Bibledoorajar looks at God and Envy

     "When Rachel saw that she was not bearing children for Jacob, she ENVIED her sister and said to Jacob, 'Give me children or I will die!' this made Jacob ANGRY at Rachel; he answered, "Am I in God's place? He's the one who is denying you children." She said, "here is my maid, Bilhah. Go, sleep with her, and let her give birth to a child that will be laid on my knees, so that through her I too can BUILD a family." So she gave him Bilhah her slave-girl as his wife, and Jacob went in and slept with her. Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. Rachel said, "God has JUDGED in my favor; indeed he has heard me and has given me a son. Therefore she called him Dan which means He judged."
                         Genesis 30: 1-6

     The theme in the birth of Jacob's first four sons was one of mercy toward the unloved Leah. Now, in this scene, we see Rachel becoming envious of her to the point that she railed at her husband to give her children or she was going to die! John Michael Montgomery wrote a song about marriage until death and giving his spouse everything he could (I Swear). I'm sure when Jacob married Rachel, whom he loved so much, he wanted to give her everything he could. Seeing her so upset with his inadequacies to do so must have been very difficult to deal with. However, he turned her wrath from him by rightly pointing out that he could not be put in the place of God. He further was willing to say that God might be judging her because he, Jacob, did not mind participating in the production of a son with the woman he loved. So, considering the facts, which included God's involvement in the matter, she gave her slave-girl to Jacob with the intent of producing a lap child via her. So Jacob had intercourse with the girl and she produced a son. When it came to naming the child, Rachel chose Dan, citing that God had judged in her favor.
     We can now see a pattern forming that we will see over and over again in the history of Israel and of you, me, and the church. God is merciful to the sinful unlovable person, the sinful unlovable nation, the sinful unlovable church. But He also moves in judgement at times of envy and bad behavior. However,  he is always about His creative work of forming a person, a body, suitable to serve the One True Holy God.
     Scripture lists envy right up there with murder and adultery. It also declares that it is love that can drive these things from the heart of a person or a nation. Perhaps God saw Rachel's motives as Paul described in 1 Corinthians 13:1:

                   "If I speak in the tongues of men and angels and have not love, I am but a
                    clanging cymbal".

      Thank God for his great love that overwhelms our negative emotions that can lead to negative words!  Even in these early roots of God's dealings with people,  we see a wonderful, holy shaping taking place.  Everything, in the fulness of time, will be accomplished through His mercy and judgement. Today, I am thinking of how through Leah's sons we see the beginnings of the priesthood and Messianic tribes of Israel and we also become aware of God's judgement with the birth of Dan. Consider Romans 11:22ff.  this week and if you are pregnant think about not naming your baby girl Bilhah ("trouble, terror, worthlessness").God bless!