# 274 The Barren Woman

The Book of Genesis

Day 274

Ge 30:1 Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, "Give me children, or else I die!"  2 And Jacob's anger was aroused against Rachel, and he said, "Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?"

I want to talk about the “barren woman” today, and let me preface it by saying, I have not walked in your shoes, so I really can’t say “I know how you feel.” My  prayer in sharing this devotion is that it will help others understand the depth of your own feelings.

The barren woman. She is an emotional stick of dynamite! Who can understand a barren woman? Perhaps only another barren woman. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to understand. It’s just that it is very difficult unless you have been in her shoes.

The barren woman is often slowly eaten alive by envy. She sees the Leah’s around her who appear to be nothing but baby factories and thoughts of jealousy, bitterness, and sometimes even hatred and rage consume her.

Sometimes she will go out of her way to avoid contact with the Leah’s in her life because they remind her of the deep pain she is experiencing. Women’s Bible studies become unbearable due to the interaction of young mothers whose conversations inevitably lead to talk of their babies, and with every new mention, more salt is poured onto their wound. 

Sometimes, the barren woman is not easy to be around. She can make life rather miserable for those close to her. She doesn’t set out to be that way, but her longing for a child is so strong that many times she lashes out at those near her with irrational outbursts such as the one we read about here today where Rachel demands of Jacob, “Give me children or else I die!”

Jacob of course was powerless to bring children into the world. He was only a pro-creative instrument in the hands of God! He knew that God had the final say in this matter, and in anger he reminded Rachel of that fact.

I’m sure many of the barren reading this today can attest to similar outbursts and emotions. Rachel captures the heart of the barren woman when she says, “or else I die.” That is not a flippant remark, only a summary of the depth of the very real emotions she is experiencing.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us ponder this scripture today to help us minister, to help us understand, to help us love on the Rachels in our midst.