Thur.’s Devo - You Become What You Behold

Read: Gen. 30-31
Have you ever wanted something so bad that you were irrational? Rachel was. She wanted a baby so bad she blamed Jacob even though it was obvious, it wasn’t Jacob’s fault. She and Leah were in a race to gain Jacob’s favor and love. Racheal had his love but Leah was bearing him children. She finally gave her maid as a substitute and had Dan and Naphtali. After four sons, Leah’s body takes a break from child bearing so she gives him her maid who has Gad and Asher.
If you wonder what all the fuss was over mandrakes, they were a type of aphrodisiac like a love potion. Leah’s son, Reuben found them and sold them to Rachel for one night with Jacob. You wonder what Jacob thought about all their rivalry or if he knew its extent. Leah was blessed with Issachar and then Zebulun. God had blessed the unloved Leah with six sons and to show her that justice had been paid, He gave her a daughter which she named Dinah which means “justice”. THEN God opened Rachel’s womb and she had Joseph. Jacob was then ready to take his eleven sons and one daughter and leave and find his place in the world.
Laban was not ready for the blessing that Jacob carried to leave so he begged Jacob to stay. Jacob agreed on the condition that he divided the flocks with him. Laban agreed to let Jacob have all the speckled and spotted goats and sheep. Jacob cunningly prepared a mating place that had speckled and spotted rods so that when they mated they would see these rods and produce cattle that were speckled and spotted. Sounds bizarre but the principle is that whatever you behold, you will reproduce. It worked with them and it works in our lives. If we behold the Lord and the Word, then we will walk in faith. If we behold the newspaper and the television set, then our lives will reproduce what we see.
Lord, help us to behold Your beauty and Your Word and reproduce Your promises.