Super-Faith Sunday Answer (3/27)- Who is She??

 -He charged them and said to them, I am to be gathered to my [departed] people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, In the cave in the field at Machpelah, east of Mamre in the land of Canaan, that Abraham bought, along with the field of Ephron the Hittite, to possess as a cemetery. There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I (Jacob) buried Leah (Genesis 49:29-30)

Hey Neighbor!

It’s Tuesday 3/29/2022 and I have Your Super-Faith Sunday Answer From 3/27:

Who is She?? 

She was Leah and Here is her Story!!

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In the dark of night, she was smuggled into the marriage bed by her Father, Laban.  But what would be her new husband’s response, at daybreak when he found the ‘other sister’ lying next to him instead of Rachel?? 

In the morning, Jacob was angry and he took his wrathful complaint to Laban, who promised him his youngest daughter to wife also – the sister that Jacob adored and had labored 7 years for. Yes!! Rachel was that sister that Jacob’s heart yearned for- She was the much prettier, and preferred sister. 

Now Scripture tells us that Leah, the older sister, had ‘weak eyes,’ yet they were strong enough to look upon her husband adoringly. You see, Leah loved Jacob, but he despised her. She had been humiliated by him, causing the light in her eyes to grow dimmer – day by day; But God saw her affliction and blessed Leah with a strong and fertile womb.

Rachel was indeed beautiful, but she was yet barren. God had closed her womb and Rachel could not understand this. She was quite unhappy and she blamed her husband, quarreling and faulting Jacob – even calling for death upon herself!!

 -WHEN RACHEL saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister, and said to Jacob, Give me children, or else I will die!  (Genesis 30:1)

Instead of approaching God in prayer for deliverance, Rachel made undue demands of her husband, but Jacob emphatically reminded Rachel that it was God Who had prevented her from bearing children- not him!! 

Still, Rachel grew more and more envious of Leah’s fruitfulness and She was tormented as Leah bore Jacob more children – one after the other!!

First came Rueben- See a Son! 

Then came Simeon- God hears!

Still seeking to acquire Jacob’s love and attention, as her true marital partner, Leah then bore him Levi- Companion! 

Unfortunately, Leah was yet despised and still humiliated!! 

Next came Judah!! 

Why Judah?? 

• Again she conceived and bore a son, and she said, Now will I praise the Lord! So she called his name Judah [praise]; (Genesis 29:35)

Judah means Praise!! 

You see Leah learned to redirect her focus- she had been desperately seeking the love of her husband, which had not profited her. 

So now, Leah sought after God!! 

The One who had Seen her tears in the dark and Heard her cries in the night!!

In her Praise, Leah found that she had now acquired contentment, and she was able to focus on the joy of motherhood!! 

For those who are familiar with this story- these two ‘sister-wives’ go back and forth – in the spirit of competition, trading and exchanging Jacob like he was a Breeding Stud!! – even exchanging their handmaids as surrogate mothers.

From that union- Jacob produced 4 more sons. Two each, with his wive’s handmaids- Bilhah and Zilpah. These sons were named, Dan and Naphtali (Bilhah); and Gad and Asher (Zilpah).

Leah once again returns to the Lord in prayer, and the Lord blesses her womb and she bore Jacob a 5th son- Issachar (Hired) 

Where did she get that name?? That’s another story for another day- Yes! We will need hot tea for that one…🫖

Now, at some point in the marriage, Jacob begins to spend more of his evenings, after work in Leah’s tent with the boys.  Maybe God had begun to soften his heart towards Leah.  

Jacob had obviously taken more of an interest in Leah- beyond her beauty- or lack thereof, because Leah become pregnant again!! 

She bore Jacob a 6th son, and she called him -Dwelling (Zebulun.)

Still Jacob must have continued on, hanging around @ Leah’s tent. Was she beginning to grow on him?? 

Well maybe so….because Leah was pregnant again!! This time with their 7th child!! 

Together, Leah and Jacob finally had a baby girl. They called her Dinah!! 

Yes! The Lord does finally open Rachel’s womb and gives her a son by Jacob. This was Jacob’s beloved son, Joseph-‘the son of his old age,’ and Rachel called him- ‘May He Add.’

God does indeed add one more son to Rachel, at her pleading- but unfortunately, Rachel dies in childbirth, having their 2nd son, Benjamin whom she calls- son of my sorrow!!

Jacob and Leah grieved and mourned for Rachel and they buried her in Bethlehem.

Rachel had lived her life threatening and demanding that her womb be filled- even desperately using her maid as a substitute and a surrogate so that she might bear Jacob a son and to finally prevail against her sister, Leah. 

Leah copied Rachel’s ungodly tactic, but Leah had been watching her husband on those days when he dwelled in her tent.  And through those ‘weak eyes,’ she saw Jacob’s prayer life and she learned much about Jacob’s God. 

Through Jacob, Leah learned how to pray and how to Bless God for His overflow!!

She realized that God had blessed her with each of her 7 children, and she was grateful to Him. She even remarked, after Asher and Gad were born; that she was Happy that Victory and Fortune had prevailed in her life!! 

 -And Leah said, I am happy, for women will call me blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied); and she named him Asher [happy]. (Genesis 30:13)

Leah believed that God had called her, Blessed!! 

And she believed that others would call her, Blessed of Women!!

Indeed she was- and though Leah was not directly listed as a Matriarch of the Messiah, she was the Mother of ‘Praise’-Judah, through whom the The Christ Child, called Savior would someday descend and thus Bless the World!!

Leah had fought a long and arduous battle for the love of her husband, Jacob…and we may never know if she truly won that battle, But instead, and Better yet- She Indeed Gained the Love of God!! 

Leah fought the Good Fight of Faith!!💕💕

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Thanks For Stopping By!!

Until Next Time, Remember…

God Loves 💕You and So Do I!!

-Tam

Don’t forget to Share The CareBibleStudy Blog with YOUR Family, Friends, Co-Workers and Your Neighbors also –

Loving 💕Them As You Love Yourselves!!

God’s ’Faith-full’ Servant- Hagar!!

And He said, Hagar, Sarai“s maid, where did you come from, and where are you intending to go? And she said, I am running away from my mistress Sarai.  (Genesis 16:8)

Hey Neighbor!

Yesterday we unveiled our ‘Faith-full’ Female of the Week – Hagar.

First, I have to say thanks to Beverley, from her blog – ‘Becoming the Oil and the Wine’ for submitting another correct answer to our Super Faith Sunday Challenge- where each week – we highlight 1 ’faith-full’ female from the Bible.

Beverley is 2 For 2!! 💕💕

Thanks so much, Beverley👏👏👏👏

Now when we first meet Hagar she was simply an Egyptian servant girl, gifted to Abram in exchange for Sarai. 

Now this is of course before God sent Abraham (father of a multitude) and Sarah (Princess) down to the Social Security Office to document their official name changes.🤣 (Genesis 17:5, 15)

You do Remember that God changed both of their names, but that’s a story for another day…today we are focusing on Hagar, Abram, and Sarai!!  

Now while Sarai and Abram were temporarily living in Egypt, Pharaoh had taken Sarai into his harem, convinced by Abram that Sarai was nothing more than his beloved sister!!  

I know- Abram and Sarai were ‘extra,’ as the kids like to say!! 😂 

I guess that’s why God changed their names – to settle those two down – Lol! 

So Anyway, Let’s try to stay focused on Hagar- She was a handmaid gifted to Abram in Egypt, as a sort of dowry from Pharoah to Abram, in exchange for Sarai joining his harem. 

She (Hagar) accompanied Abram and Sarai and their caravan of sheep, oxen, he-donkeys, menservants, maidservants, she-donkeys, and camels departing from Egypt…After a plague-afflicted Pharaoh ran them both out of town for their ‘tall tales!’- 🤯I will spill tea on this another day🫖

So at this point Abram remained childless, and Sarai remained barren. 

But Sarai had a bright idea 💡 

She decided to give Abram her Egyptian  Handmaid, Hagar to wife (secondary), in hopes that Hagar would conceive a child by Abram and thus, she would serve as a surrogate mother for Abram’s son and heir.

This was not a God-Approved Idea!! 

Well, Sarai didn’t have to exert too much effort in order to convince Abram to go along with her hair-brained scheme and before you know it…Hagar is pregnant!! 

Now after Hagar conceived, as my mother would’ve said, “Sarai had gotten beside herself!’

She looked down her nose at Sarai- forgetting her place- She was still just a servant and only a secondary wife, but Hagar was exalted in her own eyesight. 

Now when Sarai complained to Abram- the two of them played the blame game for a while- Until a vengeful Sarai, once again takes matters into her own hands. 

Now after being harshly afflicted by a ‘wrath-filled,’ overly-impassioned Sarai, Hagar runs as far as she can from home- hoping to run as far as Egypt!! 

But no matter how far Hagar had attempted to run to get away from Sarai- She could not outrun God!! 

God saw Hagar!! 

And although she felt inclined to run from her mistress, in her self-exalted mindset, God had not approved of Hagar’s misguided departure. 

God spoke to Hagar, calling her, “Sarai’s maid,” Reminding her that for 10 years, she had been blessed and favored in Abram’s household as a servant, until she permitted pride to overtake her. 

The Angel of the Lord admonished her and encouraged Hagar to repent- and to turn away from Egypt, and the Godless, idolatrous lifestyle that she had once known and instead….now take up His yoke of humility and return to her husband Abram, and submit to her mistress, Sarai!  

Trusting that He had seen her tears, and had heard her complaints about her mistress, if she would receive Him as her Lord, He would watch over her and give her a hope for the future and a prosperous outcome for her offspring. 

• See now, you are with child and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Ishmael [God hears], because the Lord has heard and paid attention to your affliction.  (Genesis 16:11)

God had called Hagar out of Egypt for a purpose, and her future was pre-destined for God’s plans and purposes!! 

Hagar Believed God’s spoken promise, taking  hold of it as an undeserved gift!! 

After she had returned to herself, Hagar realized how blessed she had been in God’s presence. The very same God, whom her husband Abram had worshipped daily, He had now seen and acknowledged her- showing His love and concern for her, a lowly Egyptian handmaid. 

In recognition of her transformational encounter with God, Hagar memorialized the well of water where she had met The Angel of the Lord as, ‘Beer-lahai-roi’- A well to the Living One Who sees me (Genesis 16:14)

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Thanks for Stopping By Today and Don’t Forget Tomorrow – Trivia Thirsday!!

Until Then-

God Loves 💕You and So Do I!!

-Tam

Don’t forget to Share The CareBibleStudy Blog with YOUR Family, Friends, Co-Workers and Your Neighbors also –

Loving 💕Them As You Love Yourselves!!

Super Faith Sunday Answer- Who is She??

-So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a bottle of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulders, and he sent her and the youth away. And she wandered on [aimlessly] and lost her way in the wilderness of Beersheba- (Genesis 21:14)

Today is 3/22/2022 and I have Our Super Faith Sunday Challenge Answer:

Who is She??

Hagar

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“What is Troubling You?”

These are the words that Hagar heard from heaven after she had been thrown out… banished…and abandoned…both her and her little boy…
-from her husband, her home and all that she had become familiar with and accustomed to-

Her husband, Abraham, had put her away…
Her son, Ishmael had been turned away by his father…
It appeared that they were all alone…and scripture tells us that Hagar and the young boy wandered in the wilderness, aimlessly.

Where would they Go?

What would they Do?

Who would open their doors to them and have mercy on this homeless mother and her fatherless child?

Hagar was hopeless and afraid!!

Abraham had sent her away with only bread and a bottle of water. He placed it upon her shoulders early that morning, before bidding her farewell.

She had been a ‘thorn in the side’ to Abraham and Sarah…stirring up strife in their marriage and stirring up jealousy in her son, towards his brother Isaac.

Sarah had finally reached her breaking point…Demanding that this bondwoman and her son be cast out and away from her sight.

Abraham loved Ishmael and reluctantly acknowledged his wife, Sarah’s request. It was only because God had spoken to Abraham…confirming that he must do what Sarah had asked, that Abe grievously sent them away.

So as Hagar wandered aimlessly in the wilderness, with no real destination in mind…she lost her way…and had run out of water.

How could she and her son survive or sustain themselves in the blistering conditions of the desert with no water and no refuge??

Hagar could see no hope in sight…as her eyes were likely, filled with tears and her head hung low in despair…But God saw Hagar and God loved both Hagar and Ishmael…and showed them His mercy and His lovingness.
He called out to Hagar from Heaven and He opened Her eyes…revealing a well of water.

She had nearly given up…having distanced herself from the boy and placing him under a shrub…fearing that he would be overcome from by the sun and the heat…Ishmael’s Mother could not bear to watch him wither away and die from dehydration.

Hagar treaded off and sat down in despair, away from Ishmael and raised up her voice and wept…as her young son also lifted up his voice and cried out…probably for his mother…Then God heard them both!!

God had not abandoned them…He was with Hagar and Ishmael and He quenched their thirsts…and spared their lives and fulfilled His promise to make Ishmael into a great nation.

-Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the [empty] bottle with water and caused the youth to drink. And God was with the youth, and he developed; and he dwelt in the wilderness and became an archer. He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him out of the land of Egypt- (Genesis 21:19-21)

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Thanks For Stopping By Today!!

Until Next Time, Remember…

God Loves 💕You and So Do I!!

-Tam

Don’t forget to Share The CareBibleStudy Blog with YOUR Family, Friends, Co-Workers and Your Neighbors also –

Loving 💕Them As You Love Yourselves!!

Solution Saturday Answers- Who’s Your Mom??

Hey Neighbor! 

It’s 3/19/2022 and It’s Solution Saturday!!

Well this week our Trivia Thursday questions were fill in the blank.

Our Question was: Who’s Your Mom?

So we just filled in the correct name of the mother associated with her child’s name (provided.)

The children listed were some of the sons and the 1 daughter of King David of Israel, who had a total of 8 wives. 

When I was setting up the trivia question, adding up the numbers of wives and children, I noticed that David’s first wife was not listed there in 1 Chronicles 3:1-9. 

Now I am a King David fan, so I am very attentive to details when I am reading anything regarding David. And so, I remembered that David was married to one of King Saul’s daughters.

After David killed Goliath, Saul promised his daughter to David in marriage. In fact, Saul promised his eldest daughter Merab, but defaulted on his initial promise to David and gave him Michal, his younger daughter to marry instead. 

Michal was David’s very first wife, but they did not have any children together – which is why she is not listed along with the other wives.  She was not a mother to any of David’s children. In fact, Michal remained childless throughout the entire marriage, even until her death. 

Now Michal was initially an excellent wife to David. She loved David sorely -and even protected him from Saul’s wrath, but David and Saul had a very difficult, love/hate relationship, and Michal was an unfortunate casualty of Saul’s never-ending war with David. 

I could go on and on, but I will spill Tea on both Saul and Michal at a later date…🫖

But For Today- I have Answers!!

1. Absalom and Tamar are the children of David and Maacah.
2. Daniel is the son of David and Abigail.
3. Amnon is the son of David and Ahinoam.
4. Nathan is the son of David and Bathsheba.
5. Adonijah is the son of David and Haggith.
6. Shephatiah is the son of David and Abital.
7. Ithream is the son of David and Eglah.
8. BONUS******David had one more Wife. Her name was Michal. (1 Samuel 18:27)

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I hope You Enjoyed These- I sure Did!!💕

Until Next Time, Remember…

God Loves 💕You and So Do I!!

-Tam

Thanks for stopping by!!

Don’t forget to Share The CareBibleStudy Blog with YOUR Family, Friends, Co-Workers and Your Neighbors also –

Loving 💕Them As You Love Yourselves!!