Week 4: Leah or Rachel

I really liked this week. I have studied the story of Jacob before (Beth Moore's Patriarchs) but I never looked at the story this way.

I always identified with Leah. She always seemed to have the same insecurities that I have always battled. She lived in the shadow of her beautiful, more desirable younger sister. I felt this a lot in High School with Kelly. She also wanted so badly to be loved an desired that she was deceitful in order to get what she wanted. I cant think of a specific example, but I am sure that I have done this in my life as well. But if you look at what Leah did achieve, she was greatly blessed with sons that would be the heads of the tribes of Israel. I think many people see this in Leah... but do they see it as a idol? I never did.

What about Rachel? I always thought she was the lucky one. She was beautiful and loved unconditionally by her husband despite be barren. I know several happily married women who do not have a desire to have children of their own. They are perfectly content with the relationship they have with their husband. But this was not enough for Rachel, she wanted children. God did eventually bless her, but until after she pulled a Sarah. Why do we see he same mistakes over and over again in the bible? You would think that people would learn from the mistakes of their forefathers? I guess the same could be asked for our society now. Overall, our desires become our idols.

I always thought of materialism as being an idol and participating in certain unholy actives, but never our pure desires of our heart. Psalm 37:4 says "Take delight in the Lord and he will grant you the desires of your heart." I have always held fast to this verse. We also have to look at what it doesn't say. It doesn't say that will will get it in our way and time. It doesn't say we will get it if we are half hearted with the Lord. It doesn't say that we will get our desires if we take matters in to our own hands. Rachel did have the children that she desired, but at what cost? I think this happens to us all the time. We have the greedy give me's. We want it and we want it now. In this our desire become idols as we turn away from God and focus on the want and how to obtain it.

On page 84 Kelly says, "When God told us to have no other gods before Him, it was built-in protection from being double minded. If we are severing God and God alone, we are single-minded with one focus, when we Claim God is our God while we are serving false gods, we become double-minded." Leah and Rachel were double-minded. Are we also double-minded? I think I can be even though I try not be be.

I also loved pages 90 and 91. So much good stuff!!! Kelly really reached me this week. She wrote several things that I loved and kinda slapped me in the face.
      Despite the desires of their hearts, both women were left wanting after they received. I think we think this way. Once we have what we want we move on to the next thing that we want. This is something I want to work on. I want to relish in my blessing and not just look ahead to the next thing that I want.
      The paragraph about obedience was AWESOME!!! Once we are willing and we choose to obey God, he pours out more and more blessings on to us. It feels like a reward system. We do what our teacher wants, and we get a reward. Just like most of us do in our classrooms.

I think I have said enough for now. (it took me two days to write this). I just am full with this study and I am learning so much beyond my initial belief about idols.

Until next time.
Shannon