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| Photo courtesy of genebrooks.blogspot.com |
I've been thinking (and rethinking...as I never quite learn these lessons the first, third, or umpteenth time the Lord shows me) about idolatry in my life....
Things I run to instead of Him.
Things I fear...and therefore, worship.
Things that I turn to for comfort, apart from Him.
Things that I think I NEED to be happy and fulfilled.
It reminds me of the stories of two very different women in the Scriptures:
Rachel and Hannah.
You see, BOTH of these women desperately wanted something they didn't have--children. BOTH of these women faced the issue of barrenness and yet, how they handled it were drastically different. Let's consider their stories in Genesis and 1 Samuel, respectively, for a minute today.
Rachel desperately wanted a child...and to whom did she turn to fix her problem? The Lord Almighty? NO. She turned to her husband Jacob...
"When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister [Leah]. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I shall die!” 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 30:1-2)
We see that even Jacob was taken aback with her request--I mean, what could HE do!? And yet she told him to give her a child or she wanted to DIE! And as we read on, we see Rachel give her handmaiden Bilhah to Jacob to conceive children.
And when the Lord saw fit to open her womb and Rachel finally does conceive and gives birth to a son, what does she name him? Joseph, a name which is translated in Hebrew as "may He add" and Rachel states, “May the Lord add to me another son!” (Gen 30:22-24). You see, she wasn't even content with this blessing from God--she wanted MORE. Isn't that just like an idol for you? It deceives you into thinking you need it for life/fulfillment/happiness..and then when you DO grab hold of it...it insists on having or becoming MORE and robs you of all contentment and peace. Sadly, the very thing she wanted and thought she needed to LIVE...turned out to cause her DEATH when she bore her second son, Benjamin, and dies during childbirth (Gen 35:16-20).
Contrast that with Hannah, a woman who was so grieved by her barrenness that she wept and would not eat (1 Samuel 1:7-8). But whom did SHE consult in her despair? The Lord God Himself. In fact, she prayed so fervently that the temple priest thought she was drunk in the middle of the day! For even in her "great anxiety and vexation" (v. 16) she worshiped before the Lord (v. 19). And like Rachel, God saw fit to open her womb and bless her with a son, whom she named Samuel, translated as "heard of God." And we see her go on to dedicate him to the temple, and Samuel grows up under the guidance and mentorship of Eli the priest (v. 24-28)...and Hannah bears more children.
Two women.
Burning with the same desire.
Facing the same problem.
Going to different sources in their moment of need.
Receiving the same blessing from the Lord.
Interpreting their lot in life very differently, and as a result...living and dying in very different emotional and spiritual states.
One woman remains bitter...wanting more...feeling unsatisfied...and ultimately dies as a result of receiving the very thing she thinks she needs...
The other...thankful and blessed to the point where she can give a blessing to others...grateful...and content.
I am not sure about you, but I want to pursue God and NOT my idols that promise me so much...and yet have so little to offer except discontentment, pain, and frustration! May we all run to HIM, the author and perfecter of our faith, fixing our eyes on Him and all that HE can provide, and not drink from our broken cisterns...that do NOT hold water!
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