by Catherine McDaugale | Oct 2, 2021 | Bible Study, Life, Thoughts
Have you read about Jacob, Leah, and Rachel in the Bible? Each time I read about them, I tend to look at it from Jacob’s perspective – a love story with obstacles placed in the path of the hero. But the other day, God showed me Leah’s point of view. Before we turn to Leah, let’s remind ourselves what happened to Jacob.
In obedience to his parent’s request, Jacob traveled to their relatives’ country to find a wife (Genesis 28:1-2, 5; 29:1, 4-5). When Jacob saw Rachel, he fell in love (Genesis 29:9-11, 18). Jacob agreed to work for Rachel’s father, Laban, for seven years so he could marry Rachel (Genesis 29:18). The years seemed only a few days because of his love for her (Genesis 29:20).
At the end of the seven years, it was time for the wedding (Genesis 29:21). The day had finally come for Jacob to marry the woman he loved. But on the wedding night, Laban had Leah (Rachel’s older sister) go into the wedding tent (Genesis 29:23). The following morning, Jacob realized that he had actually married Leah (Genesis 29:25).
How could Jacob have married Leah, thinking she was Rachel? Commentaries explain that the traditional wedding attire included a veil that would have entirely concealed Leah’s features. The veil, along with the alcohol that would have been consumed during the wedding feast, would make it possible for Jacob to unknowingly marry Leah.
Jacob was upset. And rightfully so. Laban had tricked him into marrying Leah because it was customary for the elder daughter to be married first (Genesis 29:26). Yet, Laban also agreed that Jacob could marry Rachel if Jacob worked for him another seven years (Genesis 29:27). Eventually, Jacob also married Rachel (Genesis 29:28-30).
So that’s Jacob’s point of view – he received the short end of the stick from Laban. He ended up marrying a woman he never intended to marry, a woman he didn’t love.
But now let’s look at it from Leah’s viewpoint.
First, we know that Leah was not beautiful like her younger sister. The Bible tells us that her eyes were “delicate” (Genesis 29:17 (NKJV)). That either means she couldn’t see well or she had blue eyes instead of the more accepted brown eyes of her culture. Although that may not seem like a big thing, the contrasting description of Rachel as “beautiful of form and appearance” shows us that Leah was not attractive like her sister (Genesis 29:17 (NKJV)).
Second, we know that she watched Jacob pursue her sister. Jacob was attracted to Rachel, not Leah.
Third, her father had her sneak into the marriage tent to deceive Jacob into marrying her. How do you think she felt knowing her father thought the only way a man would marry her was to be tricked into doing so?
Finally, the Bible tells us that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah (Genesis 29:30). Leah was married to a man who didn’t love her. That, in and of itself, would be difficult. But the situation was compounded by the fact that her husband was also married to another woman that he did love. And that other woman was her sister.
But God saw that Leah was unloved. (Genesis 29:31). So, God “opened her womb; but Rachel was barren” (Genesis 29:31 (NKJV)).
Given Rachel’s barrenness, it appears that Leah tried to get Jacob to love her by bearing him children.
- When Leah had Jacob’s first son, she named him Reuben, which means, “Look a son” (Genesis 29:32). And Leah said, “The LORD has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore my husband will love me” (Genesis 29:32 (NKJV)).
- Then Leah bore Jacob a second son and said, “Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also” (Genesis 29:33 (NKJV)). So she named him Simeon, which means heard (Genesis 29:33).
- Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a third son (Genesis 29:34). Leah said, “Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons” (Genesis 29:34 (NKJV)). She called him Levi, which means “joined to.”
For several years, Leah tried to earn Jacob’s love by bearing him children. You can feel her pain – always feeling second rate to her sister, married to a man who didn’t love her, trying to win her husband’s love, and wanting to feel loved.
Then something changed. Maybe Leah finally realized she was looking to the wrong one for love. We don’t know what caused Leah’s heart change. But she stopped focusing on what she didn’t have and started looking at what God had already given her.
So when Leah had her fourth son, she said, “Now I will praise the LORD” and named him Judah, which means praise (Genesis 29:35 (NKJV)). She learned to praise God – not for her circumstances but in her circumstances.
Maybe you feel like Leah – plain, overlooked, and unloved. No matter what your circumstances are or how invisible you feel, the truth is that God sees you. And God loves you. God loves you so much that He sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross for your sins so you can have a relationship with Him (John 3:16).
God has not overlooked you. Just as God saw Leah, God sees you. And when you come to Him, like Leah did, praise will flow out of your heart.
by Catherine McDaugale | Sep 1, 2021 | Bible Study, Ministry
The Bible gives us many examples of faith, some so amazing that it’s hard for me to wrap my head around them. One of those was Abraham. When God told Abraham, “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land I will show you,” Abraham “departed as the Lord had spoken to him” (Genesis 12:1, 4 (NKJV)).
Did you notice that God didn’t tell Abraham where he was going? Instead, God told him that He would show him, meaning God would show him at some later point in time. Yet, Abraham immediately obeyed. He packed up his household and left. Abraham didn’t ask a bunch of questions and drag his heels. He trusted God and did what God told him to do.
Noah is another radical example of faith in God. One day, seemingly out of the blue, God tells Noah that He is going to destroy every living thing on the earth with a flood (Genesis 6:13, 17). And God instructed Noah to build an ark that would hold Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives, and two of every kind of every living thing (Genesis 6:14-16, 18-19).
Could you imagine? One day, you wake up and start taking care of the things you need to do that day. Then God tells you that He is going to destroy every living thing with a flood.
What would you do if that happened to you? I would likely have questioned God. I would have wanted to know more of the details.
How will the flood happen?
When will it happen?
Will I have plenty of time to build the ark?
Where am I supposed to get all of that wood?
Do I really need to put pitch on the inside and the outside?
Wouldn’t it be sufficient just to put the pitch on the outside?
Would three decks really be enough to hold everything?
But the Bible doesn’t tell us that Noah questioned God. Instead, after God finished telling him how to build the ark, the Bible tells us that Noah did “according to all that God commanded him” (Genesis 6:22 (NKJV)). Noah was obedient to do what God told him to do.
Later, after the ark had been built, God tells Noah to go into the ark with his family because “after seven more days” He would cause it to rain on the earth (Genesis 7:4 (NKJV)) We know that Noah obeyed God because in the very next verse the Bible tells us that “Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him” (Genesis 7:5 (NKJV)).
What would you do in that situation? I know what I would do. I would ask why I needed to go into the ark when there were still seven more days before the rain was going to start.
But Noah had great faith. He immediately obeyed God. We should also respond with immediate obedience when God tells us to do something. We shouldn’t procrastinate, questioning God, before we finally decide to do what God wants us to do.
What if Noah had waited to go into the ark? What if he thought, “I could wait a few days and still go in five days before the rain starts, that would be plenty of time.” We don’t know what would have happened because the Bible doesn’t tell us.
Maybe something would have prevented Noah and his family from going into the ark if they had waited. Maybe nothing would have happened. Either way, the fact that Noah immediately obeyed God shows us that Noah had faith. He believed God and did what God told him to do because he trusted that God knew the best way to do what needed to be done.
And Noah’s faith pleased God. Noah is named in the revered “Hall of Faith.” The Bible tells us,
By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. (Hebrews 11:7 (NKJV))
Let’s be like Abraham and Noah, trusting God with our lives.
What is God calling you to do? Maybe He’s calling you to serve at your church. Or maybe He’s asked you to pray for or encourage someone.
Maybe you’ve questioned God about what He’s called you to do. You may think you’re not good enough. Or you may be worried how the person would react if you asked to pray for her.
Don’t worry about whether you are good enough or what other people may think. God will equip you to do what He’s called you to do. And we should be more concerned about disobeying God than how other people may respond to us.
When you hear God speaking to you, telling you to do something, step out in faith. Instead of questioning God, be obedient. Do what God has asked you to do. Let your life be a radical demonstration of faith that will encourage others to walk by faith with God.
by Catherine McDaugale | Aug 1, 2021 | Ministry, Thoughts
As I was reading through Genesis the other day, I came to the part where Abraham’s servant goes to get a bride for Abraham’s son Isaac. Abraham asked his servant to swear that he would not take a bride for Isaac from one of the women in the land where they were living but that he would go back to his family for a bride (Genesis 24:2-4). The servant did so and traveled to the place where Abraham had once lived (Genesis 24:9-10).
After the servant came to that place, he went to the well in the evening when the women would go to draw water (Genesis 24:11). Then he prayed.
O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, “Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,” and she says, “Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink” – let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. (Genesis 24:12-14 (NKJV))
While he was still praying, Rebekah came to the well to draw water (Genesis 24:15). When he asked Rebekah for a drink, she agreed (Genesis 24:17-18). Then Rebekah offered – on her own – to draw water for his camels (Genesis 24:19).
This was no small task. A camel is a desert animal that can go a long time without drinking water. But when it does, a camel will drink about 30 gallons. And the servant had brought ten camels with him (Genesis 24:10). That’s about 300 gallons of water that Rebekah had to draw from the well!
God had answered the servant’s prayer while he was still speaking it. Amazing. Then it struck me. This is not the only woman we meet at a well in the Bible. And the two women were so very different.
We meet the other woman in the book of John. Jesus and His disciples were traveling from Jerusalem to the Galilee, and Jesus “needed” to go through Samaria (John 4:3-4 (NKJV)). Going through Samaria would break the Jewish practice of going around Samaria. The reason it was a big deal for the Jewish people to travel through that area is another blog post in itself. For our purposes here, let’s just say that it was not a common thing to do.
When Jesus and His disciples reached a certain well, the disciples went into the city to buy food (John 4:6, 8). But Jesus sat by the well on the edge of the city (John 4:6). As we read further, we see that Jesus had a plan for a woman who He would meet there.
What a stark difference there was between the woman Jesus ministered to and Rebekah:
- Rebekah was a young, beautiful woman, while the other woman was older (Genesis 24:16; John 4:18).
- Rebekah was a virgin; the other woman had been married five times and was living with a man who was not her husband (Genesis 24:16; John 4:18).
- Rebekah went to the well in the evening, which was the usual time women would go to draw water because it was cooler; the other woman went at noon in the heat of the day, probably to avoid the other women (Genesis 24:11; John 4:6).
In short, Rebekah was vibrant and ready to begin a new life; the other woman was broken and likely felt worthless.
You may be more like Rebekah: younger, raised in a good family, eager to serve the Lord. Or you may be more like the other woman: feeling run down, regretful about wasting portions of your life by living in sin. Whatever your story, whatever your past, it’s not too late. God can still work through your life. The amazing thing we see from these two women is not what they did but what God can do.
Regardless of where you are in your life, God can do His work through you if you are willing and available. The important things the two women had in common was their availability and their willingness to be used by God for His purposes.
When asked if she was willing to go with Abraham’s servant to become Isaac’s bride, Rebekah answered, “I will go” (Genesis 24:58 (NKJV)). Rebekah didn’t hesitate. She was willing to go to a different land and become a wife to a man she had never met because it was God’s plan. The night before, the servant had recounted the oath he had sworn to Abraham, his journey to find a wife for Isaac from Abraham’s family, his prayer at the well when he arrived, and God’s answer to His prayer “before [he] had finished speaking in [his] heart” (Genesis 24:34-47 (NKJV)). She witnessed the servant’s praise that he gave to God when the prayer had been answered (Genesis 24:48, 52).
Rebekah went even though it must have been scary, going to the unknown, which would change her circumstances for the rest of her life. Yet, she went. And God blessed Rebekah with being the mother of Jacob (whose name was later changed to Israel). Rebekah’s grandchildren became the 12 tribes of Israel from whom the Messiah Jesus would eventually be born.
The other woman also chose to make herself available to do God’s work. After meeting the Messiah Jesus, she left her waterpot to go into the city to tell everyone about Jesus (John 4:28-29). She brought the men of her city to meet Jesus (John 4:30). As a result of her testimony, many of them believed (John 4:39-42).
Whatever your story, God has a purpose for your life too. He has fashioned days for you (Psalm 139:16). Will you choose to make yourself available to walk in the days God has made for you?
by Catherine McDaugale | Jul 1, 2021 | Ministry, Spiritual Growth
Remember when you were first learning to ride a bicycle? I do. My dad put an extra set of wheels on my bike that extended off the back wheel to give it more stability. With the training wheels on, I could sit on the bike without balancing and get used to pedaling and moving forward without worrying about falling over.
After I got used to riding my bike with the training wheels, the day came when he took them off. Instead of the extra wheels, my dad held onto the back of the bike’s seat, giving me a little more stability as I learned to balance. Before long, I had learned how to balance and could ride my bike without thinking about it. It had become second nature to me.
In a similar way, when God calls us to do His work, He doesn’t push us into it when we’re not ready. God is gracious to us. Like the training wheels on my bike, He helps us to get used to whatever He’s called us to do before we go solo. The methods God uses will vary in each one of our lives. We are all different, and God tailors the help He gives us to our unique personalities and abilities.
We see an example of God’s use of training wheels in the life of Moses. When God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of their slavery in Egypt, Moses wasn’t quick to agree. Instead, he came up with several excuses about why he should not be the one to lead them. Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharoah, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11 (NKJV)). In response, God told Moses that He would be with Moses and gave him a sign that He had sent him (Exodus 3:12).
Even with God’s assurance, Moses still didn’t agree to go, saying, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you’” (Exodus 4:1 (NKJV)). God then gave Moses three miraculous signs to do before the Israelites so they would believe him (Exodus 4:2-9).
Yet, Moses came up with a third excuse. Moses said, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue” (Exodus 4:10 (NKJV)). “So the Lord said to him, ‘Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord?’” (Exodus 4:11 (NKJV)). God then told Moses that He would be with his mouth and teach him what to say (Exodus 4:12).
Still, instead of submitting in obedience, Moses told God, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send” (Exodus 4:13 (NKJV)). In other words, “Thank you very much, but please send someone else. I don’t want to do it.”
God, being so gracious to Moses, then tells Moses that his brother Aaron, who could “speak well,” could be his spokesman (Exodus 4:14-16 (NKJV)). God instructed Moses, “Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do” (Exodus 4:15 (NKJV)).
Finally, Moses obeyed God. As we read, we see the progression as Moses gets comfortable doing the work that God called him to do.
- Moses begins by relying on the “training wheels” that God gave him. When Moses met Aaron, he told Aaron “all the words of the Lord who had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him” (Exodus 4:28 (NKJV)). Moses and Aaron gathered together the elders of the children of Israel, and Aaron spoke “all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses” and did the signs in their sight (Exodus 4:29-30 (NKJV)). “So the people believed” (Exodus 4:31 (NKJV)).
- Later, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh, and they told Pharaoh what God had told them to say (Exodus 5:1, 3).
- Soon, we see Moses himself speaking to the Israelites and to Pharaoh (Exodus 6:9; 8:9, 26).
Despite this rocky start, Moses made it into the revered “Hall of Faith” and is remembered for the work that God did through him (Hebrews 11:24-28).
Just as God helped Moses, He will give you the “training wheels” you need to get started when you obediently step out in faith to do what God has called you to do. So when God gives you direction, step out in faith. Often God will not give you the next step or tell you where you are going until you obey and take that first step.
