The Misuse of Blessings

Invocation:

THE MISUSE OF BLESSINGS

Text: Genesis 30:1-24

Alice in Wonderland goes down the rabbit hole and ends up in a frustratingly non-sensical world. As a child I found the book funny. As an adult I find it prophetically revealing about fallen human nature.

I had a conversation with Karen Kontopanos the other day and both of us expressed the feeling that the culture we live in feels like we’ve fallen down the rabbit hole into a non-sensical world that has lost touch with reality.

The Bible is a prophetic book in the sense that it clearly outlines the results of a life divorced from God’s reality. We see this in the next chapter of the book of Genesis 30:1-24 NIV. The chosen family falls down the rabbit hole.

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?”

3 Then she said, “Here is Bilhah, my servant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.”

4 So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her, 5 and she became pregnant and bore him a son. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; he has listened to my plea and given me a son.” Because of this she named him Dan.[a]

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.

9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, “What good fortune!” So she named him Gad.

12 Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 Then Leah said, “How happy I am! The women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher.

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.

17 God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.

19 Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 Then Leah said, “God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.

21 Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.

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.”

Listen to Rachel as she falls down the rabbit hole. She cries, vv. 1 NIV,

Give me children, or I’ll die!

Rachel wasn’t going to be happy, content, blessed, unless she had children. She had beguiling beauty, and the love of her husband Jacob, but those blessings were not enough. She was part of God’s chosen family, but that wasn’t enough. Leah wasn’t going to be happy, content, blessed, unless she had the love and attention of her husband Jacob. She had plenty of children, but that blessing wasn’t enough. Hollywood actress Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband Mossimo Giannulli weren’t going to be happy, content, blessed, unless their daughters was admitted into a prestigious college. They had money, fame, healthy children, but that wasn’t enough.

Have you ever been seized by a strong desire for something that you do not have, perhaps cannot have? Or, perhaps it is something you already have, but you have to have more of it, a new fix every morning, in order to be happy? It can be the main cause of discontent in life. And if you and I surrender to its capricious pull, down the rabbit hole we go.

The Bible calls this rabbit hole idolatry. It is a deeply ingrained part of fallen human nature. Idolatry is placing ultimate value on something other than God. It is also a belief that blessings come for a source other than God. Rachel exemplifies this for us. At first, she demands Jacob give her the blessing of children. “Give me children, or I’ll die.” Then she believes in the superstition that mandrakes will bless her with children. Idolatry makes you turn away from God for your blessings and turn to something in the created world – an idol.

In 1 John 2:15-17 NIV we are told,

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

“Give me…” fill in the blank, “or I’ll die; or I won’t be happy; or I’ll be pouting!” Is that you today? Watch out, or you’ll go down the rabbit hole of idolatry.”

I HAVE FOUGHT A “BATTLE OF GOD” AND HAVE PREVAILED

The reason this reality show of the chosen family’s dirty laundry is recorded in the Bible is for us to see the results of idolatry. Idolatry, like Alice’s rabbit hole, leads us into a non-sensical world of warped reality.

Idolatry Brings Devastating Consequences to Human Relationships

Helpless Rachel has been prevented by God from having children. She is consumed with jealousy. She is so jealous that she convinces Jacob to stop sleeping with Leah. Envy and jealousy are almost always the result of idolatry in our lives. Envy and jealousy always exaggerate the blessings of others while minimizing the blessings God has given you. Down the rabbit hole into a surreal world you go.

Research studies indicate that up to 45 percent of adult siblings have relationships marked by rivalry or distance. How beautiful it is to see brothers and sisters living together in harmony. How ugly it is to see sibling rivalry wreak havoc on families.

Rachel’s jealousy pushes her into sin. She is going to defy God and find a way to get what she wants. Like Sarah before her, she gives her servant girl to Jacob as a concubine to produce children that she could adopt as her own. Some sins are perpetuated in families for generations. When Bilhah gives birth to sons, Rachal proclaims in vv. 8 NIV,

“I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.”

The actual Hebrew says,

“I have fought a battle of God with my sister and have prevailed.”

This phrase, “battle of God” can be translated as “God size battle, or mighty battle.” This is how most English translators take it. The problem is that the name of God is never used with an adjectival force in the Bible. The second way it can be translated is,

“I have fought for God’s approval, or vindication with my sister and I have won!”

Really? We know God blessed Leah and she had given birth to four sons so far. Rachal now has two adopted sons from another woman, and she claims victory for God’s vindication in her struggle against her sister? Talk about living an illusion. This false bravado is only a front to hide the deep discontent Rachel is living through because of her idolatrous jealousy.

Idolatry Results in Devastating Consequences on Our Relationship With God.

The worst part of idolatry is what it does to our theology – our understanding of who God is and what is the meaning of His actions in our lives.

Your theology gives you license to enact righteousness in your life or commit sin. It all depends how accurate is your theology to the real God.

Look at Rachel! She believes God is vindicating her in her struggle with her sister. Is that true? Was God vindicating Rachel for making Jacob sleep with her servant and have children with her? What has God been telling us abut fidelity in marriage from the beginning of creation?

I wish I can tell you that Leah behaved better. After all, didn’t she have a wonderful moment of theological clarity when at the birth of her son Judah, she declared,

“Now I will praise the Lord. I am no longer looking to my husband to validate my worth and existence. I now recognize God loves me and validates me with His grace.”

I wish I can tell you that once you have a moment of theological clarity, like Peter, James, and John on the Mt. of Transfiguration, where you see Jesus clearly for Who He really Is, that you will never regress into theological falsehood, but that is not the truth. Just like Rachel, Leah states her belief in Genesis 30:18 NIV,

Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.”

Really? God rewards the sin of polygamy, sexual and reproductive exploitation of other people? Really Leah? God rewards sin? Where does this warped theology come from? It comes from an idolatrous heart that seeks “blessings” by circumventing God’s will. It is the ultimate rabbit hole that one can descend and be plunged into a surreal world, a non-sensical world.

Here is what I find most fascinating about this story. Why doesn’t God say something to his chosen family? Why doesn’t God sit them all down and sort them all out on what’s what? As a pastor of 38 years I can’t tell you how often I’ve prayed God to do just that with a church family.

GOD HEARD LEAH AND GOD REMEMBERED RACHEL.

God’s wisdom is beyond my understanding many times. He does not speak in this instance. Perhaps He knows that sometimes our idolatrous hearts are so invested in “winning,” that we will never take His Word seriously. So, He doesn’t say a thing to us. Instead, he chooses to act. And here is the most amazing thing in this passage. God chooses to bless both Leah and Rachel. In Genesis 30:17 NIV we read,

“God listened to Leah…”

And then in vv. 22 NIV,

“Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her…”

Wait! Wait! Wait! “God I want you to vindicate ME, to bless ME, not my sister!” God says, “No! You are both my children. I will bless and vindicate both of you.”

If I were God and had to deal with Rachel and Leah, I would have disciplined them both. Aren’t you glad I am not God! Look! Instead of dolling out disciplinary measures, God chooses to bless both! Why? He is telling these two rival sister something and He is telling us the same thing as well. What is it? God says,

“I’ve got all the blessings you will ever need and I am not stingy. You don’t need to run after idols. You don’t need to circumvent me!”

Tim Keller says,

“If you center your life and identity on your spouse or partner, you will be emotionally dependent, jealous, and controlling. The other person's problems will be overwhelming to you.

If you center your life and identity on your family and children, you will try to live your life through your children until they resent you or have no self of their own. At worst, you may abuse them when they displease you.

If you center your life and identity on your work and career, you will be a driven workaholic and a boring, shallow person. At worst you will lose family and friends and, if your career goes poorly, develop deep depression.

If you center your life and identity on money and possessions, you'll be eaten up by worry or jealousy about money. You'll be willing to do unethical things to maintain your lifestyle, which will eventually blow up your life.

If you center your life and identity on pleasure, gratification, and comfort, you will find yourself getting addicted to something. You will become chained to the "escape strategies" by which you avoid the hardness of life.

If you center your life and identity on relationships and approval, you will be constantly overly hurt by criticism and thus always losing friends. You will fear confronting others and therefore will be a useless friend.

If you center your life and identity on a "noble cause," you will divide the world into "good" and "bad" and demonize your opponents. Ironically, you will be controlled by your enemies. Without them, you have no purpose.

If you center your life and identity on religion and morality, you will, if you are living up to your moral standards, be proud, self-righteous, and cruel. If you don't live up to your moral standards, your guilt will be utterly devastating.”

God pleads with us.

“You don’t need to pacify your guilty conscience with false theology. I will bless you because that is who I am. I love blessing my children. And you don’t need to be rivals. You don’t need to fight each other. And when you have to wait on a blessing its for a reason that is also a blessing in disguise.”