Leah's Children Part Two

12/29/2006

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                  Focus:  Leah’s children Part 2

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  Genesis 30:17-21

            Message of the verses:  “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.”

            Leah bartered with Rachel to be able to sleep with Jacob by giving him some mandrake roots which her son Ruben had given to her.  I am not sure how these arrangements were made on other night as to who Jacob would be sleeping with, but it seems to me that he spent most of his time with Rachel, but that may not have been the case.  At any rate after paying for him with the mandrakes Leah began to have children again and she had another son, and named him Issachar, which means reward, wages, and then she became pregnant again with a boy and named him Zebulun, which may mean honor.  She then had a daughter, and named her Dinah and the Hebrew meaning for that name means judgment.

            The mandrake roots were suppose to be some kind of “love apple,” and Rachel may have wanted them to help her become pregnant, so that could be why she was so willing to allow Leah to sleep with Jacob that night.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I truly believe that it was and still is God who causes women to become pregnant and have children, and the reason for this belief is that God chose His own, for His own reasons, before the foundation of the earth, (see Eph. 1:4) and therefore it has to be up to God to have these people born.  At any rate I do things like Leah and Rachel do in order to get my own way, and sometimes God allows me to get my own way, because that is His way, however I think that Proverbs 3:5-6 are the better way to understand what God’s will is for my life, so that I do not have to resolve to doing thing on my own and hope that they are God’s will for me.

The Word of God has brought challenges to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  Proverbs 3:5-6 are a good step of faith for everyday, including today.  “5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.  6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will direct your paths straight.”  By following these verses I would pray that God would also teach me contentment.