Our God Reigns

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

OUR GOD REIGNS

Gen 30:1-8

30:1 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, "Give me children, or I'll die!" 2 Jacob became angry with her and said, "Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?" 3 Then she said, "Here is Bilhah, my maidservant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and that through her I too can build a family." 4 So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her, 5 and she became pregnant and bore him a son. 6 Then Rachel said, "God has vindicated me; he has listened to my plea and given me a son." Because of this she named him Dan.  7 Rachel's servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Then Rachel said, "I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won." So she named him Naphtali.  

NIV

We are back to another dysfunctional family. We can see how jealousy spawns discord between two people who are supposed to be so in love. How can Rachel give her husband such an ultimatum, “Give me children or I’ll die”? Would she have committed suicide, or was she just screaming out of frustration? The Hebrew word translated as die here has this direct meaning, to die, to kill, to have one executed. This might be just what Rachel was saying, or it could be just metaphorical, as she would die inside, being filled with grief and despair. Either way, Rachel’s demand causes Jacob some frustration, which shows up as anger toward the love of his life. So, just as Sarah responded to being barren by giving Abraham Hagar to give her a son, Rachel gave Jacob her maidservant Bilhah. Interestingly, this must have been an acceptable manner of life for them where men would have intimacy with women other than their wives, with not just permission, but under the direction of their wives. Could this still be that hand of God at work developing the twelve tribes He wanted for Israel? We know God is absolute sovereign in all matters and he is responsible for Rachel being barren, or closing her womb so she could not conceive, for we know at some point he opened her womb, and she conceived both Joseph and Benjamin. What do we learn we can apply to our lives. Of course, it is the sovereignty of our God. Because He is our God and we are His people, or He is our Great Shepard, who leads us to green pastures, then we must follow his lead. We, just like sheep, do not determine the path we take, but God determines our way, and He leads. So we say, “Where He leads we will follow”.  As He controls the wombs of those women, He controls the inner works of our bodies. Does that mean we will never have any health issues? Of course not, but we also must remember that our God reigns. Did He heal Paul of that thorn in the flesh, that trouble from Satan? He told Paul that His grace was enough. In that instance, His grace was seen as His divine influence in Paul’s life and how that was reflected in his life. Paul went on, even with this messenger of Satan that tormented him to do mighty things for the kingdom of God. Our lives, as we are seen as the clay in the hands of the Potter, God, simply means God is sovereign and we are best to continue to submit ourselves to His will for our lives, not taking things into our own hands, but just following the path He has laid out for us. In essence, being still and knowing He is God, He reigns over all.