Genesis 30:1

Genesis 30:1 says, And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.  Rachel was very envious of Leah because Leah was having children and she wasn't.  Rachel was the one Jacob really loved, but she said she was ready to die if she couldn't have a child.  Sometimes, it is easier to envy others because of their success in areas that we wish to succeed than it is to be thankful for what God has blessed us with.  Verse two states, And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?  Jacob became angry at Rachel's demand and asked if he were God to be able to give her a child.  As I have said before, I believe that God gives life to every child, no matter how they are conceived.  Verse three declares, And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.  Like Sarah, Rachel had a plan to get a child for herself.  Just as Sarah had given her maid to Abraham, Rachel gave her maid Bilhah to Jacob to have a child with.  Bilhah had even fewer rights than Rachel did, and evidently Rachel did not consider how Bilhah would be affected by this.  As followers of Christ, we cannot use those that we may have authority over simply to satisfy our own desires.  Verse four adds, And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.  Rachel carried out her plan, but we never hear of her consulting God about it.  When we make plans in life, we should always consult God first.  Verse five states, And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son.  Blah gave Jacob another son.  Verse six adds, And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan.  Though she must not have felt the same way about the sons of Leah, Rachel saw this child as one that God had given her.  We cannot just claim God's blessings on ourselves when our plans that have been made without Him are successful.  Verse seven declares, And Bilhah Rachel’s maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son.  Bilhah gave Jacob another son.  Jacob may have loved Rachel, but he was perfectly willing to have children with other women.  When we love someone and are married to them, we should remain true to them in all aspects of life.  Verse eight adds, And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali.  Rachel stated that she had wrestled, or had big problems with Leah, but now she had prevailed.  Instead of supporting each other in a situation that neither had created, the sisters were feuding.  When we are in a bad situation, especially one that is not of our making, we need not spend time blaming others, especially those who have no control over the situation.  Verse nine declares, When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife.  When Leah did not have another child, she gave Jacob her maid Zilpah to have a child with.  I believe because she was afraid that Rachel would now really be preferred by Jacob.  Verse ten states, And Zilpah Leah’s maid bare Jacob a son.  Then verse eleven adds, And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad.  Like Rachel, Leah gave God credit for blessing her plan.  If we are to give God credit for our success, we must first know that we are following His will.  Verse twelve states, And Zilpah Leah’s maid bare Jacob a second son.  Like Bilhah, Zilpah had a second son with Jacob.  This was now eight children that Jacob had, and he was indeed on his way to becoming the father of a great multitude, but I personally do not feel that this was in accordance with God's plan.  Verse thirteen adds, And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher.  Leah thought that people would call her blessed because her maid had given Jacob another son, though she really had very little to do with the birth of the child.  We cannot claim to do things in the name of God simply to claim praise for ourselves.