Mercy In The Mess

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?”

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.

14 During wheat harvest, Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants, which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

15 But she said to her, “Wasn’t it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?”

“Very well,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”

16 So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You must sleep with me,” she said. “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he slept with her that night.

22 Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.” 24 She named him Joseph, and said, “May the Lord add to me another son.”

Messy families abound in a sinful world.

1) A trend observed in the Bible.

• Polygamy
• Sibling rivalry
• Deception
• Murder
• Adultery
• God blessed His people not because they were perfect, but because He loved them.

2) Brokenness persists today.

3) Sinful humans cannot be completely harmonious and loving.

Thankfully, God is at work in this mess.

• To draw us to His gospel.
• Mess >>> Mercy
• Pain >>> Praise
• Those whom God blesses and uses are not those who are perfect, but those who need Christ.

Not perfect but redeemable.

* How to be healed from a messy family?

• Christ heals brokenness.
• If already know it is fragile, take extra care to cling to God.
• Repent of sins that contribute to the mess.
• Be healed by God’s love and live out His word.
• Persevere!

Lessons from Jacob’s messy family.

1) The marriage pleasing to God is that between one man and one woman.

2) Jealousy is destructive.

• Only desire what others have but not appreciate what we have.
• Can lead to more serious sins and extend beyond generations.
• Hidden >>> dangerous
• Tend to spoil relationships closer to us.
• Makes us more bitter.
• Solutions:
  • Find back our worth in God.
  • Learn to give thanks.
  • Love others sincerely.

3) Insistence on one’s desire(s) can be detrimental.

• Jacob’s problem: Only loved Rachel, but did not confirm how valuable Leah was too.
• We tend to love the obvious good, but do not see value in the lowly, despised, foolish, and the weak who are chosen by God <1 Co 1:27-28>.
• Learn to appreciate blessings hidden in the “Leahs” of our lives.
• Submit to God’s plan even if it is not of our choice.