November 4, 2025 • 25 mins
This week's episode begins with a mini lesson on pro-life apologetics, before we dive into Marie Bowen's book Pregnant With Promise, to examine the chaotic family of Jacob and his wives, Leah and Rachel. Their story helps to remind us that God is present when we are unloved and miserable, when we struggle with our sisters, and when we live with trouble.
Scripture references in this episode include:
Genesis 27-30 Luke 1:37 Luke 2:52
Genesis 2:7 Job 10:8-9; 33:6 Isaiah 64:8
Romans 9:20-21 2 Timothy 2:20 Philippians 2:13
Ephesians 2:10 Romans 8:18
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
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Host (00:16):
Welcome back to the ProLife Kitchen Table.
I'm Deborah Hollifield, andthis podcast is sponsored by
Presbyterians Protecting Life, anational pro-life parachurch
organization.
PPL has been educating andequipping Presbyterians about
all things pro-life, fromfertilization to natural death,
for more than 40 years.
(00:38):
If you are just beginning yourpro-life apologetics journey,
you will find that the more youtalk about it, the more you will
internalize the information andthe easier it will become.
By way of a mini-lesson, one ofthe first things that I would
recommend is that you keep inmind that there are many
different ways to approach thepro-life conversations and
(01:02):
arguments and objections withabortion advocates, and keeping
those categories straight willhelp you think as you speak.
Sometimes abortion advocateswill bring up medical science as
a way to try to stump you.
Or they may come back in andtry to use philosophy to talk
about personhood.
(01:22):
And they often believe theirfinal shot is their best one
when they try to use religion touse scripture against you.
PPL can provide you with goodinformation to respond in each
of these categories.
But my mini lesson that Imentioned earlier is that it's
really important to give ananswer in the same category that
(01:42):
you are being grilled about.
By that I mean, if an abortionadvocate brings up something in
medical science, for example,the age of viability, don't try
to respond with an answer fromscripture.
Instead, respond with an answerfrom medical science about the
progress that has been made insaving the lives of premature
(02:04):
babies.
As far as scripture isconcerned, most pro-lifers don't
lead with that, and that'sprobably why it's a favorite of
the pro-abortion crowd.
They think they can beat usover the head with our own
Bibles.
But if they want to go there, atrue pro-life advocate will be
able to easily bring clarity totheir confused understanding of
(02:26):
the attributes of God assovereign over life, protector
of the innocent, rescuer of theoppressed, and protector of
women and children.
You can go to ppl.org and underthe abortion tab in the menu,
you can access different papersthat list the most commonly used
scriptures and responses topro-abortion arguments in other
(02:49):
categories.
Just don't confuse yourcategories.
Discuss science with science,religion with religion, and
philosophy and ethics withphilosophy and ethics, and it
will be a lot easier for you tokeep things straight in your
head when there is a lot to knowand share.
Now we're going to return toMarie Bowen's great book,
(03:10):
Pregnant with Promise.
We've been learning theattributes of God by following
the lives of the pregnant womenin Scripture.
We've already met Eve, Hagar,Sarah, and Rebecca, and this
week we are going to meetJacob's wives, Leah and Rachel,
and learn about how God ispresent when we are unloved and
miserable, when we struggle withour sisters, and when we live
(03:34):
with trouble.
The story of Jacob's life withLeah and Rachel is told in
Genesis chapters twenty seventhrough thirty.
It's important to understandtheir husband Jacob, who has
received God's blessing and isthe one through whom God
continues to build a people setapart for himself.
Jacob's story is epic and itcould feel a really long novel.
(03:58):
He is a turbulent character,impulsive and deceitful, but
he's also devoted to God.
In Jacob's story we find twowives, two concubines,
barrenness, jealousy, conflict,deceit, and blessing.
In the middle of this chaoticfamily, God shows himself to be
(04:19):
faithful to his promises, andreveals more than that, that he
is the God who brings order fromchaos, fruitfulness where there
was barrenness, sees our placesof deepest hurt and longing,
and blesses us even whenpunishment is deserved.
Jacob's mother Rebecca helpedhim flee to his uncle Laban's
(04:39):
home to save Jacob's life afterhe stole his twin brother Esau's
blessing and inheritance.
Along the way to his uncle'shouse, Jacob stopped for the
night and dreamed of thestairway reaching to heaven and
of angels ascending anddescending upon it.
The next morning Jacob vowedthat if God would give him safe
(05:01):
journey, the Lord would be hisGod and he would give a tenth of
all that he owned as anoffering to God.
And this is where the story ofLeah and Rachel begins.
When Jacob arrives at a well anddiscovered shepherds there, he
asks if they know his uncle.
They do, and they point outRachel, Laban's daughter who is
(05:23):
there with them.
When Jacob sees Rachel he rollsthe stone from the mouth of the
well and waters his uncle'ssheep for her.
Rachel is beautiful and hefalls in love at first sight.
Jacob stays with his uncle as aguest for a whole month, and
during that time he gets to knowboth of his uncle Laban's
(05:44):
daughters, Leah the oldest andRachel the younger.
Laban offers Jacob theopportunity to marry Rachel.
So Jacob tells his uncle thathe will serve him for seven
years in order to marry Rachel.
Laban agrees, and Jacob worksfor those seven years, and
Scripture tells us that theyseem like just a few days to him
(06:07):
because of his deep love forher.
Well, you may know the rest ofthe story.
Uncle Laban plans the weddingfeast, but when the evening
comes, he gives his daughterLeah to Jacob instead of Rachel.
We don't know why Jacob didn'trealize the deception
immediately.
He might have had too much wineto drink during the
(06:29):
celebration, it might have beendark.
Leah was probably wearing atraditional heavy veil, but
whatever the reason, Jacobdidn't know he had been deceived
until the next morning.
Jacob confronts his uncle andasks him why he had deceived
him.
Uncle Laban comes up with a newplan, and Jacob finishes his
(06:50):
bridal week with Leah, and thenhe marries Rachel.
This gives us some idea aboutwhat Jacob thought about the
concept of marriage, that mostlyit was all about him and for
his benefit.
This crisis sets up apolygamous marriage in a
turbulent and conflicted coursefor Jacob's family life.
(07:11):
A lot of times you will hearpeople say that God approves of
polygamy as a way of demeaningGod's character.
But God never prescribespolygamy as an acceptable way of
marriage.
Many of the pagan cultures thatAbraham and his family lived
among practiced polygamy.
But every time polygamy isrecorded in Scripture, it's
(07:34):
recorded in a negative light ofchaos and turmoil in families.
Verse thirty begins to tell thesource of the conflict in
Jacob's family, where it says,And he loved Rachel more than he
loved Leah.
In verse thirty one throughverse thirty five, God saw that
(07:58):
Leah was unloved.
It says that when the Lord sawthat Leah was hated, he opened
her womb.
Leah then goes on to conceivefour more times and birth four
sons.
The names she gives her childrenand her exclamations at their
births tell us much about herfeelings, her character, and her
(08:20):
relationships.
She names her firstborn Reuben,which means
"See, a son!" and says, "Becausethe Lord has looked upon my
affliction, for now my husbandwill love me."
She names her second sonSimeon, which means "heard," and
states, "Because the Lord hasheard that I am hated, he has
(08:43):
given me this son too."Her third son, Levi, which
means "attached," is born, andshe proclaims, "Now this time my
husband will be attached to mebecause I have borne him three
sons."And when her fourth son Judah
is born, whose name means"praise," Leah simply says,
(09:06):
"This time I will praise theLord."
Genesis chapter 30 records howRachel reacts in jealousy
because of her own pain at herinability to bear Jacob a child.
She looks to Jacob and pleads,"Give me children or I shall
die!" Jacob, of course, ishelpless to fulfill her request
(09:28):
and rightly points her to God,but in doing so he does it in
anger, and he gives her thisresponse, "Am I in the place of
God who has withheld from youthe fruit of the womb?"
This is a good place to pause aminute and think back on our
lesson from last week withRebecca.
When Rebecca was found barren,what was Isaac's response to
(09:50):
her?
In Genesis 25, it tells us thatIsaac prayed to the Lord for
her.
If you've been following thispodcast from the beginning, the
next part of the story will makeyou shake your head and wonder
how anyone could make the samemistake twice.
Remember how Sarah responded toher barrenness by giving her
(10:11):
maidservant Hagar to Abraham sohe could have a son through her
instead of waiting for God tofulfill his promise that she
would bear a son herself?
That story is in Genesis 16.
Well, almost unbelievably, eventhough certainly she had heard
the story, Rachel makes the sameresponse rather than trusting
(10:32):
God.
She gives her servant Bilhah toJacob, and Bilhah bears him two
sons, Dan and Naphtali.
Dan means "judged," and when heis born, Rachel says, "God has
judged me and has also heard myvoice and given me a son." And
Naphtali means "wrestling." Andwhen he is born, Rachel says,
(10:56):
"With mighty wrestling I havewrestled with my sister and I
have prevailed."Nothing like a revenge birth to
patch up things with hersister.
Like the names given by Leah toher children, these names
revealed that Rachel understoodchildren to be a blessing from
God, but they also showed herjealousy towards Leah overrode
(11:17):
everything in her life.
If only that were the end ofthe matter.
But Leah is not to be outdone.
Leah follows Rachel's exampleand gives her maidservant Zilpah
to Jacob as a wife.
Zilpah bears two sons to Jacob,Gad meaning "good fortune," and
Asher meaning "happy".
(11:38):
Again, the statements of Leahare recorded.
Of Gad she says "Good fortunehas come," and of Asher's birth,
she states "Happy am I, forwomen have called me happy."
So what has Jacob been doingbesides making children with his
wives' servants and forgettingGod's promises to him?
Well, Jacob is treated by bothwomen as a weapon with which to
(12:01):
wound the other.
Rachel bargains away a nightwith her husband for some of
Leah's son's mandrakes, and Leahexclaims, "Is it a small matter
that you have taken away my"husband?" It's open warfare
inside their home.
Like men often do when they wantto avoid conflict with women,
(12:22):
Jacob has abdicated anyleadership role in this chaotic
family.
He complies with Rachel'sbargain and sleeps with Leah
again.
She conceives three more timesand bears him two sons named
Isakar and Zebulon, and adaughter named Dinah, which
means "female judge." With eachnew son, Leah expresses her
(12:45):
expectation that Jacob willfinally love her and show her
honor.
At last Rachel conceives.
When her son is born, she nameshim Joseph, which means "He
will add," and declares, "Godhas taken away my reproach.
May the Lord add to me anotherson."
(13:06):
Something about the birth ofthis son through the woman that
Jacob loves seems to wake himup, and he goes to his uncle
with a request to leave with hisfamily and start a new life for
himself and his family with hisgrowing livestock.
God renews his covenant withJacob and calls him by a new
name, Israel, which means"He struggles with God." God
(13:32):
commands Jacob to be fruitfuland multiply and reiterates the
promise given to Abraham andIsaac, that nations and kings
will come from him, and his heirwill receive the land of
promise.
They set out on their journey,and Rachel becomes pregnant for
a second time and then goes intolabor.
(13:53):
The delivery is difficult, andwhen labor is at its peak, the
midwife says to Rachel, "Do notfear for you have another son."
As Rachel is dying, though, onthe road to Bethlehem, her son
is born, and she names himBenani, which means "son of my
sorrow." But Jacob will havenone of that and calls him
(14:17):
instead Benjamin, which means"son of my right hand."
So what is our response to Godin this troubling story of
marital discord?
When spouses are unloved, itwould be naive to think that
there are no marriages todaywhere women and men are not
(14:38):
loved.
Perhaps you yourself are inthat situation.
And most of us can point to atime in our lives when we have
felt unloved.
This story shows us that Godvery definitely sees us when we
feel unloved and that his lovefor us does not change according
to what it is that we do tosubvert his will for us.
(15:00):
And when we believe we areunloved, we can respond
positively by turning to God andpraying in faith to bear up
until we are rescued by God.
But what about jealousy?
Like many people who exhibitjealousy, the jealousy was a
response to Rachel's pain.
(15:22):
But that jealousy drove a wedgebetween her and her sister and
between her and her husband.
Think how differently thingsmight have been if she had
brought her feelings of pain andjealousy to God in prayer.
If there are roots of jealousyin your own life, take them to
God and let Him resolve thoseissues in your heart and show
(15:44):
you a positive way to respond.
Many women will be familiar withmen who abandon spiritual
leadership like Jacob did.
One of the frequent reasonsthat pregnant women give for
choosing abortion is theunwillingness of the father of
the child to support her throughher pregnancy and parenting.
While Jacob was present withhis two wives, and because of
(16:09):
God's blessing and by his hardwork, he was a good provider.
It seems apparent though thatat some point Jacob abandoned
his role as the spiritual headof the home.
In Colossians 3:18-19, Paulwrites about the unique roles of
men and women in marriage.
(16:29):
He says, "Wives, submit to yourhusband as is fitting in the
Lord.
Husbands love your wives and donot be harsh with them." Paul
sees the man as a loving servantleader, no more willing to
damage his own wife than hewould be to harm his own body.
(16:50):
Jacob could have done much moreto fulfill this role of
spiritual leadership in hisconflicted home by exhibiting
loving service and prayercovering to his wives.
There are many men like Jacob inchurch families.
How might the church fill thegap for women when a man is not
(17:11):
willing to be the provider orthe spiritual leader in the
home?
There are older men who cancome alongside a reluctant or
clueless husband and encouragehim with their own examples and
support.
The church can offer classesfor men on the attributes of God
and the duties andresponsibilities of a husband
and father.
(17:31):
And then sadly, women will facedeath as Rachel did.
Women rarely face death todayin childbirth in America.
Still, though, even the life ofthe mother has often been used
as a reason to support abortion,although there are almost no
medical situations in the UnitedStates, when physicians are
(17:52):
unable to save the lives of bothbaby and mother.
When a mother does die of amedical cause, it is almost
always near the time ofdelivery, sudden and not
predictable earlier inpregnancy, when most abortion
decisions are made.
It is never easy to face our owndeath.
It is the final letting go, thefinal act of trusting God.
(18:16):
The time to think about our owndeath and the deaths of our
loved ones is before the crisisarrives.
Do you fear your own death?
The death of your loved ones?
If you're comfortable doing so,you might want to broach the
topic of your own attitudetoward death with the group of
sisters in Christ.
I think I may have exhausted usduring these last few minutes.
(18:38):
There is so much to think aboutin these chapters of decisions
that led to deceitfulness andjealousy, barrenness and even
death, and much is obvious abouthow different life would be if
those decisions have been madein faith instead of desperation.
So I promise that when you comeback after the break, the week
(19:01):
33 Baby Chris Devotional will beencouraging and uplifting, for
nothing is impossible with God.
Announcer (19:28):
Presented by a five-member ensemble cast,
Viable leads the audiencethrough a journey of healing and
restoration for post-abortivewomen and men through the love
of Jesus Christ.
Viable is endorsed by theNational Right to Life
Committee.
You can find out how to presentViable to your church or
pro-life group atViablePlay.org.
Host (19:52):
This Baby Chris Week 33 devotional is titled Impossible.
Hear the word of the Lord.
"Nothing is Impossible With God." Lukechapter 1, verse 37.
Thanks be to God.
At 33 weeks, Baby Chris will addabout half a pound a week until
(20:13):
birth.
The amniotic fluid is beingdigested in the amount of about
a pint a day now.
His fingernails are now longenough to reach to the tip of
his fingers or beyond and mightneed trimming once he's born.
His pliable skull bones aren'tyet fused together.
Every mother has wondered howthat big baby's head is going to
(20:36):
come out of that small exit.
But a combination of hormonalchanges and mechanical
adjustments between the mother'spelvis and the baby's skull
makes it all possible.
A hormone called relaxinloosens the ligaments around the
pelvis.
The pubus joint at the front ofthe pelvis is made up of
(20:57):
fibrocartilage flexible enoughto allow movement for more space
for the baby's head andshoulders.
A baby's head is made up ofseven bones held together with
cranial sutures that cometogether in a soft spot at the
top of the skull.
There is also a soft spot infront and another in rear.
(21:18):
As the baby's head moves downthrough the dilated cervix, the
unfused bones in his skull willshift and overlap slightly to
allow the head to fit through.
These soft spots allow the headto be flexible during birth and
allow for more braindevelopment after birth.
The bones won't fuse until thebaby is around two years old.
(21:43):
But the indoor pool of the womb,things are quite literally
inside out.
Even though a baby's lungs arefull of amniotic fluid, the baby
doesn't drown because oxygen isbeing delivered from the
placenta via the umbilical cord.
The process of human growth anddevelopment that begins in the
(22:04):
womb is evident and continuesthroughout our lives.
Sentience, the capacity to feeland relate, is something that
also increases with maturity andhas no connection to one's
humanity or personhood.
In males, the human brain isnot fully developed until at
least the age of twenty-five.
(22:25):
And some researchers believethat emotional maturity isn't
reached until the age of fortythree.
Dr.
Luke noted that even Jesus,whose incarnation was human
perfection from the moment ofconception, grew in wisdom and
stature.
Contrary to the assertions ofpro abortion philosophers,
(22:46):
philosophy is not a science.
There is no degree of physicalor sensory development that
serves as a line of demarcationbetween non human and human, or
between nonperson and person.
Scripture repeats the theme ofGod's intentional hand in
creation and lifelong humandevelopment.
(23:08):
God formed Adam from dust.
Job referred to himself asGod's clay.
The prophet Isaiah likenedhumans to clay on a wheel being
worked by God as a potter.
And Paul reminds us that Godretains sovereign power over the
use of the clay.
Our flexible, soft forms, mindsand spirits gradually take the
(23:31):
shape he intends.
Some of his work in us isallowed to cure, to harden over
time, while other work will befired to hardness in a hot kiln
of the tests and trials of life.
We have a God infusedflexibility of body, mind, and
spirit that enables us toaccomplish whatever it is that
(23:52):
God intends, no matter howimpossible the task appears.
Throughout our lives, it is Godwho is at work in you both to
will and to work for his goodpleasure, molding us into who we
need to be to perform the goodworks prepared for us in
advance.
If the stretch is painful orthe fire is hot, we can be
(24:14):
certain that the sufferings ofthis present time are not worth
comparing with the glory that isto be revealed in us.
Hear the word of the Lord, "Forwe are his workmanship created
in Christ Jesus for good works,which God prepared beforehand
that we should walk in them."Ephesians chapter
(24:35):
2:10. Thanks be to God.
Announcer (24:44):
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 Deborah Hollifield, andthis podcast is sponsored by
Presbyterians Protecting Life, anational pro-life parachurch
organization.
PPL has been educating andequipping Presbyterians about
all things pro-life, fromfertilization to natural death,
for more than 40 years.
(00:38):
If you are just beginning yourpro-life apologetics journey,
you will find that the more youtalk about it, the more you will
internalize the information andthe easier it will become.
By way of a mini-lesson, one ofthe first things that I would
recommend is that you keep inmind that there are many
different ways to approach thepro-life conversations and
(01:02):
arguments and objections withabortion advocates, and keeping
those categories straight willhelp you think as you speak.
Sometimes abortion advocateswill bring up medical science as
a way to try to stump you.
Or they may come back in andtry to use philosophy to talk
about personhood.
(01:22):
And they often believe theirfinal shot is their best one
when they try to use religion touse scripture against you.
PPL can provide you with goodinformation to respond in each
of these categories.
But my mini lesson that Imentioned earlier is that it's
really important to give ananswer in the same category that
(01:42):
you are being grilled about.
By that I mean, if an abortionadvocate brings up something in
medical science, for example,the age of viability, don't try
to respond with an answer fromscripture.
Instead, respond with an answerfrom medical science about the
progress that has been made insaving the lives of premature
(02:04):
babies.
As far as scripture isconcerned, most pro-lifers don't
lead with that, and that'sprobably why it's a favorite of
the pro-abortion crowd.
They think they can beat usover the head with our own
Bibles.
But if they want to go there, atrue pro-life advocate will be
able to easily bring clarity totheir confused understanding of
(02:26):
the attributes of God assovereign over life, protector
of the innocent, rescuer of theoppressed, and protector of
women and children.
You can go to ppl.org and underthe abortion tab in the menu,
you can access different papersthat list the most commonly used
scriptures and responses topro-abortion arguments in other
(02:49):
categories.
Just don't confuse yourcategories.
Discuss science with science,religion with religion, and
philosophy and ethics withphilosophy and ethics, and it
will be a lot easier for you tokeep things straight in your
head when there is a lot to knowand share.
Now we're going to return toMarie Bowen's great book,
(03:10):
Pregnant with Promise.
We've been learning theattributes of God by following
the lives of the pregnant womenin Scripture.
We've already met Eve, Hagar,Sarah, and Rebecca, and this
week we are going to meetJacob's wives, Leah and Rachel,
and learn about how God ispresent when we are unloved and
miserable, when we struggle withour sisters, and when we live
(03:34):
with trouble.
The story of Jacob's life withLeah and Rachel is told in
Genesis chapters twenty seventhrough thirty.
It's important to understandtheir husband Jacob, who has
received God's blessing and isthe one through whom God
continues to build a people setapart for himself.
Jacob's story is epic and itcould feel a really long novel.
(03:58):
He is a turbulent character,impulsive and deceitful, but
he's also devoted to God.
In Jacob's story we find twowives, two concubines,
barrenness, jealousy, conflict,deceit, and blessing.
In the middle of this chaoticfamily, God shows himself to be
(04:19):
faithful to his promises, andreveals more than that, that he
is the God who brings order fromchaos, fruitfulness where there
was barrenness, sees our placesof deepest hurt and longing,
and blesses us even whenpunishment is deserved.
Jacob's mother Rebecca helpedhim flee to his uncle Laban's
(04:39):
home to save Jacob's life afterhe stole his twin brother Esau's
blessing and inheritance.
Along the way to his uncle'shouse, Jacob stopped for the
night and dreamed of thestairway reaching to heaven and
of angels ascending anddescending upon it.
The next morning Jacob vowedthat if God would give him safe
(05:01):
journey, the Lord would be hisGod and he would give a tenth of
all that he owned as anoffering to God.
And this is where the story ofLeah and Rachel begins.
When Jacob arrives at a well anddiscovered shepherds there, he
asks if they know his uncle.
They do, and they point outRachel, Laban's daughter who is
(05:23):
there with them.
When Jacob sees Rachel he rollsthe stone from the mouth of the
well and waters his uncle'ssheep for her.
Rachel is beautiful and hefalls in love at first sight.
Jacob stays with his uncle as aguest for a whole month, and
during that time he gets to knowboth of his uncle Laban's
(05:44):
daughters, Leah the oldest andRachel the younger.
Laban offers Jacob theopportunity to marry Rachel.
So Jacob tells his uncle thathe will serve him for seven
years in order to marry Rachel.
Laban agrees, and Jacob worksfor those seven years, and
Scripture tells us that theyseem like just a few days to him
(06:07):
because of his deep love forher.
Well, you may know the rest ofthe story.
Uncle Laban plans the weddingfeast, but when the evening
comes, he gives his daughterLeah to Jacob instead of Rachel.
We don't know why Jacob didn'trealize the deception
immediately.
He might have had too much wineto drink during the
(06:29):
celebration, it might have beendark.
Leah was probably wearing atraditional heavy veil, but
whatever the reason, Jacobdidn't know he had been deceived
until the next morning.
Jacob confronts his uncle andasks him why he had deceived
him.
Uncle Laban comes up with a newplan, and Jacob finishes his
(06:50):
bridal week with Leah, and thenhe marries Rachel.
This gives us some idea aboutwhat Jacob thought about the
concept of marriage, that mostlyit was all about him and for
his benefit.
This crisis sets up apolygamous marriage in a
turbulent and conflicted coursefor Jacob's family life.
(07:11):
A lot of times you will hearpeople say that God approves of
polygamy as a way of demeaningGod's character.
But God never prescribespolygamy as an acceptable way of
marriage.
Many of the pagan cultures thatAbraham and his family lived
among practiced polygamy.
But every time polygamy isrecorded in Scripture, it's
(07:34):
recorded in a negative light ofchaos and turmoil in families.
Verse thirty begins to tell thesource of the conflict in
Jacob's family, where it says,And he loved Rachel more than he
loved Leah.
In verse thirty one throughverse thirty five, God saw that
(07:58):
Leah was unloved.
It says that when the Lord sawthat Leah was hated, he opened
her womb.
Leah then goes on to conceivefour more times and birth four
sons.
The names she gives her childrenand her exclamations at their
births tell us much about herfeelings, her character, and her
(08:20):
relationships.
She names her firstborn Reuben,which means
"See, a son!" and says, "Becausethe Lord has looked upon my
affliction, for now my husbandwill love me."
She names her second sonSimeon, which means "heard," and
states, "Because the Lord hasheard that I am hated, he has
(08:43):
given me this son too."Her third son, Levi, which
means "attached," is born, andshe proclaims, "Now this time my
husband will be attached to mebecause I have borne him three
sons."And when her fourth son Judah
is born, whose name means"praise," Leah simply says,
(09:06):
"This time I will praise theLord."
Genesis chapter 30 records howRachel reacts in jealousy
because of her own pain at herinability to bear Jacob a child.
She looks to Jacob and pleads,"Give me children or I shall
die!" Jacob, of course, ishelpless to fulfill her request
(09:28):
and rightly points her to God,but in doing so he does it in
anger, and he gives her thisresponse, "Am I in the place of
God who has withheld from youthe fruit of the womb?"
This is a good place to pause aminute and think back on our
lesson from last week withRebecca.
When Rebecca was found barren,what was Isaac's response to
(09:50):
her?
In Genesis 25, it tells us thatIsaac prayed to the Lord for
her.
If you've been following thispodcast from the beginning, the
next part of the story will makeyou shake your head and wonder
how anyone could make the samemistake twice.
Remember how Sarah responded toher barrenness by giving her
(10:11):
maidservant Hagar to Abraham sohe could have a son through her
instead of waiting for God tofulfill his promise that she
would bear a son herself?
That story is in Genesis 16.
Well, almost unbelievably, eventhough certainly she had heard
the story, Rachel makes the sameresponse rather than trusting
(10:32):
God.
She gives her servant Bilhah toJacob, and Bilhah bears him two
sons, Dan and Naphtali.
Dan means "judged," and when heis born, Rachel says, "God has
judged me and has also heard myvoice and given me a son." And
Naphtali means "wrestling." Andwhen he is born, Rachel says,
(10:56):
"With mighty wrestling I havewrestled with my sister and I
have prevailed."Nothing like a revenge birth to
patch up things with hersister.
Like the names given by Leah toher children, these names
revealed that Rachel understoodchildren to be a blessing from
God, but they also showed herjealousy towards Leah overrode
(11:17):
everything in her life.
If only that were the end ofthe matter.
But Leah is not to be outdone.
Leah follows Rachel's exampleand gives her maidservant Zilpah
to Jacob as a wife.
Zilpah bears two sons to Jacob,Gad meaning "good fortune," and
Asher meaning "happy".
(11:38):
Again, the statements of Leahare recorded.
Of Gad she says "Good fortunehas come," and of Asher's birth,
she states "Happy am I, forwomen have called me happy."
So what has Jacob been doingbesides making children with his
wives' servants and forgettingGod's promises to him?
Well, Jacob is treated by bothwomen as a weapon with which to
(12:01):
wound the other.
Rachel bargains away a nightwith her husband for some of
Leah's son's mandrakes, and Leahexclaims, "Is it a small matter
that you have taken away my"husband?" It's open warfare
inside their home.
Like men often do when they wantto avoid conflict with women,
(12:22):
Jacob has abdicated anyleadership role in this chaotic
family.
He complies with Rachel'sbargain and sleeps with Leah
again.
She conceives three more timesand bears him two sons named
Isakar and Zebulon, and adaughter named Dinah, which
means "female judge." With eachnew son, Leah expresses her
(12:45):
expectation that Jacob willfinally love her and show her
honor.
At last Rachel conceives.
When her son is born, she nameshim Joseph, which means "He
will add," and declares, "Godhas taken away my reproach.
May the Lord add to me anotherson."
(13:06):
Something about the birth ofthis son through the woman that
Jacob loves seems to wake himup, and he goes to his uncle
with a request to leave with hisfamily and start a new life for
himself and his family with hisgrowing livestock.
God renews his covenant withJacob and calls him by a new
name, Israel, which means"He struggles with God." God
(13:32):
commands Jacob to be fruitfuland multiply and reiterates the
promise given to Abraham andIsaac, that nations and kings
will come from him, and his heirwill receive the land of
promise.
They set out on their journey,and Rachel becomes pregnant for
a second time and then goes intolabor.
(13:53):
The delivery is difficult, andwhen labor is at its peak, the
midwife says to Rachel, "Do notfear for you have another son."
As Rachel is dying, though, onthe road to Bethlehem, her son
is born, and she names himBenani, which means "son of my
sorrow." But Jacob will havenone of that and calls him
(14:17):
instead Benjamin, which means"son of my right hand."
So what is our response to Godin this troubling story of
marital discord?
When spouses are unloved, itwould be naive to think that
there are no marriages todaywhere women and men are not
(14:38):
loved.
Perhaps you yourself are inthat situation.
And most of us can point to atime in our lives when we have
felt unloved.
This story shows us that Godvery definitely sees us when we
feel unloved and that his lovefor us does not change according
to what it is that we do tosubvert his will for us.
(15:00):
And when we believe we areunloved, we can respond
positively by turning to God andpraying in faith to bear up
until we are rescued by God.
But what about jealousy?
Like many people who exhibitjealousy, the jealousy was a
response to Rachel's pain.
(15:22):
But that jealousy drove a wedgebetween her and her sister and
between her and her husband.
Think how differently thingsmight have been if she had
brought her feelings of pain andjealousy to God in prayer.
If there are roots of jealousyin your own life, take them to
God and let Him resolve thoseissues in your heart and show
(15:44):
you a positive way to respond.
Many women will be familiar withmen who abandon spiritual
leadership like Jacob did.
One of the frequent reasonsthat pregnant women give for
choosing abortion is theunwillingness of the father of
the child to support her throughher pregnancy and parenting.
While Jacob was present withhis two wives, and because of
(16:09):
God's blessing and by his hardwork, he was a good provider.
It seems apparent though thatat some point Jacob abandoned
his role as the spiritual headof the home.
In Colossians 3:18-19, Paulwrites about the unique roles of
men and women in marriage.
(16:29):
He says, "Wives, submit to yourhusband as is fitting in the
Lord.
Husbands love your wives and donot be harsh with them." Paul
sees the man as a loving servantleader, no more willing to
damage his own wife than hewould be to harm his own body.
(16:50):
Jacob could have done much moreto fulfill this role of
spiritual leadership in hisconflicted home by exhibiting
loving service and prayercovering to his wives.
There are many men like Jacob inchurch families.
How might the church fill thegap for women when a man is not
(17:11):
willing to be the provider orthe spiritual leader in the
home?
There are older men who cancome alongside a reluctant or
clueless husband and encouragehim with their own examples and
support.
The church can offer classesfor men on the attributes of God
and the duties andresponsibilities of a husband
and father.
(17:31):
And then sadly, women will facedeath as Rachel did.
Women rarely face death todayin childbirth in America.
Still, though, even the life ofthe mother has often been used
as a reason to support abortion,although there are almost no
medical situations in the UnitedStates, when physicians are
(17:52):
unable to save the lives of bothbaby and mother.
When a mother does die of amedical cause, it is almost
always near the time ofdelivery, sudden and not
predictable earlier inpregnancy, when most abortion
decisions are made.
It is never easy to face our owndeath.
It is the final letting go, thefinal act of trusting God.
(18:16):
The time to think about our owndeath and the deaths of our
loved ones is before the crisisarrives.
Do you fear your own death?
The death of your loved ones?
If you're comfortable doing so,you might want to broach the
topic of your own attitudetoward death with the group of
sisters in Christ.
I think I may have exhausted usduring these last few minutes.
(18:38):
There is so much to think aboutin these chapters of decisions
that led to deceitfulness andjealousy, barrenness and even
death, and much is obvious abouthow different life would be if
those decisions have been madein faith instead of desperation.
So I promise that when you comeback after the break, the week
(19:01):
33 Baby Chris Devotional will beencouraging and uplifting, for
nothing is impossible with God.
Announcer (19:28):
Presented by a five-member ensemble cast,
Viable leads the audiencethrough a journey of healing and
restoration for post-abortivewomen and men through the love
of Jesus Christ.
Viable is endorsed by theNational Right to Life
Committee.
You can find out how to presentViable to your church or
pro-life group atViablePlay.org.
Host (19:52):
This Baby Chris Week 33 devotional is titled Impossible.
Hear the word of the Lord.
"Nothing is Impossible With God." Lukechapter 1, verse 37.
Thanks be to God.
At 33 weeks, Baby Chris will addabout half a pound a week until
(20:13):
birth.
The amniotic fluid is beingdigested in the amount of about
a pint a day now.
His fingernails are now longenough to reach to the tip of
his fingers or beyond and mightneed trimming once he's born.
His pliable skull bones aren'tyet fused together.
Every mother has wondered howthat big baby's head is going to
(20:36):
come out of that small exit.
But a combination of hormonalchanges and mechanical
adjustments between the mother'spelvis and the baby's skull
makes it all possible.
A hormone called relaxinloosens the ligaments around the
pelvis.
The pubus joint at the front ofthe pelvis is made up of
(20:57):
fibrocartilage flexible enoughto allow movement for more space
for the baby's head andshoulders.
A baby's head is made up ofseven bones held together with
cranial sutures that cometogether in a soft spot at the
top of the skull.
There is also a soft spot infront and another in rear.
(21:18):
As the baby's head moves downthrough the dilated cervix, the
unfused bones in his skull willshift and overlap slightly to
allow the head to fit through.
These soft spots allow the headto be flexible during birth and
allow for more braindevelopment after birth.
The bones won't fuse until thebaby is around two years old.
(21:43):
But the indoor pool of the womb,things are quite literally
inside out.
Even though a baby's lungs arefull of amniotic fluid, the baby
doesn't drown because oxygen isbeing delivered from the
placenta via the umbilical cord.
The process of human growth anddevelopment that begins in the
(22:04):
womb is evident and continuesthroughout our lives.
Sentience, the capacity to feeland relate, is something that
also increases with maturity andhas no connection to one's
humanity or personhood.
In males, the human brain isnot fully developed until at
least the age of twenty-five.
(22:25):
And some researchers believethat emotional maturity isn't
reached until the age of fortythree.
Dr.
Luke noted that even Jesus,whose incarnation was human
perfection from the moment ofconception, grew in wisdom and
stature.
Contrary to the assertions ofpro abortion philosophers,
(22:46):
philosophy is not a science.
There is no degree of physicalor sensory development that
serves as a line of demarcationbetween non human and human, or
between nonperson and person.
Scripture repeats the theme ofGod's intentional hand in
creation and lifelong humandevelopment.
(23:08):
God formed Adam from dust.
Job referred to himself asGod's clay.
The prophet Isaiah likenedhumans to clay on a wheel being
worked by God as a potter.
And Paul reminds us that Godretains sovereign power over the
use of the clay.
Our flexible, soft forms, mindsand spirits gradually take the
(23:31):
shape he intends.
Some of his work in us isallowed to cure, to harden over
time, while other work will befired to hardness in a hot kiln
of the tests and trials of life.
We have a God infusedflexibility of body, mind, and
spirit that enables us toaccomplish whatever it is that
(23:52):
God intends, no matter howimpossible the task appears.
Throughout our lives, it is Godwho is at work in you both to
will and to work for his goodpleasure, molding us into who we
need to be to perform the goodworks prepared for us in
advance.
If the stretch is painful orthe fire is hot, we can be
(24:14):
certain that the sufferings ofthis present time are not worth
comparing with the glory that isto be revealed in us.
Hear the word of the Lord, "Forwe are his workmanship created
in Christ Jesus for good works,which God prepared beforehand
that we should walk in them."Ephesians chapter
(24:35):
2:10. Thanks be to God.
Announcer (24:44):
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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