Jan 13

If I was putting a title on any of these posts today title would go something like this:
Jacob the Baby Factory.

You ever notice how some women feel like that is all men think of them as, baby factories. Now it isn't so much now as it was lets say during the Women's Movement in the 70s and 80s (ok I wasn't born in the 70s but I have read my history books) and even well before that. Actually I guess it was in the 70s and 80s that women started to really prove that they were more capable of doing more than just having babies and families, but any ways the point is and trust me there is a point I promise. At least the times have gotten a lot better since Jacob roamed the earth.

In Genesis 29:31-30:24 it talks about Jacob and his children. Now if you don't know Jacob was in love with Rachel but was tricked by her father, Laban to marry her sister Leah first and then work even longer to finally marry Rachel. Well because God saw that Jacob loved Rachel more her, he provided Leah with children first and quite frequently I might add. But my point here is that there was so much sibling rivalry going on here for children and Jacob's love that eventually each sister gave their servants to Jacob to produce children when they couldn't. Now maybe it is because of the way these passages are written to just to show how many children he had but man this had to be a gentleman's paradise to know that at any time and any place these 4 women were at his mercy. I wonder if at times he had to be feeling like he was a "Baby Factory" and needed a break.

But that also brings me to another point in verse 30:1 Rachel became mad that she was childless and she demanded that Jacob give her a child, I am not sure I quite understand his response, because he got mad and said "Am I God? He is the only one able to give you children!" verse 30:2. I am thinking they obviously did not understand that it takes both male and female in the flesh and bone department to procreate. Or did God play daddy before Mary and Jesus? Surely not. But they obviously placed a lot of a woman's worth on whether or not she could have children.

Being childless like I am I can see the shame that Rachel felt and even Sarah. I try to do everything right but I still wrestle in myself that I must not be worthy enough or I must have done something wrong for God not to bless me with children. And there isn't a day that goes by that I don't pray for God to show me what I need to do in order to bless my husband with children. I not only want them for myself but I do feel like my barrenness is a reflection of my worth and I feel that is reflects badly on him too and I would sooner die then for my actions to shine badly on him.