex.  And what about Jacob?  It seems like maybe he felt powerless and just allowed this to all happen.  But he was an accomplice!

What a crazy dysfunctional family!  And from these children would come the twelve tribes of Israel.  Obviously from the beginning, God knew that Jacob and his family would create a mess like this, but the Lord chose to be born in flesh through them anyway.  He came to die for all sin because we all need saving.  And then, we all need to have God in our lives to help us.

Part of the problem with all three adults is that they were looking for their spouse (and perhaps their children) to "complete" them.  These phrases that the world loves to use, like: we need to find our "person" or our "soulmate" in order to find "the one" who "completes" us, goes hand-in-hand with the expectations that a person can "satisfy" us and be our "whole world" or our "whole reason for living".  I've even heard people say this - "They are my life, without them I don't know what I would do".  

Well, what happens when those people die, or disappoint us?  Because it is only inevitable.  Making another person or thing our god/s (whatever or whoever comes come first in our lives), they will only disappoint us and let us down.  There isn't anything or anyone who is perfect.  Only the Lord God is perfect.

The Lord Jesus came to die in our place to pay for our sin, and rose again to have victory over death.  When we accept Him as our Lord and Savior and make Him "our life" - we gain eternal life and real purpose!  In our salvation, we receive the indwelling Holy Spirit;  so Jesus is literally our "soulmate"!!!   He is the only one who can complete us and satisfy our souls and our lives.  The Lord God Jesus Christ is all-knowing, all powerful, everlasting and faithful.  He will never let us down or disappoint us!  And because He loves us, He will guide and help us to have healthier relationships with those around us.