God is Provoking me!!!
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God is Provoking me!!!
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?”
Give me a child or I will die.
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?”
Give me a child or I will die.
There are so many moving parts here to glean from when we are considering the life and of Rachel
Rachael name means ewe or sheep. We paralleled her last week as a type of the Israelite or God chosen people.
Jesus says to the woman “I come for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
And I can’t give their bread to the dogs.
We saw how God used leah to provoke Rachel to jealously. This is not anger her but yet to inspire her.
To cause her to see and push her into greatly passion and zeal and pursuit of God.
But this woman doesn’t see this and instead of this causing her to press to God she became to be envious.
I know that we have seen Rachel as a type but the question is the morning what can we learn from this womans life.
What is God speaking to us?
As I get there I want to deal with a quick question.
Why would God want to provoke one to jealousy?
Now we are not just looking at her now as a Jewish person but as individual in relationship with God.
Now my old Sunday school teach say to me that being jealous is a sin
Not just a sin but one of the big 10.
Do not covet your brother or you neighbor stuff
Jealousy is listed by the apostle Paul as a work of the flesh (
)
20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,
it will keep one from entering into heaven (
21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
).
Webster defines jealousy as "resentfully envious."
Envy
16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.
says
16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.
So the question is why would God provoke us to sin?
Remember when you where a kid?
Jimmy made me do it?
The Lord made me do it!!! He provoked me
Careful now.
James also says
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.
14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
Let me just say that when one is provoke, what comes out is what is already in them.
(NASB95)
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.
14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
Let me just say that when one is provoke, what comes out is what is already in them.
God can not temp us with evil because there is not evil in him
When we are drawn again we are drawn away by our own lust and entice
Instead of blaming God we should say thank you God for exposing that and bring it to the light so I can deal with it.
But back to jealousy
3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
5 “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,
says,
you telling me that God can be jealous but I cant?
3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
5 “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,
you telling me that God can be jealous but I cant?
Notice here the contexts
You shall have not other God before me.
So jealously deal with priority and placement.
Jealously shows us that something is out of order and wrong.
When your husband is out with his friends all night and you are sitting at home of course you jealous because he should be home with you
God says its an idol if it is put before me, I want to be in first place I need to be in first place and remember that I am a jealous God.
When God is provoking the Jews to jealously he is dealing with their priorities
When God is provoking you, he is trying to see the way you will respond.
He opens the other sister womb and make her fruitful and closes Rachel’s
The question is what are you going to do now?
Will you run and become angry?
Will you become bitter and full of hate.
Will you envy what you sister has?
Or will you say the same God that blessed my sister the same God that made her fruitful is the same God that is blessing me right now.
If she who is weak eyed and undesirable can be fruitful surely that lord can touch me.
Look at somebody and say God is provoking me.
I want to be fruitful. I want to be blessed. I want to be anointed. I want to be loving.
I want to be a good husband. I want to have a good family.
when i was 27 and every time I see a young couple walking down the street holding hands and smiling, I want to trip them.
Ain’t nobody that happy!!
Cmon somebody God Is provoking me.
Don’t be jealous… pray… trust me..
C’mon I think I may preach it like I feel it.
Woman are sometime can be the worst
Loo at her all skinny and walk like she think shes all that.
Don’t hate let her encourage you to get yoself together. So you can walk like that too.
Brother derrick you think you somebody just because you a pastor.
Well brotha everybody is somebody and nobody and nobody.
And because I got a body I shole is somebody
Don’t hate.. God is using this somebody to provoke yobody
Look at somebody and say he is provoking me.
Look around you.. look at all them bless people. Yes they are bless.
Don’t be mad.. recjoice, let them press you into wanting some deeping things from God.
God said I put the glass full beside the gallon full not so the glass could be jealous of the gallon
but so the glass can say GOD I WANT MORE!!! INCREASE MY CAPASITY TO RECEIVE MORE FROM YOU!!!!
I want to be fruitful.
Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she became jealous of her sister.
12 For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding.
(NASB95)
Don’t compare yourselves among yourselves.
12 For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding.
Don’t compare yourselves among yourselves.
But
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
God provoking me to rejoice because I know what if God can make Leah fruitful he can do the same to me.
says
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice,
God provoking me to rejoice because I know what if God can make Leah fruitful he can do the same to me.
I got to raise a praise real quick for the fact that God is not respecter of person.
Closing
The problem with Rachel is she became jealous of lean instead of being jealous for God.
So how does she respond?
she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die.”
She not even thinking rationally
It was not her requested that was the problem but who she was requesting t from.
This was a sign of a lack of trust and faith in God.
Jealously will make you irrational.
Going to the wrong person for the right thing.
When only God could give here what she wanted.
She says Jacob give me a child or I will die.
DIE? Really
We choose when we are provoked to trust and believe in God
Or to be offended or distant..
When we choose him.. to believe.. to wait or to trust
We chose life
And when we don’t we choose death!!!