Jacob's Family

Rachel and Leah - How to Make Good Decisions

Bible Study Lesson -- Genesis 30:1-24  

Taking a lesson from Jacob, Rachel and Leah, we learn more about the decision making process and outcomes. How do decisions we make affect other people, our families?

30:1 Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, "Give me children, or else I die."

2 Then Jacob's anger burned against Rachel, and he said, "Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?"

3 She said, "Here is my maid Bilhah, go in to her that she may bear on my knees, that through her I too may have children."

4 So she gave him her maid Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her.

5 Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

6 Then Rachel said, "God has vindicated me, and has indeed heard my voice and has given me a son." Therefore she named him Dan.

7 Rachel's maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

8 So Rachel said, "With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and I have indeed prevailed." And she named him Naphtali.

9 When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

10 Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

11 Then Leah said, "How fortunate!" So she named him Gad.

12 Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.

13 Then Leah said, "Happy am I! For women will call me happy." So she named him Asher.

14 Now in the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes."

15 But she said to her, "Is it a small matter for you to take my husband? And would you take my son's mandrakes also?" So Rachel said, "Therefore he may lie with you tonight in return for your son's mandrakes."

16 When Jacob came in from the field in the evening, then Leah went out to meet him and said, "You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son's mandrakes." So he lay with her that night.

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.

22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God gave heed to her and opened her womb.

23 So she conceived and bore a son and said, "God has taken away my reproach."

24 She named him Joseph, saying, "May the LORD give me another son."

Jacob and the Decisions He Made

This situation seems to run in the family. Doesn't the story sound familiar? The wife is barren, the husband is given a maidservant, and children are born - only to have the real wife become pregnant later.

This happened to Abraham and Jacob while Isaac went to God with his problem and children were conceived by his wife, Rebekah.

Competition for Kids

The fact that Jacob had two wives, sisters no less, was a recipe for disaster. Each sister wanted to outdo the other - maybe for favor or affection. But, the worst decision was that Jacob agreed to the battle and had children by the servants to please each of these two women. A lack of good judgment caused more and more conflict in his family.

Action and Reaction

Jacob could have spared himself and his family a lifetime of bitterness and competition if he would have had the forethought to refuse these requests to sleep with the two maidservants. Decisions always have benefits or consequences.

The Decisions We Make

Just as with Jacob, Rachel and Leah, we have decisions to make all though our lives. How do we decide when situations arise?

A Possible Remedy

I've always heard the saying; "Don't make big decisions in haste." and I really believe that to be true - although I've sometimes ignored the wisdom of that phrase.

The next time you have a big decision to make - one that will not only affect you but one that will affect your family or other people, stop and wait. Go back and look at the situation a second time. Next, pray and ask God to help direct you into making the right choice.

The outcome still might not go exactly as you hoped but at least you'll know that God is involved and the situation is going according to His plan - which is always better.

Let's take a moment to examine our lives and ask; "Is there a decision looming right now that could have a big impact on other people?" Now, let's pray.

Love in Christ

- Bob

Genesis 27:1-40 - Jacob Steals His Brother's Blessing.