October 28, 2025 • 19 mins
We're continuing to use Marie Bowen's book, Pregnant With Promise, to study the profiles of the pregnant women in the Bible. This week we learn about Rebecca's difficult pregnancy and her question: "Why is this happening to me?" God's response teaches us that God sees us and cares about our difficult circumstances, knows us before we are born, and keeps His promises.
Scripture references in this episode include:
Genesis 22-24 Psalm 91:11-112 Numbers 12:10
Leviticus 13 2 Chronicles 26:19-21 Job 2:7; 20:20
Psalm 121:5 Jonah 4:6 Ephesians 6:13-17
John 1:14 I Peter 2:8 Psalm 18:2
2 Chronicles 20:15b
https://www.ppl.org/baby-chris
Abortion is never medically necessary
Abortion Pill Reversal https://abortionpillreversal.com 24/7 Helpline at 877.558.0333 Email: help@apr.life or Chat at the weblink above
Post abortion recovery for both women and men at https://www.rachelsvineyard.org
Life Training Institute https://www.prolifetraining.com
Charlotte Lozier Institute https://lozierinstitute.org
Guttmacher Institute https://guttmacher.org
Compelled by the gospel, PPL equips Presbyterians to champion human life at every stage. PPL.org
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Host (00:17):
Welcome back to the ProLife Kitchen Table.
I'm your host, DeborahHollifield, and I'm glad that
you have come back to visit andshare another week of thinking
about how God responds to ourprayers, to our inquiries, to
calm our fears, and how God'shand is in our children's unique
natures.
If that sounds like a lot for a20-minute podcast, well it is,
(00:41):
but we're going to have somehelp from Marie Bowen's
wonderful book, Pregnant withPromise.
This week's profile is ofRebecca, whose inquiry to God
during her pregnancy was why isthis happening to me?
I think that question soundsfamiliar to a lot of us.
The story of Rebecca and Isaacis set in Genesis chapters 22
(01:05):
through 24.
You might want to take a minuteto read through them to get
settled in the context oftoday's reflections.
If you don't have time to dothat now, you might want to
revisit it for the details thatI'm not able to include.
In our last episode, Sarah andAbraham became parents in their
old age to the son of thepromise, Isaac, whose name means
(01:28):
laughter.
And before that we learnedabout Sarah's slave, Hagar, who
became pregnant before Isaac'sbirth with his half brother,
Ishmael.
In chapter 22, God givesAbraham the ultimate test of
faith and asks him to sacrificeIsaac, the son of the promise.
This is a dramatic story thatyou really need to read for
(01:51):
yourself.
But after all the times thatAbraham had previously
distrusted God's ability tofulfill his promise, this time
he complies with God's request.
But his hand is stopped by theangel of the Lord just as he is
about to thrust a knife intoIsaac.
God miraculously provides alamb as a substitute sacrifice,
(02:13):
foreshadowing the provision ofChrist as our sacrifice for sin
in the New Testament.
It's truly an amazing displayof faith and provision.
In Chapter 23, Sarah dies atthe age of 127, and in his old
age the widower Abraham sendshis servant to find a wife for
(02:36):
Isaac from among his own people.
Abraham doesn't want Isaac tomarry a daughter of the pagans,
so he requires his servant toswear that he will find a wife
for him from among Abraham's ownextended family.
The servant dutifully swears tohonor Abraham's wishes and sets
out with ten camels full ofgifts and travels to
(02:58):
Mesopotamia.
When he arrives he kneels by awell of water and prays for God
to grant him success, and he issoon approached by a young
woman, Rebecca, who responds tohis request for a drink and even
waters his camels.
He gives her the gifts thathe's brought, and she and her
brother invite him to theirhome.
(03:20):
After the servant explains toRebecca's father and brother how
God led him to Rebecca in hissearch for a wife for Isaac,
they agreed to allow Rebecca toreturn with the servant to
become Isaac's wife.
Imagine leaving home to marry aman you've never seen.
The Jewish Encyclopediaestimates that Rebecca was
(03:41):
probably only about fourteenyears old at that time.
We're not given muchinformation about her, but we
can learn a few things about herfrom this account.
GenesisChapter 24 verse 16 relates
that Rebecca is a beautifulvirgin, and her quickness to
help Abraham's servant withwater and hospitality displays a
(04:04):
generous spirit.
Genesis Chapter 24, verse 50reads "The thing has come from
the Lord.
Behold Rebecca is before you.
Take her and go, and let her bethe wife of your master's son,
as the Lord has spoken."We can only imagine the
reactions of the unnamedlisteners that are not recorded
(04:25):
in this exchange.
First there's Rebecca, whoselife is being unexpectedly and
suddenly planned out bystrangers.
Then there is likely her motherstanding in the background with
her mind swirling about whetherthis is good news or bad news,
and either way she is about tolose her daughter overnight.
Her mother and her brother askthat she be allowed to stay for
(04:49):
ten days before leaving, but theservant is anxious to go, and
so the departure is planned forthe very next day.
The group then calls forRebecca and asks her, will you
go with this man?
And she says I will go.
So they send her away with hernurse and Abraham's servant and
(05:09):
his men.
This is quite an engagementstory.
How long was your engagement?
How long did you know yourspouse before you were married?
I don't think there are many ofus who can say that we made the
decision to marryspontaneously.
There is such a thing as loveat first sight, but in this
story there is no first sightyet, and the decision to marry
(05:33):
is immediate.
From our vantage point it seemsrisky and fear inducing.
Rebecca and Isaac meet and aremarried, but we don't know if
much time elapsed between thesetwo events.
We're told that Isaac loved herand that her presence in his
life comforted him after hismother's death.
(05:55):
We are told that Isaac was fortyyears old when he married
Rebecca.
Isaac is the child of thepromise, but he is childless
because initially it turns outthat Rebecca is barren.
But Isaac prays, and the Lordanswers his prayer for her, and
she conceives twins.
It seems that Isaac had beentaught well by his father
(06:20):
Abraham about his own birth, howhis mother was also barren for
most of her married life, andhow Abraham and Sarah's efforts
to solve their problems by usingHagar as a surrogate brought
pain and trouble, not only totheir own family, but to future
generations right up to our owntime.
So instead of taking mattersinto his own hands, Isaac gives
(06:44):
it to God instead.
Can you point to a time in yourlife when God granted an answer
to your prayer?
How did you feel when thathappened?
And has it helped to strengthenyour faith?
John Calvin points out in hiscommentary on Genesis that this
was not the first time Isaac hadprayed for fruitfulness for
(07:06):
Rebecca.
Calvin writes, "He had beendisappointed about this for
twenty years.
It was clear that Isaac wasindeed blessed with a special
persevering faith."And now we get to Rebecca's
question.
Her pregnancy was a joyousevent, but it wasn't going to be
(07:26):
an easy nine months, because inGenesis chapter 15 verse 22, it
says that the childrenstruggled together within her,
and she said, "If it is thus,why is this happening to me?
So she went to inquire of theLord."
She was being kicked andprodded and poked.
This is her first pregnancy,and she had waited twenty years
(07:49):
for this and she is worried thatsomething's not right.
Nothing's more frightening thanwhen something goes awry during
a pregnancy.
When a doctor can't hear aheartbeat or an ultrasound
reveals an abnormality, it canbe a terribly painful and
frightening experience.
Suddenly the excitement of newlife growing inside you and the
(08:12):
hopes and dreams that you'vealready imagined for this
child's future are at risk.
Whatever the difficulty you arefacing, Rebecca's story provides
a pattern for us to follow.
But maybe your situationdoesn't involve pregnancy or a
difficult prenatal diagnosis,but the loss of a job, issues
(08:33):
with your own health or apainful relationship.
Maybe like Sarah and Rebecca,you too have waited many years
praying and hoping for a child,but unlike their stories, you
have not become pregnant.
Is God concerned about yourpainful circumstances?
Rebecca's response serves as agood first response to any
(08:56):
trouble in our lives.
She went to inquire of theLord.
And God's response to her prayeris that "two nations are in
your womb and two peoples fromwithin you shall be divided.
The one shall be stronger thanthe other, the older shall serve
the younger." So without anultrasound, God gave Rebecca
(09:18):
knowledge that she would havetwins, and also gave her
information about therelationship of the boys, and
that the oldest, who wouldnormally have received a double
portion of the inheritanceaccording to the traditions of
the day, would instead be aservant of the younger.
God's sovereign choice of theyounger sons set up future
(09:38):
conflict between the brothers.
Scripture draws us a picture ofthese two boys.
Their names are descriptive oftheir entrance into the world
and also who they would become.
Esau's name is from the HebrewEdom, which means red.
We are told that he was red andhairy at birth.
(10:00):
This very feature will allowJacob to steal his blessing in
the years to come.
Jacob, whose name means hetakes by the heel, or he cheats,
was born holding on to Esau'sheel, and he will take from his
brother both his birthright andhis blessing as their lives
(10:20):
unfold.
Let's go again to the hall offaith in Hebrews chapter 11.
At verse 20 we are remindedthat by faith Isaac invoked
future blessings on Jacob andEsau.
In the story of Abraham's faithin the promise that he would
have more descendants than couldbe numbered, that resulted in
(10:43):
his search for Isaac's wife, inIsaac's prayer for Rebecca's
barrenness over twenty years ofwaiting, and Rebecca's turning
to God for insight andencouragement in her difficult
pregnancy, their faithfulnesschallenges us to greater faith,
especially when God's timingdoes not match our desire, and
(11:04):
when our circumstances in themeantime are difficult.
God answered the prayers ofIsaac and Rebecca, and He cares
about your difficulties today.
He knows you.
He knew what you would becomeeven before you were born.
You can trust Him with yourdeepest anxieties, your most
(11:25):
distressing problems, even yourworst sins, because He already
knows and He loves you deeply.
Rebecca's story, like those ofEve and Hagar and Sarah, lead us
to understand the character ofGod as one who brings
fruitfulness out of barrenness,knows us before we are born,
(11:46):
sees our needs and provides forus, hears our prayers, and keeps
his promises.
Thanks be to God.
What a great and encouragingstory that is! I'm really
enjoying going through this bookwith you.
Let's take a stretch break nowand maybe use the time to say a
breath prayer for something youare waiting and hoping for, and
(12:10):
then come back and listen towhat is happening to Baby Chris
and his 32nd week ofdevelopment.
Announcer (12:17):
Presbyterians Protecting Life has the
resources you need to equipyourself and your congregation
to champion life at every stage.
We have answers to yourquestions, referrals to
specialized care like abortionpill reversal and post-abortion
recovery, current statistics andinformation, discussion
starters and devotionals to helpyou think about and share about
pregnancy and abortion,adoption, foster care, and even
(12:39):
suicide, assisted suicide andend-of-life challenges.
Visit PPL.org to learn more.
Host (12:51):
This week 32, a devotional in our baby Chris project is
entitled Suit Up.
Hear the word of the Lord.
"For he will command his angelsconcerning you to guard you in
all your ways.
They will lift you up in theirhands so that you will not
strike your foot against astone." Psalm 91:11 and 12
(13:16):
Thanks be to God.
At thirty two weeks, mother'suterus is pushing up against her
abdomen and diaphragm, sparkingheartburn, causing shortness of
breath.
Baby's toenails and fingernailshave completely developed to
their final form, and his boneshave almost reached their full
pre birth growth.
(13:36):
His skin is becoming soft andsmooth as the layer of downy
hair that has covered baby'sskin for the past few months
starts to fall off.
Both human skin and nails serveto protect our bodies as we
move around in a world of thumpsand bumps and bacteria.
Our skin protects our mostvaluable assets from the outside
(13:58):
world, our heart, brain, bones,blood, nerves, muscles, and
packages them neatly so that weare not a blobby mess.
Skin is our first line ofdefense against infectious
invasion by germs, chemicals,and other contaminants.
Our birthday suit regulates ourbody temperature and responds
(14:19):
to touch and pain stimuli.
Skin also operates as achemical factory producing
vitamin D3, essential for ahealthy heart, bones, memory,
and blood pressure.
Finger and toenails are made upof a protein called keratin, the
same protein that makes uphair.
The primary function of nailsis to shield fingertips and toes
(14:42):
from injury.
They increase the sensitivityof our digits by acting as
counterforces when the pulp offingers and toes touch an
object.
Both toenails and fingernailsare examined by doctors to help
in diagnosing certain diseasesand conditions like dehydration
and shock.
Jewish mysticism has somethingto say about every aspect of
(15:05):
life, including fingernails.
Nails should be cut in aparticular order.
Left digits three, one, four,two, five, and then right digits
eight, six, nine, seven, ten.
According to the Kabbalah,fingernails and toenails should
(15:26):
be cut on different days.
It is a mitzva, a good deeddone from religious duty, to cut
one's fingernails on Friday inhonor of Shabbat and before Yom
Tov, a festival day.
However, one may not cut nailson Shabbat and Yom Tov, since
that is one of the acts offorbidden labor.
(15:48):
The habit of nail biting isdiscouraged, especially since it
may lead to biting fingernailson Shabbat, which is prohibited.
In Scripture, skin diseases weresometimes inflicted by God as a
punishment for sin, and thosewith skin diseases, lumped into
a general category of leprosy,were considered to be unclean
(16:11):
and were excluded from thesocial life of the community and
banned from worship.
The need to protect skin fromthe sun is acknowledged, and
sure footedness is a protectionto a warrior who could be taken
out in battle by a simplestubbed toe or a stone in his
shoe.
But while our skin and nailsprotect us, both can be breached
(16:34):
and leave us vulnerable.
In anticipation of physicalattack, we reinforce ourselves
with shoes and gloves.
Soldiers, police, and firemenwear protective gear and body
armor to offset any wounds orburns they might receive in
battle.
In his letter to the Ephesians,Paul cautioned believers to don
(16:54):
the armor of God provided forspiritual warfare.
"Put on the full armor of Godso that when the day of evil
comes you may be able to standyour ground, and after you have
done everything, to stand.
Stand firm then with the beltof truth buckled around your
waist, with the breastplate ofrighteousness in place, and with
(17:15):
your feet fitted with thereadiness that comes from the
gospel of peace.
In addition to all this, takeup the shield of faith, with
which you can extinguish all theflaming arrows of the evil one.
Take the helmet of salvationand the sword of the Spirit
which is the Word of God." Thisis from Ephesians chapter
(17:36):
6 verses 13 through 17.
God provides developing humanswith protection in the womb as
he builds skin and nails for ourdaily protection, allowing us
to move about in the world inrelative safety.
God also provides spiritualarmor to protect us as we battle
the enemy who has stalked usfrom the womb, the same enemy
(17:59):
who threatened Jesus when hetook on flesh and came to dwell
among us.
The God who anticipateseverything joined us in our
vulnerability to wounding andattack.
He absorbed all our infections,yet was without disease.
His skin was wounded so ourscould be raised immortal.
(18:21):
He exposed himself to violence,but never leaves us
unprotected.
He is a stumbling stone tomany, a rock, a deliverer, and a
shield to those who believe.
Hear the word of the Lord.
"This is what the Lord says toyou.
Do not be afraid or discouragedbecause of this vast army, for
(18:45):
the battle is not yours, butGod's." Second Chronicles
chapter twenty, verse fifteen.
Thanks be to God.
Announcer (18:58):
We hope you enjoyed this week's reflection.
We encourage you to share itand join us next time on Pro
Life Kitchen Table.
May God bless you.
Welcome back to the ProLife Kitchen Table.
I'm your host, DeborahHollifield, and I'm glad that
you have come back to visit andshare another week of thinking
about how God responds to ourprayers, to our inquiries, to
calm our fears, and how God'shand is in our children's unique
natures.
If that sounds like a lot for a20-minute podcast, well it is,
(00:41):
but we're going to have somehelp from Marie Bowen's
wonderful book, Pregnant withPromise.
This week's profile is ofRebecca, whose inquiry to God
during her pregnancy was why isthis happening to me?
I think that question soundsfamiliar to a lot of us.
The story of Rebecca and Isaacis set in Genesis chapters 22
(01:05):
through 24.
You might want to take a minuteto read through them to get
settled in the context oftoday's reflections.
If you don't have time to dothat now, you might want to
revisit it for the details thatI'm not able to include.
In our last episode, Sarah andAbraham became parents in their
old age to the son of thepromise, Isaac, whose name means
(01:28):
laughter.
And before that we learnedabout Sarah's slave, Hagar, who
became pregnant before Isaac'sbirth with his half brother,
Ishmael.
In chapter 22, God givesAbraham the ultimate test of
faith and asks him to sacrificeIsaac, the son of the promise.
This is a dramatic story thatyou really need to read for
(01:51):
yourself.
But after all the times thatAbraham had previously
distrusted God's ability tofulfill his promise, this time
he complies with God's request.
But his hand is stopped by theangel of the Lord just as he is
about to thrust a knife intoIsaac.
God miraculously provides alamb as a substitute sacrifice,
(02:13):
foreshadowing the provision ofChrist as our sacrifice for sin
in the New Testament.
It's truly an amazing displayof faith and provision.
In Chapter 23, Sarah dies atthe age of 127, and in his old
age the widower Abraham sendshis servant to find a wife for
(02:36):
Isaac from among his own people.
Abraham doesn't want Isaac tomarry a daughter of the pagans,
so he requires his servant toswear that he will find a wife
for him from among Abraham's ownextended family.
The servant dutifully swears tohonor Abraham's wishes and sets
out with ten camels full ofgifts and travels to
(02:58):
Mesopotamia.
When he arrives he kneels by awell of water and prays for God
to grant him success, and he issoon approached by a young
woman, Rebecca, who responds tohis request for a drink and even
waters his camels.
He gives her the gifts thathe's brought, and she and her
brother invite him to theirhome.
(03:20):
After the servant explains toRebecca's father and brother how
God led him to Rebecca in hissearch for a wife for Isaac,
they agreed to allow Rebecca toreturn with the servant to
become Isaac's wife.
Imagine leaving home to marry aman you've never seen.
The Jewish Encyclopediaestimates that Rebecca was
(03:41):
probably only about fourteenyears old at that time.
We're not given muchinformation about her, but we
can learn a few things about herfrom this account.
GenesisChapter 24 verse 16 relates
that Rebecca is a beautifulvirgin, and her quickness to
help Abraham's servant withwater and hospitality displays a
(04:04):
generous spirit.
Genesis Chapter 24, verse 50reads "The thing has come from
the Lord.
Behold Rebecca is before you.
Take her and go, and let her bethe wife of your master's son,
as the Lord has spoken."We can only imagine the
reactions of the unnamedlisteners that are not recorded
(04:25):
in this exchange.
First there's Rebecca, whoselife is being unexpectedly and
suddenly planned out bystrangers.
Then there is likely her motherstanding in the background with
her mind swirling about whetherthis is good news or bad news,
and either way she is about tolose her daughter overnight.
Her mother and her brother askthat she be allowed to stay for
(04:49):
ten days before leaving, but theservant is anxious to go, and
so the departure is planned forthe very next day.
The group then calls forRebecca and asks her, will you
go with this man?
And she says I will go.
So they send her away with hernurse and Abraham's servant and
(05:09):
his men.
This is quite an engagementstory.
How long was your engagement?
How long did you know yourspouse before you were married?
I don't think there are many ofus who can say that we made the
decision to marryspontaneously.
There is such a thing as loveat first sight, but in this
story there is no first sightyet, and the decision to marry
(05:33):
is immediate.
From our vantage point it seemsrisky and fear inducing.
Rebecca and Isaac meet and aremarried, but we don't know if
much time elapsed between thesetwo events.
We're told that Isaac loved herand that her presence in his
life comforted him after hismother's death.
(05:55):
We are told that Isaac was fortyyears old when he married
Rebecca.
Isaac is the child of thepromise, but he is childless
because initially it turns outthat Rebecca is barren.
But Isaac prays, and the Lordanswers his prayer for her, and
she conceives twins.
It seems that Isaac had beentaught well by his father
(06:20):
Abraham about his own birth, howhis mother was also barren for
most of her married life, andhow Abraham and Sarah's efforts
to solve their problems by usingHagar as a surrogate brought
pain and trouble, not only totheir own family, but to future
generations right up to our owntime.
So instead of taking mattersinto his own hands, Isaac gives
(06:44):
it to God instead.
Can you point to a time in yourlife when God granted an answer
to your prayer?
How did you feel when thathappened?
And has it helped to strengthenyour faith?
John Calvin points out in hiscommentary on Genesis that this
was not the first time Isaac hadprayed for fruitfulness for
(07:06):
Rebecca.
Calvin writes, "He had beendisappointed about this for
twenty years.
It was clear that Isaac wasindeed blessed with a special
persevering faith."And now we get to Rebecca's
question.
Her pregnancy was a joyousevent, but it wasn't going to be
(07:26):
an easy nine months, because inGenesis chapter 15 verse 22, it
says that the childrenstruggled together within her,
and she said, "If it is thus,why is this happening to me?
So she went to inquire of theLord."
She was being kicked andprodded and poked.
This is her first pregnancy,and she had waited twenty years
(07:49):
for this and she is worried thatsomething's not right.
Nothing's more frightening thanwhen something goes awry during
a pregnancy.
When a doctor can't hear aheartbeat or an ultrasound
reveals an abnormality, it canbe a terribly painful and
frightening experience.
Suddenly the excitement of newlife growing inside you and the
(08:12):
hopes and dreams that you'vealready imagined for this
child's future are at risk.
Whatever the difficulty you arefacing, Rebecca's story provides
a pattern for us to follow.
But maybe your situationdoesn't involve pregnancy or a
difficult prenatal diagnosis,but the loss of a job, issues
(08:33):
with your own health or apainful relationship.
Maybe like Sarah and Rebecca,you too have waited many years
praying and hoping for a child,but unlike their stories, you
have not become pregnant.
Is God concerned about yourpainful circumstances?
Rebecca's response serves as agood first response to any
(08:56):
trouble in our lives.
She went to inquire of theLord.
And God's response to her prayeris that "two nations are in
your womb and two peoples fromwithin you shall be divided.
The one shall be stronger thanthe other, the older shall serve
the younger." So without anultrasound, God gave Rebecca
(09:18):
knowledge that she would havetwins, and also gave her
information about therelationship of the boys, and
that the oldest, who wouldnormally have received a double
portion of the inheritanceaccording to the traditions of
the day, would instead be aservant of the younger.
God's sovereign choice of theyounger sons set up future
(09:38):
conflict between the brothers.
Scripture draws us a picture ofthese two boys.
Their names are descriptive oftheir entrance into the world
and also who they would become.
Esau's name is from the HebrewEdom, which means red.
We are told that he was red andhairy at birth.
(10:00):
This very feature will allowJacob to steal his blessing in
the years to come.
Jacob, whose name means hetakes by the heel, or he cheats,
was born holding on to Esau'sheel, and he will take from his
brother both his birthright andhis blessing as their lives
(10:20):
unfold.
Let's go again to the hall offaith in Hebrews chapter 11.
At verse 20 we are remindedthat by faith Isaac invoked
future blessings on Jacob andEsau.
In the story of Abraham's faithin the promise that he would
have more descendants than couldbe numbered, that resulted in
(10:43):
his search for Isaac's wife, inIsaac's prayer for Rebecca's
barrenness over twenty years ofwaiting, and Rebecca's turning
to God for insight andencouragement in her difficult
pregnancy, their faithfulnesschallenges us to greater faith,
especially when God's timingdoes not match our desire, and
(11:04):
when our circumstances in themeantime are difficult.
God answered the prayers ofIsaac and Rebecca, and He cares
about your difficulties today.
He knows you.
He knew what you would becomeeven before you were born.
You can trust Him with yourdeepest anxieties, your most
(11:25):
distressing problems, even yourworst sins, because He already
knows and He loves you deeply.
Rebecca's story, like those ofEve and Hagar and Sarah, lead us
to understand the character ofGod as one who brings
fruitfulness out of barrenness,knows us before we are born,
(11:46):
sees our needs and provides forus, hears our prayers, and keeps
his promises.
Thanks be to God.
What a great and encouragingstory that is! I'm really
enjoying going through this bookwith you.
Let's take a stretch break nowand maybe use the time to say a
breath prayer for something youare waiting and hoping for, and
(12:10):
then come back and listen towhat is happening to Baby Chris
and his 32nd week ofdevelopment.
Announcer (12:17):
Presbyterians Protecting Life has the
resources you need to equipyourself and your congregation
to champion life at every stage.
We have answers to yourquestions, referrals to
specialized care like abortionpill reversal and post-abortion
recovery, current statistics andinformation, discussion
starters and devotionals to helpyou think about and share about
pregnancy and abortion,adoption, foster care, and even
(12:39):
suicide, assisted suicide andend-of-life challenges.
Visit PPL.org to learn more.
Host (12:51):
This week 32, a devotional in our baby Chris project is
entitled Suit Up.
Hear the word of the Lord.
"For he will command his angelsconcerning you to guard you in
all your ways.
They will lift you up in theirhands so that you will not
strike your foot against astone." Psalm 91:11 and 12
(13:16):
Thanks be to God.
At thirty two weeks, mother'suterus is pushing up against her
abdomen and diaphragm, sparkingheartburn, causing shortness of
breath.
Baby's toenails and fingernailshave completely developed to
their final form, and his boneshave almost reached their full
pre birth growth.
(13:36):
His skin is becoming soft andsmooth as the layer of downy
hair that has covered baby'sskin for the past few months
starts to fall off.
Both human skin and nails serveto protect our bodies as we
move around in a world of thumpsand bumps and bacteria.
Our skin protects our mostvaluable assets from the outside
(13:58):
world, our heart, brain, bones,blood, nerves, muscles, and
packages them neatly so that weare not a blobby mess.
Skin is our first line ofdefense against infectious
invasion by germs, chemicals,and other contaminants.
Our birthday suit regulates ourbody temperature and responds
(14:19):
to touch and pain stimuli.
Skin also operates as achemical factory producing
vitamin D3, essential for ahealthy heart, bones, memory,
and blood pressure.
Finger and toenails are made upof a protein called keratin, the
same protein that makes uphair.
The primary function of nailsis to shield fingertips and toes
(14:42):
from injury.
They increase the sensitivityof our digits by acting as
counterforces when the pulp offingers and toes touch an
object.
Both toenails and fingernailsare examined by doctors to help
in diagnosing certain diseasesand conditions like dehydration
and shock.
Jewish mysticism has somethingto say about every aspect of
(15:05):
life, including fingernails.
Nails should be cut in aparticular order.
Left digits three, one, four,two, five, and then right digits
eight, six, nine, seven, ten.
According to the Kabbalah,fingernails and toenails should
(15:26):
be cut on different days.
It is a mitzva, a good deeddone from religious duty, to cut
one's fingernails on Friday inhonor of Shabbat and before Yom
Tov, a festival day.
However, one may not cut nailson Shabbat and Yom Tov, since
that is one of the acts offorbidden labor.
(15:48):
The habit of nail biting isdiscouraged, especially since it
may lead to biting fingernailson Shabbat, which is prohibited.
In Scripture, skin diseases weresometimes inflicted by God as a
punishment for sin, and thosewith skin diseases, lumped into
a general category of leprosy,were considered to be unclean
(16:11):
and were excluded from thesocial life of the community and
banned from worship.
The need to protect skin fromthe sun is acknowledged, and
sure footedness is a protectionto a warrior who could be taken
out in battle by a simplestubbed toe or a stone in his
shoe.
But while our skin and nailsprotect us, both can be breached
(16:34):
and leave us vulnerable.
In anticipation of physicalattack, we reinforce ourselves
with shoes and gloves.
Soldiers, police, and firemenwear protective gear and body
armor to offset any wounds orburns they might receive in
battle.
In his letter to the Ephesians,Paul cautioned believers to don
(16:54):
the armor of God provided forspiritual warfare.
"Put on the full armor of Godso that when the day of evil
comes you may be able to standyour ground, and after you have
done everything, to stand.
Stand firm then with the beltof truth buckled around your
waist, with the breastplate ofrighteousness in place, and with
(17:15):
your feet fitted with thereadiness that comes from the
gospel of peace.
In addition to all this, takeup the shield of faith, with
which you can extinguish all theflaming arrows of the evil one.
Take the helmet of salvationand the sword of the Spirit
which is the Word of God." Thisis from Ephesians chapter
(17:36):
6 verses 13 through 17.
God provides developing humanswith protection in the womb as
he builds skin and nails for ourdaily protection, allowing us
to move about in the world inrelative safety.
God also provides spiritualarmor to protect us as we battle
the enemy who has stalked usfrom the womb, the same enemy
(17:59):
who threatened Jesus when hetook on flesh and came to dwell
among us.
The God who anticipateseverything joined us in our
vulnerability to wounding andattack.
He absorbed all our infections,yet was without disease.
His skin was wounded so ourscould be raised immortal.
(18:21):
He exposed himself to violence,but never leaves us
unprotected.
He is a stumbling stone tomany, a rock, a deliverer, and a
shield to those who believe.
Hear the word of the Lord.
"This is what the Lord says toyou.
Do not be afraid or discouragedbecause of this vast army, for
(18:45):
the battle is not yours, butGod's." Second Chronicles
chapter twenty, verse fifteen.
Thanks be to God.
Announcer (18:58):
We hope you enjoyed this week's reflection.
We encourage you to share itand join us next time on Pro
Life Kitchen Table.
May God bless you.
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