# 276 Baby Wars!

The Book of Genesis

Day 276

Ge 30:4 Then she gave him Bilhah her maid as wife, and Jacob went in to her.  5 And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.  6 Then Rachel said, "God has judged my case; and He has also heard my voice and given me a son." Therefore she called his name Dan.  7 And Rachel's maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.  8 Then Rachel said, "With great wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and indeed I have prevailed." So she called his name Naphtali.  9 When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob as wife.  10 And Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son.  11 Then Leah said, "A troop comes!" So she called his name Gad.  12 And Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.  13 Then Leah said, "I am happy, for the daughters will call me blessed." So she called his name Asher.

This sibling rivalry for the heart of Jacob is getting ridiculous! Leah’s attitude of superiority over Rachel because of her fertility and Rachel’s air of superiority over Leah because Jacob clearly loved her more continues to fuel the feud.

Just listen to the names of the children who are born out of this turmoil: Rachel’s first surrogate child born to Bilhah is named Dan. Dan means “justice.” Rachel took this birth as a sign that  God had intervened for her and “justly” granted her a child from Bilhah.

Then Bilhah conceives again, and this son is named Naphtali or “wrestling.” Why? Because Rachel is proclaiming, “I have wrestled with my sister and won!” Suddenly this business of childbearing has turned into a contest and it looks like the last one who bears is the winner!

So Leah decides to play at the surrogate game too. She gives her maid, Zilpah to Jacob, and she bears a son whose name is Gad, or “troop.” The inference being, “Hey Rachel, you may have two boys, but I have a troop!” 

In case you’re keeping track, the score is now Leah 5 and Rachel 2.

Then Zilpah bears another child, and Leah named him “Asher,” or “Happy,” because  now all daughters will call her blessed. She will be better than Rachel in the eyes of others.

Ladies! STOP! Stop using children as pawns in your own little battles! (Hmmm, that sounds like good advice no matter what the situation might be!)  

Maybe Leah and all of us for that matter need to look again at Ps 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

The fruit of the womb is HIS reward, not our reward! Do you see the difference? How different we might  treat and look at children if we viewed them as God’s way of rewarding Himself! Instead of becoming “our property,” they remain His!

This property thing is what was happening here in Jacob’s family. Leah and Rachel are counting their children as property. And don’t think the boys didn’t catch on! I mean look what happened later on to their younger brother Joseph! He was tossed into a pit and sold into slavery like a ………piece of property!

Human beings are not property! When will we ever get that straight?