# 275 More On the Barren Woman

The Book of Genesis

Day 275

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?"  3 So she said, "Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, and she will bear a child on my knees, that I also may have children by her."  4 Then she gave him Bilhah her maid as wife, and Jacob went in to her.  5 And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

Last time we talked about some of the emotions of the barren woman. Perhaps just acknowledging her struggles will help us all in dealing with her situation.  Envy, irrationality, a sense of despair and all that accompany such emotions, will often crop up in the life of a barren woman.

Here, out of desperation, Rachel gives Jacob her maid Bilhah, hoping to become a mother through the practice of surrogate parenting. Remember Sarah? She did the same thing with Hagar out of her wellspring of desperation. 

Today, the barren woman often attempts to attain motherhood through other means. Surrogate parenting, fertility drugs, and adoption are some of the options available to the barren woman today. The problem with these alternatives is they are often misguided and in many cases sinful.

I don’t want to sound overly harsh, but surrogate parenting , for lack of a better term, is clinical adultery, It’s a moral minefield to say the least!  It’s not in accordance with the will of God for producing a family. Speaking of marriage in Mal 2:15, we read, “ But did He not make them one, Having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.”

Fertility drugs often end up with multiple conceptions, many of which end up being aborted for the sake of bringing one or two of the more desirable embryos to term. Invitro fertilization often succeeds at bringing life into the world, but at what price?  

Adoption is clearly the best option, but even then, that inner craving of the barren woman is not fully satisfied.   

So what is the barren woman to do? I don’t want to sound overly simplistic, but she is to trust God. God has a reason for her plight at the present time. He is not mad at you. He is not punishing you! He has a reason, that we cannot see at this time. He loves you! Never forget that! He loves you and for whatever reason, He has chosen to close your womb. Keep trusting Him. In trusting, He is glorified. Seek to understand the reality of the depth of your emotions in this matter and ask Him to help you cope in a way that will bring glory to Him!