1 When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I shall die!” 2 Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” (Gen. 20:1-1 ESV)
In Gen. 30 we read the account explaining the conception and birth of the first 11 of Jacob’s children. These are the children who will become the founding fathers of the tribes of Israel. Their birth is a critical step toward the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham to build a nation through him through whom God can bless all nations (Gen. 12).
But just look at how they come into the world! There’s envy and anger. There’s wrestling between the sisters Rachel and Leah. There’s bartering between them over Jacob. There’s the feeling of being abandoned or judged by God. The entire account is the ideal narrative in how not to have a family, how not to start a home. It’s filled with pitfall after pitfall.
Yet God’s providence finds a way through all these pitfalls and the children are born and his plans move forward.
No defect of ours can detour the divine plans of God.
No matter how messy or broken or fractured life gets, God’s will gets done.
Give thanks to God for this today.
