When Family Becomes An Idol (Part II of Rachel and Leah)
What is the difference between cherishing our husband and children and making idols of them? We know both marriage and children are gifts from God and God absolutely delights in harmonious families (Psalm 133) Many of you are too young to know about “Father Knows Best,” but in many ways it did show the beauty of a harmonious family. WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE WRONG WITH THAT?
Nothing. Families are God’s plan, God’s gift, and can reflect God’s beauty. Psalm 133 sings of the beauty of a harmonious family.
But even good things, when they become more important than God, when seen as the ultimate, can become sin. How clearly this can be seen in the lives of Leah and Rachel.
This is a challenging study, but this group is definitely up to it!
1. Read Genesis 29:21-30.
A. How is this incident a “deja vu” for the trickster Jacob? (See Genesis 27)
B. Put yourself in Leah’s place. How do you think she felt about her wedding night with Jacob? Did
Jacob murmur Rachel’s name?
C. How do you think she felt about Jacob’s response in the morning?
D. Tim Keller said, “When you long for Rachel (something other than God to fulfill you), you always wake up with Leah.” Share a time when you were sure something would fulfill you, you got it, and you were disappointed.
2. Read Genesis 29:31-35.
A.Meditate on verse 31. What does this tell you about God and His mercy? What does this mean to you? (Don’t go too fast through this one.)
B. List the names Leah gave her children and how the fourth son shows a change in her heart.
Some of the godliest women I know have had hard marriages — unbelieving and difficult husbands. Like Leah, they woke up to realize that their hope was in God. And they pressed into Him, experiencing greater intimacy with Him.
C. Some of you have already seen that Judah was the son that was in the line to the Messiah. Comment on this.
3. Read Genesis 30
A. What was Rachel’s “Rachel?” (What did she think she had to have to be fulfilled?)
B. Meditate on the name of her second son. What are some wrong reasons for having children? What are right reasons?
C. How can you know if you are too enmeshed with your children? What are some red flags?
D. What are some signs that you have a healthy relationship with your children?
E. What are some red flags that a local church may have elevated the family over Christ?
F. How do you see God’s mercy with Leah? With Rachel? What does this mean to you?
5. Meditate on Luke 14:25-27.
A. Is there a paraphrase or translation that helps you with this hard saying? If so, share it.
B. What do you think Jesus means by this?
C. How might this apply to your life?
6. Explain the difference between cherishing your husband and children and making idols of them. If you get this right, in practical ways, what would it look like?
7. To close this study (and thank you to all who participated!) consider Genesis 31:19 and 31:33-35.
A. What happened here?
B. Leslie Williams writes: “Like Rachel, we hide our gods under our skirts, wondering why we are not whole, why we are not reconciled to the God we profess.” Write a prayer here, confessing sin, asking for His power to have Christ, and Christ alone be your God.
NEXT WEEK A CONTEST!
THE FOLLOWING WEEK WE BEGIN A STUDY ON WOMEN AND FRIENDSHIP! PRAY ABOUT WHO YOU MIGHT INVITE TO BLOG WITH YOU.
What Is Your “Rachel?” (Part I.)
WE ARE GOING TO DO ONE MORE TWO PART LOVE STORY — ANOTHER LOVE STORY THAT REALLY POINTS TO JESUS.
THEN I HAVE A NEW EXCITING ADVENTURE FOR MID-SEPTEMBER WHICH I’LL BE TELLING YOU ABOUT.
I HAVE A DEEP GROUP OF WOMEN HERE, AND GOD IS WORKING IN YOUR LIVES. I PRAY SOME WILL JOIN YOU FOR THIS, BUT ALSO WHEN WE BEGIN THE NEW ADVENTURE. THIS LOVE STORY CAN TEACH YOU SO MUCH. I’M PRAYING FOR YOU.
JACOB ADORING RACHEL
What do you think you need to be happy? What is your “Rachel?”
Our hearts, John Calvin said, are “idol-making factories.” Instead of worshiping the One who is beautiful beyond description, who will never leave us or forsake us, who laid down His life to rescue us, we worship the things He made, thinking they will fulfill us. We don’t really believe He can fulfill us.
But for those rare individuals who learn that He alone is worthy of worship and pour their hearts into Him, they also find they become thankful for the people and things He has made, giving them grace for their weaknesses, and not expecting them to be everything to them.
Let’s start with Jacob. We know he’s on the run after cheating his brother and father. What I’d like you to do first is find evidence that he was absolutely obsessed with Rachel. (Remember, we can be exactly the same way, seeing someone as being like a god or a goddess, making them what only God can be.)
Read all of Genesis 29 as an overview, asking God to quicken you.
1. Read Genesis 29:7-11 and find any evidence you can of the beginnings of his obsession.
2. In Genesis 29:18-27, How does Jacob “give away” his hand to Laban the cheat? How do you see Jacob’s heart for Rachel?
3. Have you ever been obsessed with someone like this — a lover, friend, or child? How did God show you that that person could not hold that kind of worship?
4. Falling in love and marrying is a gift from God — but no man or woman can ever be what only God can be. But if our heart is right with God, if we are adoring Him, then we can likewise be thankful and contented with a spouse (or friend, or child) who is a sinner and give him or her grace. One of the truths we can learn from the parallel that the Bible makes between marriage and our relationship with the Lord is to adore the Lord — the kind of adoration that happens when you first fall in love with a man, or even, if I may be so bold, the kind of adoration that might happen in the marriage bed — where you adore every part of a person, as you see in The Song of Songs.
SPEND SOME TIME ADORING THE LORD. USE MUSIC, PSALMS SUCH AS PSALMS 96 THROUGH 1OO. USE SONG OF SONGS 2:8-17 — AND SING OR TELL HIM WHY HE IS SO BEAUTIFUL TO YOU. GIVE THIS TO HIM. WERE YOU ‘QUICKENED’ TO ADORE DURING THIS TIME? CAN YOU SHARE SOMETHING ABOUT IT?
Jacob thought if he had Rachel, life would be complete. Tim Keller says that Jacob dreamed of apocalyptic sex with Rachel. If only he could have Rachel…
Leah thought if she had Jacob’s love, her life would be complete. If only she could have Jacob’s love…
Rachel thought if she had Jacob’s children, her life would be complete. If only she could have Jacob’s children…
Our hearts are idol-making factories.
5. What contrast is made between Leah and Rachel in Genesis 29:17. How can you tell that the writer wasn’t just saying that Leah didn’t see too well?
6. In a world that worships physical beauty, why might not having it be a gift?
7. Can you see the beauty in individuals who are not physically beautiful? If so, share. If not, pray.
8. Read Isaiah 53:2-3. What do you learn about the Lord here and His physical beauty?
This is when Jesus was on the cross. Spend some time in Isaiah 53 worshiping Him, asking Him to change your heart to worship Him, to care about the things He cares about, instead of the things the world cares about.
9. There is so much more about Rachel and Leah and our idol-making factories. We’ll look at that next week. But for now, let me ask you: “What is your Rachel?” What do you tend to worship instead of the Lord? Ask the Lord to help you with this — to be thankful, yet not a worshiper of this “Rachel?” I’d also love some testimonies here.
10. What did you learn that is impacting you and why?