Scripture: Genesis 29:31 30:24

I. God is faithful to give justice to you.

A. These chapters tell the story of the birth of Jacob s first 12 children. Genesis 29:31, “ When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. barren.” Clearly, there is a connection between Leah being unloved by her husband and God giving her the first children. There was no justice in Jacob treating Leah unfairly . So, God gives to the oppressed and rejected and despised wife Leah the first children of Jacob.

B. Jesus says in Luke 18:7 8: And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will giv e justice to them speedily. Finally, after her fourth son is born, Judah, Leah stops longing for her husband s affection and honor. She instead determines to praise the LORD (vs. 35). It is only in praising the LORD that she can transcend her sadness and distress.

II God is faithful to answer your prayers.

A. Jacob should have exercised spiritual leadership when Rachel could not have children (Gen. 30:1). He should have prayed with her. But he did not pray. The good news is that even though Jacob did not pray for a child for Rachel, God heard Rachel s prayer. He gave her a son Joseph (vs. 24) even though she prayed with less than pure motives. She wanted a child because of her jealousy of Leah s ability to have children (Gen. 30:1).

B. Rachel and Leah couldn t wait for God to give them more children. So, Rachel gives Jacob her servant Bilhah so he can have children with her (Gen. 30:3). Leah also gives Jacob her servant Zilpah (vs. 9) so Jacob can have children with her. These characters are living a soap opera. And yet, what does our faithful God do for them? He answers their prayers. God answers our prayers not because we are pure in our motives but because He is faithful to His promises.

III God is faithful to keep His promises to you.

A. God had promised Jacob in Bethel in Genesis 28:14: Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the e arth be blessed. blessed.” God blesses Jacob with 11 sons and a daughter by this point in the story. God will keep His promises no matter what. God s grace is greater than all our sins, and God s purposes for our lives will not even be stopped because of our sins.

Application:

Worship God for His graciousness and for His faithfulness in keeping His promises.

Sources:

The Bible
Commentaries by Allen Ross, Dale Ralph Davis and Bruce Waltke.

Sermon Discussion Questions

1) How does the fact that God is just help you be patient in waiting for God to answer your prayers? How was God just to the unloved Leah?

2) How do we see mixed motives in the prayers of Rachel and Leah? Does God wait to answer our prayers until we have completely pure motives?

3) What great promise of God to Jacob do we see answered in Genesis 29 and 30? Can we expect God to keep all His promises to us right away?